Local New York Artisan

KC @KropJeans

New York

The questions you made seem like they’re more more geared towards designers that work directly with artisans (like Namai! Wish you got to talk to Bianca more) but that’s also something I’d eventually love to do because caring about artisan made sustainable fashion is what led me down this path :)

As far as Krop Jeans goes I’m here to give new life to old denim It started as a hobby for me when I was in high school and took a pair of my brothers jeans and started experimenting with bleaching them (I never liked how brands designed “boyfriend jeans” for women men’s jeans have always been my go-to)

I was also a big fan of thrifting at that age thanks to my grandmothers influence, so I began collecting mens Levi’s from goodwill, etc

I never thought about it from a business perspective until I started working at my previous job at small, motherdaughter owned boutique in Westchester It was there that sparked my career passion to start my own boutique however, it was the day that I saw “The True Cost” that sparked the passion inside of me to want change the fashion industry

I began taking the ‘sustainable design entrepreneurs’ certificate program classes at FIT in 2015, when ‘sustainable fashion’ was seen as a Eileen Fischer aka “hippie”/“crunchy granola”/“paper bag fashion” and the only other brand that was gaining popularity as “sustainable” was Everlane (now huge LOL)

So the more I dove into these classes and started learning about what truly “sustainable” fashion meant (because it’s an oxymoron in itself tbh and I now don’t like using the word) I saw so much value in artisan made products. I then applied to finish my degree at FIT in their Entrepreneurship program to learn the business/consumer side, for ex Are consumer’s willing to pay higher prices for better quality, if so, what’s better quality than hand-made? I also loved the idea of supporting the craftsmanship that has been an integral part of the community these artisans live in Long story short, artisan and handmade clothing and goods is what got me on this journey. Vintage denim also carries so many stories. We all have multiple denim pieces and there’s no denying that the best denim is the old, worn-in, pre-loved denim Not only is the quality better but there’s sentiment behind it I then put my own love and spin on it to make them one-of-a-kind and pieces that I hope people will keep and pass on, just like artisan/hand-made products

And while I’m not working with artisans in other counties (yet), I’ve met so many amazing designers through the markets I sell at that are artisans themselves or work with artisans globally Selling at these high-end markets are also helping shift consumer behavior because they’re seeing the time/effort/value in investing in hand and artisan made goods There also seems to just be more of a desire to shop at markets like this in a post-covid world after being cooped up and away from human interaction for 2 years

All in all, I really believe there’s a major shift happening in the fashion world and it’s a great time to be in this space I’m also so stoked to meet people like you that care just as much and put effort in, like this project, because no matter how small part, it makes a difference