Shop Collections
Round Trip Goods is a Colorado based one-womxn design studio, online shop, & LLC created by me, Leah Rich.
Items are hand dyed & hand painted with ethically sourced botanicals. Each item is one of a kind. All fabric is second hand, thrifted, vintage, or overstock, to avoid the environmental and ethical impacts of new textile production.
With this work I aim to connect people with plants through textiles and living color.
News & Shipping Notices:
Winter Break : the shop takes a rest all January (no shipping during this time except zines).
Next Ship date : February 3rd!
Why Upcycle Fabric?
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.
Why Plant Dyes?
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.
Design Philosophy
I look to continually improve my skills as well as my ethical and earth conscious practices through life-long learning, waste centered design, and building community.
Trying new things is also integral to my approach to my work.
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.
Slow Made & Hand Dyed
Each piece of clothing is one of a kind and undergoes many steps to be hand dyed. Inks are made from sustainably sourced plants, some foraged, some grown in my garden.
Items are genderless, with measurements stated for clear sizing, and I try to offer a diverse array of styles of clothes.
Items can even be dyed again later to give new life to an old favorite.
Origin Story
I grew up in Kentucky, playing outside and enjoying art class in school. At 21 I moved to Colorado with no plan, just dreams of adventure. After several years working in food service and traveling the world when I could, I decided to study industrial design, hoping for better employment.
A handful of years in product and event design left me disenchanted with the normalcy of material waste and machismo culture, while I knew I still needed to design to be happy.
When I discovered plant dyeing, everything clicked together as I was able to combine my love of textiles and sustainable design in an organic, artistic application. I am fortunate enough to work from a small studio and garage space at home and spend long happy days in creative solitude fueled by tea and cookies.
Patreon Support Makes Magic Happen
If you feel passionate about womxn entrepreneurship or sustainable practices in fashion and art and have as little as $3 a month to spare, consider becoming a Patreon Member.
Members help me survive in a very real way by contributing what they can monthly.
Patrons see new products first and get a copy of the quarterly zine mailed to them every season!
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 while also voting with my money. Minimizing the consumption of new materials, shipping costs, packaging materials are tangible everyday practices that add up.
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 materials used back into production needs and product creation and constantly work to minimize my landfill contribution.
Education regarding sustainability is integral to my work, as I know that there's always room for improving our relationship to the earth.
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.
The best way to keep your items from fading is to hand wash them inside out in cold water, with a gentle soap. Hang dry or dry inside out in dryer. This is an earth friendly laundry habit that can be applied to any clothing and it's quicker and easier than you think!
Ironing items after they dry works great at getting cotton back to a smooth finish. Store away from direct sunlight when not in use.
Pieces are treated and dyed with great care to be lightfast and washfast; even so, long exposure to sunlight, harsh soaps, citric acid (think lemonade), and hot water will change your items’ colors faster
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.
FAQ
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.
LOW INCOME OPTIONS, TRADES & BARTERING : Because money isn't everything and I believe we all have skills and gifts to share, 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!
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.