Sara Suemae · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with Sara Suemae

Choose Sustainable. Choose Style. Choose SPUN.

If you haven’t heard of SPUN yet, don’t worry. You will. The lovely and talented founder of the company, Sara Seumae is riding a wave of popularity as her sustainable, chic designs continue to gain a reputation among fashionistas. I had the opportunity to “meet” Sara online and asked her if she’d let me interview her for Fashion, Evolved:

The Q: Do you design all the clothing at SPUN?

Sara Seumae: YES! But I will have to say that the emails from our customers and my mom and sister’s “two-cents” should be also be included.

The Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

Sara Seumae: My inspiration was and still is my two little girls. Like any mother, I want them to live the healthiest life possible. This includes what they eat as well as their environment. I also believe wholeheartedly that we need to leave this planet in better shape than we found it. I can’t dare look at my girls in the eyes if I feel that I have let them down. It’s not their fault that the world is the way it is. But I can do my very best to try and change it any way that I can. By choosing to wear organic cotton, you will not only help the environment but also the farmers who grow your cotton. Just like us, they have families that love them and I don’t want to be blamed for their failing health due to their exposure to pesticides either.

The Q: What kind of woman is a SPUN customer?

Sara Seumae: Our pieces are meant to be worn by every woman. We choose colors that will work with all different types of hair and eye colors as well as different complexions. We have also recently introduced Extra Large sizing to further broaden our customer reach. All of our pieces are longer than normal, allowing those of us who have had children, as well as those who wish to have a little more coverage the ease to do so. This also allows you to layer our pieces with some of your other favorites. We also make the bust on our pieces a little more fitted, as we feel that this is more flattering. Every piece is made in California, fair wage and sweat-shop free, using an environmentally friendly low-impact fiber reactive dye process. So you can rest assured that your clothes aren’t made under cruel conditions. The typical SPUN lady believes in the importance of not only wearing affordable clothing but cares about the condition of the people who have worked to bring the piece to you. From the farmer who works the cotton fields to the sewer who puts it all together, our customer cares about all of them. She also wants quality as well as classic pieces that aren’t the throw away pieces that you find elsewhere. Our pieces won’t fall apart after a few washes and are meant to be around no matter what the next season’s style brings us.

The Q: Why is sustainability an important issue for you, personally?

Sara Seumae: Living in Washington State, you can’t help but think about the environment. The rain helps keep everything green and that’s how we like it! Personally, my husband and I were always concerned about environmental causes. We started eating organic and using cloth diapers when our first daughter was born. It wasn’t until the birth of our second daughter, that we really started realizing all the other ways we could be better citizens. That’s when I realized my own desire for taking it a step further into green clothing. It was really easy for kids stuff and my husband just needed t-shirts. But for me, I couldn’t afford spending a lot just for clothes. We contribute one percent of our annual sales to environmental organizations through our membership with 1% For the Planet. We also try to reduce our footprint by doing such things as taking care of our own local deliveries rather than using other shipping methods. We also use recycled or reused cardboard boxes for shipping, biodegradable garment bags made from corn, and our hangtags are also made from 100% recycled paper. We believe that every little thing you can do helps.