What's New This Week
wait! don't throw away your stained clothes!
Happy Thursday! In an effort to keep our email blasts to weekly notices ( thank you for sticking around! ) What’s New This Week posts will continue to go out each Thursday and highlight what’s new in the shop, which events are happening in the coming weekend, and new content we have added throughout the week ( because we are writing, sharing and creating new content here more than just once a week! )
It’s Tomato Season! We finally got a batch of goodies back from the SUAY COMMUNITY DYE BATH™ in a bold tomato red, and dreamy earth color. I am so SO happy with how these turned out that I am kicking myself for not sending more pieces in. Eeeep!
The SUAY CDB is probably one of the coolest services I have discovered in recent years. Basically - you place an order online ( or if you are local to Los Angeles, you can do this in person ) ship your items to them and then they dye them in a giant batch of clothing all at once, and ship them back to you after - ready for you to wear.
Their program is such a brilliant way to extend the life of your garments - I love any company that is helping reduce waste, and repair or up-cycle items to keep clothing and textiles out of landfills. They will dye ( and overdye ) your grungy old tees, sweaters, jeans, and towels even! Plus more!
I wanted to test their services out on a pile of really beautiful vintage wide-leg sailor pants I had sourced for the shop. I had already done everything in my power to clean and remove the dingy / stains from their age, but they just had some stubborn marks leftover - and while I would wear them that way, not all customers do. So off they went to SUAY to get a new life - and might I say - in the PRETTIEST shade of Tomato red.
Shop the REWORKED COLLECTION - ft. 3 pairs of overdyed Wide-Leg sailor pant, and a beautiful chore coat in 3 sizes - and one pre-loved cotton sweater in sage!
The process of sending items in to SUAY was really easy - and they walk you through every step of the way;
First you place your order online, and then they send you a physical mailer with pre-paid label to ship your items in for the dye batch.
They provide you with a custom QR code so you can upload an image of each thing you are sending to match with the color you have requested. Then you attach a little sticker to it and package it all up.
Please practice extreme patience for this next part :)
It took three entire months to get my pieces back. This was the only part of the process that was dissapointing as I was not expecting it to take that long. I reached out for an update in June - and they noted that April ( the dye bath I participated in ) was one of their highest volume months ever. At the end of the day it wasn’t a huge deal that it took so long - I just wish I had known what to expect going in, but honestly - it is a really good reminder that sustainable fashion moves slow and that is A GOOD THING. The quality of what I got back was top notch. I can’t wait to try them again - as they offer new colors every month. Go check them out!
Good things take time - and what SUAY is doing is really really amazing.
Seattle! Come say hi this weekend - I will be at Half Seas Wine & Bottle Shop on July 20th from 3 - 6pm with a rack of summer-y vintage goodies, small house wares and more. I get lots of questions IRL about if we still have the necklaces from our Monet drop - you can we what we have left online, or swing by to shop this weekend!
It’s HOT OUT - need some advice on what to wear this summer? I walk you through all my favorite ways to stay cool that do not involve shorts, skirts or dresses. Ha!
Thanks for supporting slow and sustainable fashion - please help by sending this post to a friend who may be interested in following along!
xx M
Michelle Moore is a Seattle-based creative, vintage curator, photographer, writer and educator. You can catch her at an up-coming pop-up, swing by on a night she’s hosting at the restaurant in Ballard, order one of her hand-knit Beanies, or hire her to host & plan your next event.
connecting you with good clothes + good people.