CAVU
~ Clear, And Visibility Unlimited ~ 34 years & still flying high!

Patsy, that’s me, a Southern girl who loved to sew, met and married Joel, a Southern boy who loved business and was born with leadership and entrepreneurial skills that would take us places together! That was 1969!

At first – those places were ‘ Over Here & Over There!’ as Naval Aviator and Bride. Fabulous, creative and memorable places and achievements, thrown in with the ‘why can’t I go?’ and the proverbial ‘if the Navy wanted me to have a wife they would have issued me one!’

Fast forward 10 years…holding down the ‘base’ while Joel was high flying for love of country, my creative excitement was taking off also, as our children, Weston and Holly were bursts of energy and willing fit models and quality testers for my earliest designs! Our family was stationed in Coronado, California and once I realized that my hand sewn designs would really sell at my friend’s boutique in this charming little city, I was ‘in business!”

Friends and neighbors rode their bikes over to help us sew, and all of this activity took place in a small room over our garage, using an old closet door as a cutting table. Rumor has it that there are still pins in that shag carpet 34 years later!

In January of 2014, our company, Patsy Aiken Designs, moved from Raleigh, NC to Wilmington, NC on the coast. Still a family business, Joel, who joined full time as our family and business navigational compass, is in charge of finance, planning and information technology and I oversee product design and manufacturing. Our special collections, which for the first 20 years sold in upscale department and specialty stores, and later exclusively by an outstanding team of professional Sales Consultants for our Chez Ami brand, are now sold through our company website online and by catalog.

We offer these collections with immense appreciation to our loyal customers who value the styling and quality of our product and who return season after season to shop with us. We are committed to continuing this long tradition and look forward to being a happy part of your children’s lives for many years to come.