Sustainable Clothing & Interior Designer, Boutique Owner, Speaker - Anne Marie P. Johnson 🇺🇸

About

I'm Anne Marie - founder and owner of Bitter Grace, a sustainable lifestyle brand, focused on mindful wardrobe, style, and design.

While I'm passionate about fashion, beauty, and design, my greatest mission is guiding others toward authentic self-expression— helping them radiate effortlessly through the discovery and contemplation of their unique radiance and true nature.

Bitter Grace is beyond the clothing and boutique store — it’s a pathway and vessel of mindful consumption and embodiment, reminding all of us that we don't need more, but we need more meaningful.

Career

As an immigrant growing up in the DC area, I was raised to pursue conventional career routes in government. After completing my Master's in Public Policy, I tried to land the "perfect" job, only to be left feeling undervalued and unfulfilled. After years of working in different industries and climbing the corporate ladder, I realized I was chasing other people's dreams and expectations, and doing things to "feel enough" for others.

I launched Bitter Grace online in 2019 after envisioning my own curated shop filled with all things that felt beautiful and comforting, including clothing and home essentials. I organized a few one-day pop-ups in DC that were all successful, inspiring me to open my own brick-and-mortar store one day.

In 2020, I opened my first store and experienced great success. I took a leap of faith by investing in my business full-time, leaving my corporate job in early 2021. It was the best decision I ever made, allowing me to get to know my true self, my values, and tap into gifts I never knew I had.

I was committed to offering quality and natural clothing options, leading me to invest in my own clothing line. I launched my first collection in 2021 and my second in 2023. I learned so much about development and production, opening my eyes to the unpleasant aspects of the garment-making industry and ecosystem that perpetuates clothing waste globally today.

The journey so far revealed my greatest values, and the kind of business I wanted to cultivate long-term. Most importantly, it revealed the type of business owner and person I wanted to be - one who desires to make the world a better place and to be of service for the highest good of all.

Working with women from all walks of life revealed how image and style profoundly impacts how we show up and connect with others, and most importantly - how we feel about ourselves.

My greatest joy is being a guiding source for individuals to reimagine their image and style, allowing for the purity of self-expression. When you begin to align yourself with who you truly are and consciously embody the essence of your true nature, you begin to have a different life experience filled with more meaning, purpose, joy, and abundance. 

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