ABOUT
Maria Korovilas and Katie Baldwin have known each other since their teenage days at the University of Southern California where, upon graduation, Maria spent years plugging away in the fashion industry from the West to East Coasts and Katie decided to start a farm in Amagansett.
Together, they imagined one day creating a business. But it was only after deeply experiencing the wasteful and dangerous cycles of fashion industry practices for Maria, and after Katie engaged an entire community to come together, did that business design itself.
OUR VALUES
Fashion cycles in the 21st century have become a "pump and dump" of oversaturated excess made predominantly from cheap, synthetic fabrications designed to fall apart quickly but whose micro plastic fibers never leave us. That's right. They will NEVER biodegrade. The tiny particles are found in our soil, water, sea creatures, animals, our own bodies. We are inhaling daily doses of micro plastics and this is a threat to ourselves and to the health of our planet.
The health and well-being of the "maker" is also in jeopardy. Not only do these destructive cycles initiate long working hours and little pay to meet margins, but the industry is on trend to "de-humanize" all craft and make processes and outsource to machines. We are staunch supporters of the human and the process of the craft, and we must preserve these processes before they no longer exist.
The nature of fashion consumption MUST change. And it starts with awareness and conscious choices to CHANGE that cycle.
Our brand ethos is to, first and foremost, educate and our motto is just because you can't do everything, don't choose to do nothing.
SLOW CAPSULE COLLECTIONS
What is slow fashion? Each of our products are designed with purpose and intention, sourced with responsible practices in mind, crafted with elevated construction and finishes, and will be made available when ready.
Our products are inspired by life's calendar and original ideation to promote authentic living.
As such, our products are meant to be collected heirloom classics- iconic staples that are always relevant and never simply churned out for dollars.
RESPONSIBLE FIBERS
There is so much waste on the planet from the garment industry alone, let alone other industries. This means landfill space is growing and is also being shipped out to other countries who have even less capacity to deal with the waste.
In particular, much of the synthetic waste [polyester, nylon, etc] is composed of micro plastics that cannot be broken down. This seeps into the soil, the water systems, into plants, animals, seafood... into our bodies. We are dedicated to actively not contributing to the continued landfills.
We happen to also relish in the luxury of natural fibers so most of our design lives in that space.
Other earth positive fibers such as recycled fibers, deadstock fibers, and up cycled materials also make cameos in the collection.
UPCYCLED COMPONENTS
Another facet of our business model is the championing of iconic vintage and antiques within our collection concepts. The most effective way to be conscious is to use what already exists. This includes our found objects as well as giving new life to old garments by treating them with artisanal processes, using garments already in existence to keep them from landfill.
We also use upcycled components in our products. For example, we take scraps or old garments and work them into new designs to create entirely new garments.
In addition to production scraps, we curate other secondhand fabrics or deadstock fabrics to utilize in our new collections.
Choosing to upcycle elements already in existence eliminates future waste and micro plastic debris.
VEGETABLE DYES
Through our use of mostly natural fibers, we are able to take advantage of the vegetable dye process for our beautiful and serene muted power pastel palette. We love to experiment with the colors we can achieve through various plant based dyes. More so, we love the use of natural medium for solid colored fabric on our skin. The perfectly imperfect washy result is our signature, mimicking the beauty of nature.
The use of natural dyes relieves chemicals from the dye process-better for the environment and your skin.
and the LOVE OF VINTAGE...
Maria has been a dedicated thrifter, flea-marketer, antique lover- whose thrill of the hunt began in 6th grade when she started scavenging at the "Cheap0-Depot" thrift shop for 1970s corduroys [a classic 90s staple].
So began a life long love affair with sourcing curated finds the world over. There's no better museum or education in fashion history than hunting for vintage items on a weekly basis, a literal job requirement in fashion design. Sourcing inspiration for garments and textiles for well over 30 years, alongside her masters level education in fashion, has given Maria a curated eye that sets her apart. She is well versed in eras, decades, the makers, the markers and the iconic moments in all. Those iconic pieces will always stand the test of time.
Maria's passion for vintage and antiques is truly her sweet spot and she puts that curation talent forward in this collection, making her finds for apparel and home accessible to purchase through the lens of each season's design concept.
Quality craftsmanship that stands the test of time is the definition of "heirloom."
COMMUNITY
Community, for us, is about championing those with something to offer and using their native talents to thrive.
We champion our community locally and internationally through the use of hands-on skill set. We champion those with artisanal gifts that we hope to preserve. and those with talents we hope to promote.
Maria has spent decades working with various artisans, fabric mills and other talents-utilizing their native handcrafts.
The fast fashion, cheap consumption society we have found ourselves in today has replaced many ages-old techniques with stripped down, cheap, mass manufacturing processes that do not reflect technique or quality. These items don't last-neither stylistically nor in quality.
it is of utmost import to preserve artisanal and handcrafted disciplines in the arts and in their respective cultures.
We have partnered with our garment factory for all development and production- a family run organization based out of India. Maria has known Anjani and Sanjana for a long time in industry and their harmonious working relationship led to a true partnership in this line. We will be showcasing more of their work in visual format alongside our made product.
Katie has also embraced her community through apprenticeships at the farm, community programming for children, and collaboration with other locally growing farmers and farm-to-table restaurants. The shop at the farm brings together this community, not only in company but also in product offering.
In addition, Maria and Katie found their worlds colliding with many makers, musicians, artists and designers and the larger vision for this brand is to bring them all together.
Championing the works of people [not machines] promotes the preservation of our humanity, our cultures, societies, craft, and a sense of purpose directly related to mental well-being for community members. It also gives our product heritage and ensures a much longer life span of use.
MODERN HEIRLOOMS
Our intention is curate, promote and create modern heirlooms- Timeless pieces to be cherished forever, in the wardrobe and in the home, that speak to a larger point of view rooted in caring for each other and the planet.
By focusing on quality, iconic pieces, doing what we can when we can, and truly authentic craft-we hope to shift consumer consciousness.