behind the scenes

I am taking a quickie break from tagging, double-triple checking each piece and packing up the boxes to ship out my second spring shipment. I am looking at all the bounty. It is amazing to see all the inventory all piled onto a rack in each respective stores' designated space. All the fabric rolls that came to me from as far as India (hand-loomed silk and cotton) and Japan (super soft organic cotton gauze). Sourcing the loveliest sustainable and ethically made raw materials is one of the biggest parts of creating the line....

The garments pass through so many hands, and I felt it a good idea to give a glimpse into this world, and show some images of the people who help make frei possible. I had an impromptu photo shoot with Dorothy and the girls up North (in Chicago) last week when I went to pick up some production. Dorothy sews much of the garments for each collection. I was wearing a hat (cause it's cold in Chicago in the winter!) so Dorothy grabbed a hat too!



Dorothy with her some of the ladies on her team



This season I was so happy to work with the amazing Jane Palmer of Noon Solar who happens to be a natural dying guru! She dip-dyed all the Persephone dresses in natural indigo and they turned out so beautifully:



I took this picture on a super lovely day last week with sun shining through the windows in workshop, so i hung up the Persephone dress in the sunlight to show off the dye....