Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Hewes.
Hi Robin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
It all started with a fateful trip to Guatemala, where my husband Alex and I fell in love with the beauty, quality, and uniqueness of traditional hand-loomed textiles. We bought many pieces to bring home that I loved, and all of my friends and family loved when I showed them. From there, Alex began toying with the idea of doing something more, and I wanted to see more myself. We ended up going back not long after and began searching for artisans and weavers to work with directly.
We work with many families, collectors, and weavers to source and curate the textiles you find in all of our clothing and accessories. We spent a lot of time in the early years developing relationships and really learning the textiles, and we began selling and working with more weavings. We really defined who we are and moved more into clothing as we saw that we could find ways to have a niche market and sell one-of-a-kind clothing on a larger scale, which had seemed very daunting at first. Today, we work with a variety of textiles and have expanded the types of vintage materials we use and incorporate new weavings in accessories as well.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth is not necessarily how we would describe it…but it has gotten that way as we have moved through time and really honed in on what we do. In the early days, we were working really hard to establish our market and find out if we had a product that people wanted. We started out very small and did mostly in-person events. There were definitely long days and long travel and questions at times of whether or not this would be a successful model. Spoiler alert- it wasn’t. Once we started our family, we knew we had to get off the road so much and change how we sold. Through this process, we really figured out what worked and where to focus, and it has been mostly smooth from there. There are always things that come up, from shipping delays to dye batches that don’t come out quite the way we want, but those things are now just a part of the process, and we can handle and adjust.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Arloom uses traditional hand-loved textiles from Guatemala, that are traditional clothing that indigenous women wear, and we tailor them to fit in a more approachable way for every day. I began collecting huipils (the textiles), and I found a seamstress to alter to fit me. I kept getting asked why we didn’t sell those. At the time, we were mostly a handbag company. Alex and I talked it over quite a bit and tried to figure out how to do this. We eventually came up with a plan and hired a contract seamstress to get started. We started selling our tops right away and got such a great response. They are all such special pieces and works of art.
Arloom’s mission is to create beautiful pieces for the modern woman while that celebrate the history and unique skills that create these stunning works. We create pieces that are treasured for a long time, not just a season. Each piece is carefully curated, and they use every piece of a textile with little to no waste. I think what really sets us apart is that we are not creating for a season, like most fashion. We are using what already exists and updating it to be worn year in and year out. We love timeless and classic pieces that transcend trends and time.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Customers! We have had so many wonderful and loyal customers over the years. Word of mouth and sharing with their favorite shops across the country. We also have a wonderful support system in our family and friends. Life gets quite busy with three boys and a business, and we have the most supportive people surrounding us.
And definitely our small but mighty team! Everyone steps in and works on every aspect of the urines together. It’s really great to have reliable, smart, and fun staff to work with us day in and day out to make Arloom what it is.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arloom.com
- Instagram: @arloom
