Curator Clothing, and Why They Are Cool....
Interview with one of Curator's designers and owners, Deidre:
1) How would you describe Curator?
One of our main founding principles is everything we make is machine washable, we know how messy life is and we want your dry-cleaning budget to be spent with us. :-) We have close relationships with our vendors and manufacturers, and recently a friend paralleled this work to tile setting. I guess in tile work, between glazing and setting you touch and retouch items constantly. Your garments have definitely been through our hands. Another important element is comfort for us. We know folks have long days and they want to look their best while not sacrificing comfort.
2) How did you end up here? What was the evolution of your business?
Our first business was called She-bible, we started with graphic tees and slowly started learning the manufacturing process. We started with a tee and then a dress. We are hobbyists who turned their passion into a business. We have been making stuff together since 2001. We quit our other jobs 2005,2006.
3) Who is your customer?
It’s hard to say who our customer really is, we’re open to all walks. Opening our retails stores was a great way to meet our customers, and they literally are all over the map. The best is when we see mother daughter duos come to shop. Though I would say a theme i’ve noticed is that our customers are not mall shoppers and looking for something made in the United states. 4) Can you summarize the design/sourcing/production process? How long does it take to create one season?
It can take upwards of 6 months to make a season. There is a lot of hurry up and wait. Basically we are always developing new bodies and there are certain projects that don’t get perfected by the time a season needs to be delivered they get shelved to the next one. So some items are worked on for over a year. Or tabled and revisited if we find an elusive fabric.
5) What impact do you hope to make with your company?
I would say our greatest impact currently is keeping factories working in San Francisco. We’ve developed two special relationships with two women owned factories who do the bulk of our production. If we packed up and left I know we would affect those 25 works.
6) Do you have any daily personal rituals that you would care to share?
Boy is it a busy life! One of my favorite parts of the day is when I bike my two kids through our neighborhood to school in the morning. We play Weird Al’s polka album from my phone speaker and feel the wind in our hair. Sometimes were rushing and other times we get to take our time. We’ve had falls, collisions with garbage cans, seen squirrels mating. We see something we would not see if we hoped in the car. It truly is my favorite ritual of the day! Of course i get some time for myself on the way back as well where i go through what i need to do for the day. One mantra I repeat to myself through the day is, “i can and i will, i can and i will…” ![]() |
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