Wool Overalls Made To Last

Wool Overalls Made To Last Laura Fisher founder of the slow-fashion brand RevivALL Clothing aims to change people’s attitudes toward apparel The brand promotes the “revival” of a simpler way of life through responsibly sourced folk-inspired clothing RevivALL has been in the works for a while “I’ve been sewing my whole life; the business has had multiple different iterations over the years ” says Fisher “I started repurposing men’s shirts but things really took off in 2008 when I had a near-death experience on Good Friday The full business idea came to me on Easter ” As Fisher refined the brand over the years sustainability became a greater focus when she switched to exclusively using deadstock fabric in 2015 “Deadstock” refers to rejected fabric typically because the company that ordered it no longer needs the design It’s often destined for the landfill unless eco-conscious companies divert it into new products RevivALL alone keeps hundreds of bolts out of the trash each year Every RevivALL piece is handmade in the U S by a team of seamstresses “Currently we’re cutting over half the product in-house ” says Fisher “I sew some and work with seamstresses throughout Montana and Oregon The overalls specifically are made in Los Angeles because of the specialty machinery they require ” She’s even found a system for managing creativity “I stick to around ten styles and change details between them Each combination creates totally new outfits ” Fisher’s most popular product remains her overalls followed by pinafores petticoats and lacy jean skirts “Customers always tell me how flattering these overalls are ” she says “Us women are all used to such boxy masculine work clothing But a century back on the frontier women did all the work of men but in a skirt The modern woman also deserves to feel cute even when hanging out among her animals ” The overalls $175 to $315 weigh about 3 lbs each and come in sizes small to 3XL A wool variation is available—a big deal as wool is rarely available as deadstock “I’m one of maybe two companies making wool overalls ” says Fisher “They’re amazing in winter for comfort and functionality ” Even better maintenance is minimal “I rarely wash mine honestly ” she shares “Wool is anti-microbial and doesn’t hold onto scents They don’t need much care; you really only need to wash them once a year ” Managing a homemade clothing company comes with challenges “It’s a constant struggle to shift the consumer mindset about clothing ” Fisher says “Clothing is so devalued in our culture and I can’t compete with the pricing of big box stores Farmers seem to understand where I’m coming from It’s the farm-to-table mentality I firmly believe the shift towards knowing where your food comes from needs to happen for clothes too ” Her goal remains to change the value proposition around clothing “We don’t need as much clothing as we think we do Invest in quality pieces that you can wear weekly even hundreds of times and you can change your relationship with clothing while supporting small American-made companies ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup RevivALL Clothing 2105 Lea Ave Unit A Bozeman Mont 59715 ph 406-219-8850; heretohelp@revivallclothing com; www revivallclothing com

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