Mark Hughes, Designer

Mark Hughes has been sewing all his life, starting at the tender age of 9 making dresses for his Barbie dolls. He was a costume designer in professional Regional Theatre for 25 years before quitting theatre cold-turkey and moving to Northwest Arkansas where he knew there was no theatre to tempt him back in.

Once there, he met the owner of a women’s clothing boutique who persuaded him to develop a line of comfortable, natural-fiber clothing. Twenty-five years later, “Regalia Handmade Clothing” is still operating out of lovely Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Aside from his line of linen designs, he also uses specialty fabrics suitcased back from distant locations for a series of one-and-only garments.  His retro line “Bing Bang Boomerang” sprang up as a side-line to Regalia out of Mark’s love for vintage fabrics and clothing styles of the 1950’s and 60’s. In this line, Mark strives to create one-of-a-kind items that look as if they have just stepped out of the period without being too kitschy. Fitted bodices, flared full skirts and precise detailing are the hallmarks of BBB, and each garment is lovingly stitched one garment at a time, by the designer himself.

Covid-19 provided Mark the opportunity to move toward retirement smoothly. When it came in 2020, the seamstresses scattered and Mark went into face mask production, knocking out a whopping 9,000 masks. When the coast was clear, he decided not to bring back the seamstresses or re-open the showroom in Eureka Springs, but to sew custom orders through his website and a small rack of clothes in a store in Little Rock called "South Main Creative". Though the studio door is locked, Mark is always happy to answer the bell for private consultations and ship orders out when he finishes them.