Shop Collections
Botanical Alchemy x Thrifted Cotton
Round Trip Goods clothing items are locally sourced second hand cotton, hand dyed and painted one at a time. Items are genderless in a wide variety of styles, with measurements stated for clear sizing.
Items can even be dyed again later to give new life to an old favorite and custom work is also available.
NEWS & EVENTS:
Next Drop: New Art series Friday September 16th
Makers' Market at Longtable Brewery Saturday, October 1st.
Second Hand Sourced Fibers
New textile production, whether it's growing cotton or producing a synthetic fiber, is labor intensive and requires vast amounts of water and waste. Because cotton fabric and clothing is easy to find second hand in big cities, I use this abundant material rather than contributing to new textile production. This also helps curb shipping, packaging, and makes the final product more affordable for you.
Bypassing new fabric production eliminates supporting unethical labor and environmental inequalities so common in fast fashion and new textile production.
I wash, scour, dye, cure, and wash fabric again before it gets to you, using a fraction of water and resources in the process.
Living Color
Synthetic dyes, (usually a petroleum byproduct) are often single molecules with no other purpose but to color a textile. They also create toxic waste that gets into watersheds.
Colors from plants carry the properties of the plant with them into fabric. Dyes from plants like indigo and madder root have a human history, an aliveness, and a quality of color only the natural world can provide. Some botanical dyes are even said to be medicinal to the wearer when absorbed through the skin.
Ethically sourcing dyes is very important to me- the plants I don’t responsibly forage for, I source from Botanical Colors in Seattle who build relationships with farmers and source responsibly.
Origin Story
I went to school for industrial design in hopes of a more reliable career than food service and random gigs. Working in the professional product and event design industries left me disenchanted with the normalcy of material waste and machismo culture but taught me that I needed to work with my hands and towards something more sustainable.
When I discovered plant dyeing, everything clicked together as I was able to combine my love of textiles, art, sustainable design, plants and thirfting. I work from a studio space at home in Denver.
Design Philosophy
Letting nature's colors play a big role connects me to the living world, the seasons, and I hope to bring that plant power to others while helping to detoxify and degender fashion.
I aim to continually improve my skills as well as my ethical and earth conscious practices through life-long learning, waste centered design, and building community.
Honoring Communities
Round Trip Goods is a white woman owned business. I acknowledge my privileges while I work to be less ignorant and do minimal harm to the communities around me.
I honor the traditional textile workers, cotton pickers, those indigenous to where I now live, and dyers who have kept ancient earth work alive through the horrors of colonization and the growing climate crisis.
Pricing and Trades
Pricing is based on time spent and materials required for each item. Working with second hand cotton enables a lower price point than new fabric would require.
Money isn't everything! I happily do trades and barters for goods and services. I have traded my wares for pottery, stained glass, tai chi lessons, and clothes from other makers. Feel free to email me if you want to make a trade!
Blog Posts
Aiming for Black →
Bundle Dyeing on the Go →
Clay Resist & Indigo: Initial Test →
Growing and using indigo →
Patreon Support Makes Magic Happen
If you feel passionate about women entrepreneurship or sustainable practices in fashion and art and have as little as $3 a month to spare, consider becoming a Patreon Member. Patrons help me survive in a very real way.
Patrons see new products first and get a behind the scene look at RTG!
Reducing Waste & Rethinking Systems
Shopping second hand, small business, and local first rather than supporting big companies for all studio needs is one of the ways I help reduce my environmental impact.
Our shipping envelopes are pre-used from packages we have received in the past. The dyes and binding string are made of safe, biodegradable materials. I divert the vast majority of scrap cotton back into product creation and constantly work to minimize my landfill contribution. Exhausted dye baths are turned into lake pigments, with the clean water going into the garden.
Education regarding sustainability is integral to my work, as I know that there's always room for improving my relationship with our precious earth and all who live within her.
Product Care
Items are embedded with living plant dyes and will change with you over time. This is natural and part of the journey of the fabric and plant infusion. Some colors darken, some lighten, some shift.
If you have the time, hand washing is best but a delicate machine cycle with like colors and cold water is ideal. Hang dry or dry inside out in dryer.
Ironing items after they dry works great at getting cotton back to a smooth finish.
FAQ
SKIN SENSITIVITY: I use only biodegradable, non-toxic, planet safe soaps and fabric softeners to make sure our fabrics are safe for all skin types (our favorite is 7th generation products). While most plant dyes have almost no record of allergies, please make sure you are not allergic to any of these plants before using our textiles on your own skin.
SHIPPING : Items in stock will ship out within 2 days unless I am traveling. If I am away from my merchandise, I will have a notice at the top of the page of the next soonest ship date.
RETURNS: I do not do returns but am happy to exchange items if you are not satisfied with a new item in the first 30 days. I strive to show items accurately and with enough detail to convey each items' qualities. Proper care of products will ensure a long life of the item and its infused colors. If you have any questions about an item, don't hesitate to email me.
Make the Round Trip
Our items are designed to be unisex, user-friendly, and multi functional to encourage creative interactions and a long life for the product. Hopefully you use your Round Trip Goods until they are worn out from love and daily use. We encourage you to repair, and repurpose your products if you think it’s at the end of their life cycle. We would love to hear of ways you reuse old textiles of any kind. Post on social with #maketheroundtrip to share ideas.