locally produced, slow fashion
Beautiful Things
Fundamental to our company’s philosophy is the idea that the best things improve with age and that clothes take on a life and character of their own. Pass them from mother to daughter or daughter to daughter. My favorite clothes have always felt old and new at the same time and this is what I seek to achieve with every Sailor Rose garment.
Based on classic American designs these pieces are a contemporary twist on timeless elegance, grown out of years of altering vintage pieces, and a lifetime of studying patterns and movement.
Sailor Rose actually began years ago, with the first dress I found and altered. Growing up in New York City, I foraged endless thrift stores, where clothes were piled ceiling high. These treasure hunts lasted hours, each fabric and garment unique, having lived some other life, it's own special journey which ultimately brought it to my hand.
Hand-Sewn in USA
Our garments tell a story – from design through manufacturing to ownership. At Sailor Rose, all of our pieces are hand sewn in America. We believe in supporting our local workforce , respecting the environment, reducing waste and fostering the tradition of quality manufacturing and industry.
When Sailor Rose was in its inception, the process of production was as important as the finished piece. There was no formal way of finding production, and so I asked friends, contacted garment organizations and walked around Midtown. I found the shop that we’ve been using for 8 years by talking to someone in a fabric store, and going upstairs to meet the woman who’s shop sewed her line of pillowcases.
Like everything, the more I learned the more there was to learn. At the time, only 10 years ago, there wasn’t the same appreciation and understanding of the value of locally produced goods. In my search for local production I was asked why many times. My reasons for producing locally had to do with style and fair labor practices. I enjoy the particularities of regionally produced goods, and if you are spending time at the sewing shop that you use, you have a good idea of their labor practices.
There are fair labor sewing shops all over the world, but the garment district has a rich heritage and why not produce somewhere only a 20 minute subway ride away. Since then we’ve begun producing in Maine also, and we've found more reasons to produce locally. Shipping around the world uses fuel that is limited, you don’t have the quality control, and awareness of where the waste fabrics go. A bonus has been getting to know the people who sew for Sailor Rose, and the things they have taught us.
Our business began with an online store and we strive for minimal mail packaging. To this end, We do not print out order forms (you have it in your email) and we used recycled and recyclable paper packing. We recycle 95% of our fabric scraps. They go to quilters and into our packaging. We are learning all the time, and strive to work with less waste all the time.
We make our styles classic in the hopes that they will be worn for years.
In designing our children’s clothing we think about how they will look when they are too big and too small, a dress can be a top. We want them to be worn and passed down.
Thank you for supporting sailor rose.
