Three’s company
E-town / E-town has the feel of an artist’s studio–part workspace, part showroom and part refuge for materials headed to a landfill. Since opening the store in August, there’s no place that Pia Boone, her sister Suzanna Kuhlemann and Melisa Medalle would rather be.
Their mission: to procure previously used fabrics and materials when available, buy materials locally whenever possible and “offer limited edition items apart from the mass market.”
Inside the shop, which is sparse and bright, one can find handbags from Pia’s Soozou line, jewelry created by Melisa and swimwear by Suzanna. Her brand, 1979, includes a signature line of swimsuits, bikinis and onesies, a spandex line and a collection of swimwear created out of vintage muumuu and aloha shorts.
Kuhlemann fashions bikinis and onesies by hand “for the figure that’s not perfect,” and with an obvious adoration for vintage style and modesty. For the amount of care she takes with each item, her new vintage suits are priced reasonably, between $49 and $120. You can also BYOF–bring your own fabric–for an even more personal fit.
The three exude a creative, try-anything approach to fashion while maintaining a strict consciousness of their carbon footprints. All three are fabulously retro. Pia and Suzanna say much of their inspiration comes from their mother and the craft nights she organized for them.
Nautical handbags are Pia’s specialty. The creations for her Soozou line ($39–$129) are sporty, even water resistant and made from prefabricated but re-purposed sailcloth, handmade and individually silk-screened. She says the idea for totes constructed from retired sails came from being trapped in a high-rise from 9 to 5 with a view of sailboats charging the cerulean Pacific, along with the time she spent in the port town of Hamburg, Germany.
Also featured at e-town is the Meesah jewelry line ($25–$35) by Melisa, who wields a wrench to bend and twist found materials into earrings, necklaces, and bracelets–mostly without the use of electricity. Her designs are simple but appear be crafted by nimble fingers and someone patient and thoughtful enough to bedazzle fishing line.
The trio’s spirit, ambition and commitment to sustainability permeates e-town, where what was old is becoming new again.
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