Arlinda McIntosh’s mother was in her early 60s when the family began noticing small but concerning changes in her behavior: she would sweep the floor repeatedly, forget she had left the stove on, and leave the water running in the sink. Her mom is part of the inspiration behind the creation of The Memory Skirt, a garment that sparks connection around identity.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t know what was behind her memory and thinking issues until her late 80s,” McIntosh says. “Back then, we just did the best we could in caring for her—but I really wish we had known more.”
That lack of answers stayed with Arlinda. Today, in her late 60s herself, the fashion designer and founder of Sofistafunk is both vigilant about her own cognitive health and inspired to create garments on what she calls a “creation with a cause”:
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The Memory Skirt, Her Fashion Tells a Story
McIntosh, best known for her voluminous, whimsical skirt collections beloved by stars including Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige, and Yvette Nicole Brown, has always believed her designs should do more than look beautiful. “My skirts tell stories. They celebrate who we are and where we’ve been,” she says. The Memory Skirt takes that idea even further, weaving personal histories into wearable art.
Each one-of-a-kind piece incorporates a variety of fabrics, colors, textures, and needlework that reflect the life of the wearer. A recent commission was for Rita, a former journalist living with early symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease. Her skirt was designed with simulated newspaper clippings, fuchsia begonias, butterflies, cactus, and pink-and-gold-toned fabrics that remind her of home. “This skirt was my way of celebrating Rita,” McIntosh explains. “It was threaded with care, resilience, and hope.”
A Personal Wake-Up Call
McIntosh admits that as she got older, she began to notice a few “memory moments” of her own—things she once brushed off as stress or the overload of life as a mother, grandmother, and entrepreneur. But her family history weighed on her and pushed her to dig deeper. ”
One day, I thought, perhaps this is more than normal aging, and I should speak with my doctor to discuss it further,” she says. In true McIntosh fashion, she researched everything she could before her appointment, stumbling across terms like amyloid plaques—protein buildups in the brain linked to memory and thinking issues. “That was enough to give me even more reason not to miss my appointment,” she says. “After all, self-advocacy is my top priority—and there’s nothing wrong with a little cognitive testing—because I have many more skirts to sew.”
A Creative Legacy on A Mission
McIntosh’s career in fashion spans more than four decades, from hand-finishing garments at Norma Kamali in the 1970s to launching Sofistafunk in 2000 with her daughter-in-law. Known for slow, sustainable design (aka upcycling), she primarily works with natural fabrics like cotton, linen, wool, and silk, believing they carry an energy that supports well-being.
With The Memory Skirt, McIntosh masterfully blends artistry with advocacy. Inspired by her late mother and grandmother—women she once watched pick cotton and tobacco as sharecroppers in North Carolina, and both of whom later experienced memory and thinking issues—she sees the project as both a celebration of life stories and a gentle reminder for others to pay closer attention to their own cognitive health.
Why It Matters
McIntosh’s message is clear: if you notice memory or thinking changes in yourself or a loved one, don’t ignore them. Talk to a doctor. Ask if testing could be the next step in getting a complete evaluation. “Understanding that my mother’s symptoms were more than normal aging has totally shaped the way I approach my own health today,” she says. Through Arlinda’s designs, she’s making something beautiful out of something deeply challenging—a way to destigmatize memory and thinking issues while honoring the people who live with them every day.
Learn More
If yoy want your own version of The Memory Skirt? McIntosh says, “You can email her up to three photos and she will convert them into ‘heat transfers’ that will be beautifully incorporated into your skirt’s design.” She has had clients submit images from family albums, fashion magazines, vintage catalogs (i.e., Spiegel), and old album covers (i.e., Nat King Cole).
It depends on what your parent or loved one is or was into. For more information, go to sofistafunk.com and follow her on Instagram @funkingafter50. To learn more about memory and thinking issues and what steps you can take if you’re concerned for yourself or someone you love, visit More Than Normal Aging.
