we've been waiting for what seems like years to announce the release of our special edition collaboration with of a kind.
we've taken the zermatt style-- our best seller-- and updated it with a punchy orange/red and ivory color.
take a look!
collaborating was fun, but researching our story on masala chai in india was the icing on the cake. as if i needed reason to drink more masala chai.
check out the story and special recipe here.
we decided to rework our best selling zermatt caftan with the help of the team at of a kind, as it checked all of their boxes for a style that was universally flattering, not transparent and comfortable. we changed it up by using a punchy red-orange yarn mixed in with ivory. it was woven on a power loom, which is similar to a hand loom except that the person pushing the shuttle is replaced by an electric shuttle. the resulting fabric has many elements of handlloomed fabric, but takes less time to weave.
the most fun part of working with of a kind was signing our special edition tags that come with each order. this made the entire process feel that much more special.
the adorable courtney conway wrote our story. it's awkward to read about yourself, but her inventive spin makes it more than bearable.
"Katie McClure studied textiles as an undergrad at the University of Texas, but she needed a bit of an epiphany to convince her that creating clothing was her calling. “I was always intimidated by creative professions—I didn’t go to a fashion school like Parsons, so I really didn’t feel like being a designer was something that I could do,” explains Katie, who did a stint in human resources before making her way back to the land of fabric. It was a vacation to Bali that gave her her first push: “I was looking for a loose tunis, and I couldn’t find the cut I wanted. But I loved all the motifs woven into these really beautiful handmade fabrics,” she remembers. It occurred to Katie she could design her own pieces, but it wasn’t until her sister, Erin McClure Breen, left her teaching gig and suggested going into biz together that the pair set her caftan plan in motion.
After doing a research deep-dive into sustainable production (and racking up a whole lotta frequent-flier miles from their local Houston airport) the sibling duo decided Bagru, India, was the place to bring Katie’s loose (but never shapeless!) cuts to life. They launched their line, Mirth, in 2016—and Katie still pinches herself every time she visits the artisans handling production 8,000 miles away. “It’s always a ‘wow’ moment to see [them] creating things that I just thought up in my head. And to have customers want to bring them into their closets,” she says. The one thing that does get old: Eat, Pray, Love jokes—she’s heard every last one of ‘em. —courtney conway
After doing a research deep-dive into sustainable production (and racking up a whole lotta frequent-flier miles from their local Houston airport) the sibling duo decided Bagru, India, was the place to bring Katie’s loose (but never shapeless!) cuts to life. They launched their line, Mirth, in 2016—and Katie still pinches herself every time she visits the artisans handling production 8,000 miles away. “It’s always a ‘wow’ moment to see [them] creating things that I just thought up in my head. And to have customers want to bring them into their closets,” she says. The one thing that does get old: Eat, Pray, Love jokes—she’s heard every last one of ‘em. —courtney conway
We can't let our partners in Maheshwar, Kolkata, West Bengal, Bhopal, Delhi and South India get left out: these wonderful partners are all a crucial part of our sustainable team.
it was an honor, new friends at of a kind. thank you.
