Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanna McCartney.
Hi Joanna, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started Pyne & Smith after an alarmingly hot summer in which I found myself tired of clothing that wasn’t built to keep me cool. In fact after looking at the contents of my closet, most of my clothing was a blend of synthetic materials or cotton, neither of these textiles are good to keep you cool.
This coincided with my new found hobby – dressmaking. I spend most of 2013 teaching myself to dress make. Learning how to drape fabrics to create a pattern, developing the pattern, cutting and sewing the garment. Each dress took me between 2-4 hours to make.
Over the next 2 years, I went from sewing each dress myself and selling them at a local market (Artists & Fleas in Los Angelos) to working with a local sewing workshop who offered the craftsmanship and quality that I aspired to.
During this adventure, I documented my process on Instagram, and managed to develop a community of like minded people who loved linen, dresses and seeing my processes. This helped motivate me to build a website, and then Pyne & Smith took off!
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?
Definitely not a smooth road! I think most grassroots businesses struggle with the challenges that comes with starting a business that is self taught and not backed by investors. Growth is slow, self promotion uncomfortable and developing a credible production method to create your prodcut without having any industry experience are huge challenges.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Pyne & Smith Clothiers?
I started Pyne & Smith to produce a beautiful garment that is well made, timeless in style and is sewn to last you for decades, without harming the planet, I personally design our linens in unique color ways & patterns.
Natural fiber textiles can be stereotyped as dull – beiges + browns, but I strive to celebrate classic style using unique colors – our linen is woven in Europe to my own designs.
Our garments are cut and sewn in Los Angeles to a high standard, and made in batches of 50-100 pieces. So much of the clothing we wear is made from plastic and is manufactured thoughtlessly in tens of thousands of units.
Pyne & Smith has somehow made a name for itself in the slow fashion world – fans of our garments even started their own Buy, sell, trade group on facebook, which has over 5000 members!
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My family has been incredibly supportive of what started as a personal passion and then turned into a family run business. My husband is unquestionably supportive and works with me to ensure our garments are meticulously crafted and that quality is always upheld. He left his own career after a particularly tearful phone call when I realized the business was growing faster than I could handle, and he then spent the best part of two years catching up on paperwork, business filings, systems, finances, production systems etc.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pyneandsmith.com/
- Instagram: @pyneandsmithclothiers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Pyne-Smith-Clothiers-100063708956735/
Image Credits
Imagery by Daniela Constantini
