Northshore Magazine

Northshore March 2016

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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76 | MARCH 2016 nshoremag.com photographs by Rachael Kloss BY KILEY JACQUES Part fashion designer, part sharpshooting businesswoman, Rebecca McCrensky builds her brand one article at a time. Textile Tales Rebecca McCrensky, founder and CEO of Andover–based Altar Ego Global Fashions, has a fondness for telling stories. The Babson College MBA graduate once served as a buyer for Talbots and as vice presi- dent of merchandising strategy for PUMA. In time, she developed an idea for her own business—custom- designed activewear. For informa- tion, she turned to an Australian company specializing in digital imaging—they targeted a "Goth" audience. McCrensky also studied the tattoo industry. That was the start of her story- filled venture. Moving through her newly opened shop (across from Whole Foods), McCrensky pulls pairs of leggings out to explain the inspiration for each. Her very first design—still a top seller today—fea- tures a Boldini painting of a Span- ish flamenco dancer at the Moulin Rouge in 1905. The reason she was able to use the image, she explains, is because more than 70 years have passed since the artist's death, mak- ing it free of copyright restrictions. She also has a pair decorated with a Monet print, with his signature on the ankle. She sourced the image from a Los Angeles–based photog- Clockwise from top left, owner Rebecca McCrensky, an Aztec- inspired design rapher who shoots paintings in museums and then digitizes the photos for sale. Another pair is printed with a Phoenix, which, of course, rises from the ashes. "That one is really compelling for me because when I worked at Talbots and PUMA, part of what I was frustrated with was that they were companies in trouble, and I was brought in to make changes; but they wouldn't make any changes, so I started this business, and I felt like it was me

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