The Stripe

If I had a favorite child

How has it been since October that I’ve last written? Hi. 🤎

I mean, I have had the best possible excuse, which is that I’ve been busy designing and working on the launch of my new line. I just got the text update from DHL that my samples are to arrive next week. I can’t believe it!

I’ve also been getting ready to get back on social media, which I have mixed feelings about. Taking a break has been extremely nice. But I am also so excited to share more about what I’ve been creating. Stay tuned to Instagram and even TikTok (!) for some updates next week. And be sure you’re on this list here for the real updates when we launch!

First I wanted to share a sneak-peek with you here.

Through this process I’ve learned so much more about my style, or more aptly, how to describe it. I’ve never thought about it much. I’ve always just liked what I liked, and haven’t had to put that into words very often.

One of those things I’ve always gravitated to is a stripe. Maybe before this point I would have thought everyone in the world also loved stripes. They’re so universal. Timeless. Forever chic. Through my own design process though, I’ve realized that’s not actually the case.

This process I’m referring to is a list of women who I reference as I am designing, to imagine my products on them. The list is made of up all types of women, from friends or acquaintances to celebrities, from past or present. Now, this list, has been edited down to the women I feel I am designing for, so I can envision them all in a stripe; but in getting to the final list, there were some women I realized who I just couldn’t see wearing one.

(I also do this on the home side — I have a mood board of homes that I imagine each product on, sometimes even Photoshop-ing the prints and colors in various home settings to test them out.)

Are you a stripe person? Reply to this note and let me know. As we continue on this journey of the brand, I am so eager to hear any and all of your feedback.

So, yes — if I had a favorite child of this collection, it would have to be my pink and purple stripe. I saw it in my head, and just couldn’t let it go. My factory, on the other hand, could probably have done without it… it took about 10 tries until they got it exactly right. It seems like a simple design, and it is, but with such simplicity getting the colors exactly right becomes of supreme importance. And it had to be exactly right. When I got the fabric strike-offs in the mail, it was exactly as I had envisioned it. And yes, I cried.

All of the fabrics in this collection are being block-printed and hand-dyed in India using natural dyes. The stripes are block-printed, meaning the design is hand-carved into wooden blocks and printed by hand onto the fabric. I have been so inspired by this process and I believe you can feel the energy of its creation in every piece. It’s as if it has a soul, so very different than things made by machine. That felt very right to me, as I wanted each piece to feel truly special. It is all made to feel effortless but at the same time, exceptional. Something to treasure, to elevate your everyday whether through the clothes you wear or the environment you wish to create in your home.

It’s the block-printed stripes, for me. They look hand-painted, almost watercolor like. And the color combinations are everything, of course. This stripe to me feels modern, playful, cool — yet still timeless. Classic with an edge.

Welcome to world of Sarah Spiegel. 👁

More to come,
Sarah