Partner Artistans Spotlight
It’s been so wonderful to be back in the studio and shop this last month. Having the shop open three days a week has been the perfect amount of time, it seems, for you and for us. We want to be able to continue to offer a safe space, and be responsive to the concerns of our clients, and to the still-fluid situation with the pandemic. I am all about balance, and maintaining it as we try to return to some normalcy has been both challenging and rewarding.
We can’t thank you enough for your support, both during lockdown, and recently as we have been able to see your smiling (masked) faces walk through that (new) door. I thought it would be fun to share what has sold the best since we re-opened and to take an opportunity to highlight some of our favorite brands we carry in the shop. Aside from selling lots of CLP, there have definitely been some consistent standouts of the non-CLP products we feature. Brands that have also had to weather this difficult time for retailers, and who appreciate the orders and reorders we’ve been able to place with them, thanks to your enthusiasm for their work!
Sonia Ernaux started her line in 1998. Having an enviable list of places she’s called home – Brussels, New York City, Ojai – a little bit of each of those locales is infused in to her pieces. It’s safe to say California has had the most impact though; while the line has an urban, European sexiness, it is undeniably infused with pure Cali ease. Each garment is hand-dyed in-house using low impact dyes. “The LOVE TANJANE collection constantly evolves – a living wardrobe that is never indulgent but somehow decadent, that makes a woman feel good in her skin and comfortable with her body. Like basking in the sun, feeling the earth underfoot. Alive. Essential.” You guys have been snapping up Sonia’s latest offering – tie-dyed gauze caftans and dresses that exude effortless sensuality and cool. We can’t keep them in stock! Super versatile, just as cute paired with some hi-top Connies and a Wyeth hat, as with a blowout and platform sandals. That’s versatility we can get behind!
We’ve long admired local artist Dolan Geiman’s work. Injected with equal parts spirituality, folklore, and mythology, Dolan uses vintage papers (dating back to the 1800’s through the 1950’s) that are hand-cut and applied to a wood panel to form the art itself, but also to send meaningful messages, as words are subtly woven into the body of each piece. With stunning and unexpected details, you will see something new every time you gaze upon a piece. We’ve sold three of Dolan’s pieces since we re-opened. Our stock is always changing. Be sure to ask about his custom work too, where you can select your own words to be laced in to your piece.
These have always been great sellers but, wow, since our reopening, I’m thinking more of you felt you needed a little good luck talisman hanging in your home! The perfect rustic pop of color, California artist Cindy Tung hand-wraps each vintage horseshoe with bold combinations of yarn and then attaches a leather loop to hang it with. She named her company Marley&Alfie after her pups so she had us at hello.
With snail mail more popular than ever to bridge the miles between us, we’ve been selling a lot of cards. These two lines in particular have been getting picked up the most. I found Noat at a show last year and was drawn in by the rich colors, heavy weight of the gorgeous paper, and celestial-themed letterpress imagery and words.
Studio Lupino was started by our very own hometown girl Julie Scott, co-owner of the Artisan Center. She uses a sewing machine to apply lines to the deckle-edge cards in the form of a composition notebook and a vintage typewriter to adorn each card with a profound or whimsical quote by the likes of everyone from the Dalai Lama to Tom Petty.
Michael & Hedda design Wyeth hats in their studio in sunny SoCal, and they embody the local vibe. You’ve been snapping them up to shield yourselves from our intense Colorado rays – and look cool while doing so. Obvi.
Now more than ever we are looking to partner with brands that share our vision about humanity and the climate, and who are just generally good humans. (Doesn’t hurt when they use dogs in their marketing or name their companies after them). It’s rewarding to have you, our treasured clients, respond to the select brands we chose to represent. You’ll never find a line in the shop that isn’t made by someone really solid. Having done shows alongside them for so long, it was easy to target the designers I wanted to work with when I opened my own store and ventured in to selling stuff besides my own line! Of course, their products have to be rad, but even if someone sells a rad product but I don’t get a great vibe from them, well, they won’t make it in to the shop.
In case you missed it in recent newsletters (sign up on the footer of the homepage to be added to the list!), we will be donating 10% of jewelry sales for the month of July to the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that works to protect free speech and the right to protest, and pushes for reforms to our racially biased criminal justice system.
All brand images thanks to our partners’ Instagram feeds – give them a follow: Love TanJane | Dolan Geiman | marley&alfie | Noat | Studio Lupino | Wyeth
