Lee’s Summit’s Tricia Barbarick-Steffes, founder and CEO of Bellezze Alte, is seeking $20,000 in crowdfunding for her company’s exclusive line of clothing for tall women, the Madeline Lubrano Collection.

To raise the money she needs to manufacture two new designs of maxi dresses, Barbarick-Steffes is utilizing the online crowdfunding platform Plum Alley, which supports female entrepreneurs.

In addition to making available potential funding, Plum Alley offers an influential network of businesspeople with other resources that can facilitate the growth of the Madeline Lubrano Collection, Barbarick-Steffes said.

“The ability to spread the word quickly online to a lot of people, and keep them updated on the status of the project is invaluable,” Barbarick-Steffes said in a release.

If the Madeline Lubrano Collection’s 31-day Plum Alley funding goal is not met by Dec. 22, all pledges made will be canceled and the line’s maxi dresses will not be available to taller women, who typically have a difficult time finding stylish clothes, Barbarick-Steffes said.

Barbarick-Steffes is working with Chicago-based clothing manufacturer Stitch Method to complete the prototype garments. Manufacturing has been kept in the United States to accommodate the Madeline Lubrano Collection’s lower production runs and to help lessen costs in the early phase of the business.

To learn more about Barbarick-Steffes, Bellezze Alte and the Madeline Lubrano Collection, visit the clothing line’s crowdfunding page at www.plumalley.co/campaigns/bellezze-alte-the-madeline-lubrano-collection.

Thinking Bigger Business Media featured Bellezze Alte earlier this year as a Big Start. Read that story here.