ALLYCIA RENEE MARIE ROBERTS · Galveston, Texas
Soft layers for a coastal winter
Galveston winters are mild and wet, which changes what a wardrobe needs. A heavy coat is too much and a T-shirt is too little, so the rail here holds three soft layers and five tops that work underneath them: boxy hoodies in brushed cotton, a hooded knit cardigan, striped tees, a fine-gauge sweater and a henley. The pieces are cut loose enough to sit over each other and short enough to wear under a jacket when the wind comes off the water. Nothing is decorated for the sake of it. The collection is eight pieces that can be worn in almost any combination.
Cotton, modal and brushed knit
The fabrics are chosen for how they feel after a wash, not in the shop. Cotton jersey is a compact yarn with a little elastane so a neckline keeps its shape through a season of wear. Brushed fleece is checked for pilling under the arm, where a hoodie actually rubs. Modal blends are used where a top has to fall rather than cling, and they are pre-shrunk so the length a customer receives is exactly the length we measured. Stripes are yarn-dyed rather than printed, so a black-and-white line stays black-and-white after twenty washes instead of fading quietly into grey.
The wash test
Every fabric is washed five times before it is approved, in the way the care card will tell a customer to wash it. We look at three things: whether the colour moves, whether the surface pills and whether the shape changes. A hoodie that grows two centimetres at the hem is recut. A tee whose neckline ripples after the third wash is dropped. Seams are pulled along the stitch line, hems are checked for a clean twin needle, and drawcords are tested for how they behave when the hood is up. It is slow work and it is the reason the rail is short.
Orders leave from Galveston
Parcels are packed by hand in the Galveston studio, one at a time, by the same people who check the stock. Each piece is steamed, inspected and folded with tissue and a care card that names the fabric and gives the washing temperature in plain numbers. Because the island is humid for most of the year, knitwear travels with a moisture sachet and anything pale is wrapped in acid-free paper. Tracking is sent as soon as the label is printed. Returns come back to the same door, are inspected within two business days, and are refunded to the original payment method once they pass.