Sandilou

Artisan Organization: Sandilou

Country:

Sandilou is a family-owned resort-wear brand based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Working from an open-air workshop, the brand's craftsmen artfully transform plain fabrics into vibrant, hand-painted garments and accessories for the perfect sunny getaway.

"We produce easy resort wear, just like easy Caribbean life," says Sandra Russo, founder and CEO. She believes that the Caribbean lifestyle is one where "we still connect with nature, friends, and family… and savor Carnival in full, where time spreads thin and light fills every corner of the streets." The leisure-oriented mindset Russo describes is reflected in the atelier's designs: their color arrangements feature a signature blend of earth tones and bright tints.

"Sandilou started under a mahogany tree when I hand-painted my first scarf," Russo says. "The freestyle technique I used to paint it made the brushstrokes on the scarf seem like they were moving, almost like gestures. I fell in love with the abstract and expressive concept, seeing incredible potential in using freestyle painting to create more accessories and later garments."

Today, Sandilou is made up of ten employees. A small team of artists freestyle paint blank fabrics like rayon, cotton, and linen with cold dyes. The material is then washed, dried, cut, and sewn by a group of tailors. Lastly, the item undergoes a final hand-painting procedure for a finished, polished look. Every brushstroke is different, and every painter has his own style. Some artists prefer abstract or organic concepts, while others draw from folk and Vodou imageries.

"No matter what, nature is the source of our brand's inspiration, combined with Caribbean colors, rhythm, and joie de vivre.""