Clothing for Women

Friday, August 27, 2010

New Men's Trickling In!

New Men's items are coming into the store for fall! First up we have a few great new pieces from Trovata.

Louviers cardigan (lambswool) - $176

Shepard sweater (lambswool blend) - $156

Unfortunately these items are not available on the website just yet. Check back soon, or call our store to place an order!
(503) 274.8882

Saturday, August 14, 2010

My Visit to Prairie Undergound

It didn't seem right to take a trip to Seattle and not meet the creative duo behind the organic clothing line Prairie Underground. My sales rep made the arrangements and I headed to their industrial warehouse space, family in tow.

Camilla is head of production and Davora is head of marketing. Together they create beautiful functional clothes. All of their pieces are machine washable, even this summer’s Savoy Pant which is a silk hemp blend. They do not like to focus so much on the organic aspect but like to think of themselves as a sustainable and conscious company. I think we can all appreciate that.

I happened to be there as they were starting to ship out their Fall goods and got to understand the process from design to final production. It was great to hear Davora talk about their humble beginnings. They started out in a tiny 400 sq ft space. Their current location seems to be about 2000 sq ft and they are expanding to the space next door.

It is so nice to see two fantastic, talented, and eco-conscious women who started out with small aspirations grow into the empire they are now.

My Fall goods were ready as well so I suggested that I take them with me instead of having them shipped. I just took my goods out of the box, returned the box to her to reuse, felt good about minimizing my carbon footprint, and headed south back to Portland.

Camilla sewing away. Possibly a new design for next spring?

I found these dyed shoe laces they used for their color palette interesting. I forgot to ask them why they use shoe laces, but will have to ask them next time. Nonetheless it's a great visual!

Fall goods ready to be boxed and shipped to its destination. I was pretty much in Prairie heaven at this point and if no one was looking I wanted to dive in~!

Her diligent staff carefully inspecting and lint brushing each item before it is packed.

These are bundles of the famous Long Cloak Hoodies before they are sent to the dye house. Most designers sew after the fabric is the color desired but since this style is one of their staples season after season, it is smart of them to have the pattern on stock and dye it depending on the color the store chooses. You can tell by the zipper of each bundle, what color they were ending up to be.

Goods ready to be shipped!

Their boxes are purchased from a company that buys back once used boxes.

Here are the Fall goods that I picked up from them last week: