Hello, we are Louise and Sarah Silk, mother and daughter, creators of SilkDenim.
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Inspired by the beauty of worn fabric, we started SilkDenim to make Art You Can Use*. We re-make 100% recycled materials into individually crafted objects.
We use worn fabrics by deconstructing clothing by hand. We make our work as a response to unsustainable 'fast fashion' and one-time use products.
We use already loved fabrics to save the environment of excess materials, but also because we think they're beautiful. We're deeply inspired by Japanese wabi-sabi and African American Gees Bend aesthetics. We're particularly attracted to denim because of its rugged practicality and its unique ability to improve with age.
Using recycled materials requires us to work with authentic details & create every piece anew, providing you with a unique one-of-a-kind object that emphasizes the craft & beauty of re-using over discarding.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is our home & birthplace. We appreciate its down-to-earth, independent, & working-town vibe and hope that comes through in our pieces. We make all items ourselves in our studio in the south side.
Customize any item further by providing us personal materials to recycle, requesting hand stitching, or altering a garment to fit your vision. Inspired by Louise's long practice of making memory quilts, we find use of items that would otherwise sit in piles or boxes at home. For more information about this option, see our 'Commission' page.
*we made this phrase up and think it describes SilkDenim in a nutshell