Mission Statement
Plain to the Ridge is a slow fashion brand that began in the summer of 2023, created by Montana native and self-taught seamstress Lillian. The small business focuses on creating intentional and sustainable fashion that supports our planet, our communities, our physiology, as well as promoting the mending skills necessary to get life-long wear out of our clothes.
Utilizing natural fiber materials and second-hand/repurposed fabrics is a cornerstone of Plain to the Ridge's work. As the brand grows, Lillian believes it is essential to source textiles from U.S. based companies in an effort to reduce underpaid international labor. This also helps avoid the use of harsh chemical treatments on the fabric.
Our skin is our largest organ. It is responsible for absorbing and filtering out much of our physical environment, specifically the clothing we wear. Over the past several decades, synthetic materials have quickly over-taken the fashion industry, generating more microplastics with every wash. Plain to the Ridge is comitted to natural fiber fabrics that reduce overproduction, promote sustainability, are good for us and better for our planet.
The way our bodies move, bend, and breathe is significant in our overall health. While using quality materials is a key step, the shapes we wear can hinder or help us, too. Plain to the Ridge focuses on forms that support our innate physiology and allow movement in the places that need flow most. Especially as a woman, Lillian knows the flexiblity in our clothing plays a role in our health, the ease of our cycles, and the comfort of our changing bodies.
Beyond investing in the future of our wardrobe, Lillian believes it essential to get the most out of what we already have. Seamstress work, once an art many learned at an early age, is no longer readily accessible or commonplace. Through her work, Lillian has seen first hand the time and commitment it takes to make the clothes we wear, and how quickly our society discards something the second it rips or loses function. By offering her skills, she intends to bring new life into beloved pieces, and reduce the harmful impacts of fast fashion.
As the business and brand grow, Lillian continues to share repair techniques and alteration methods she is learning each day with her community, and will continue to promote sustainability on all levels.
Supporting local is a core value of Plain to the Ridge's mission. From fabric and materials to sharing resources, building up community is an invaluable part of the small business journey. How we use our time and money is how we found our beliefs. What we invest in will grow the lives we lead. Plain to the Ridge firmly believes in the small steps needed to make a big impact, and is committed to being part of that change.
An Ode to the West
Plain to the Ridge is Lillian's attempt to capture the gradeur of the land she grew up in: where the Rocky Mountains meet the Great Plains.
She takes inspiration from the rural landscapes of western North America, and Montana most of all. The art forms Lillian creates are an ode to the stark transition of golden grasslands to cragy mountain tops. East of Livingston, where Lillian is based, the big skies and golden fields roll on like an ocean. Occassional island ranges and lonely buttes break up the landscape like ships.
Across the cold loneliness of winter, and the brilliant richness of the wildflowers in spring, this landscape inspires.
Across the cold loneliness of winter, and the brilliant richness of the wildflowers in spring, this landscape inspires.
Values
> Supporting local food systems
- buying from farmers and ranchers, buying produce and meat local to your area, utiliaing farmers markets and food co-ops
>Supporting local tradeskills
-hiring local companies and entrepenuers, stimulating the communal economy, and investing your dollar into what is well-done over what is convinient
- buying from farmers and ranchers, buying produce and meat local to your area, utiliaing farmers markets and food co-ops
>Supporting local tradeskills
-hiring local companies and entrepenuers, stimulating the communal economy, and investing your dollar into what is well-done over what is convinient
> Reuse and sustainability
-mending, altering, or repurposing clothing, reducing as much waste as possible, and using materials derived gently from the earth
> Uplifting your community
- supporting local artists, events, and collaborating; fueling community programs, especially programs centered around youth
> Honoring tradition
- valuing timeless skillsets, such as cooking, sewing, woodworking, etc. that encourage one to slow down from the haste of the modern world
> Revering and connecting with nature
-spending time in the quiet landscapes of our planet, with the sun and with the rivers, and pursuing a lifestyle that abides by the natural laws
> The seasonal lifestyle
-participating with the cycles of the earth & learning to honor the necessity of life and death, eating seasonally, and living mindfully
The Future
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