By Helen Morgan, Source: Ecouterre

Serpent & Bow use sustainably sourced fabrics and natural dyes such as indigo to create these handcrafted textiles and fashion items that evoke mythical mer-people. Founded by Rachel Blodgett and Julian Farmar-Bowers, from Northern California, the pair studied at California College of the Arts. While Rachel studied textiles, Julian studied printmaking, and began developing this combined interest in creating beautiful, hand-painted garments that, according to them, honors nature, their source.

The brand use American-sourced cloth, or repurposed natural fabrics as the base of their designs. These are then handpainted using a combination of beeswax and paraffin to create these ethereal textures. They are then dyed using a range of materials: “Our first love is indigo dye,” said Serpent & Bow, “but we also forage for other natural dyes depending on what is available to us seasonally.” They even go so far as to forage for natural dyes such as onion skins, collected from the kitchen or after sifting through the bins at the market.

See more at: Ecouterre