Handmade
88th Company’s handmade know-how is the core of the brand. I do all the thrifting, concept design, painting, sewing, dyeing, and distressing by hand. Therefore, finishing one custom piece takes long hours of work and even weeks. It is a labor of love and passion to provide you with the most unique wearable art piece that celebrates History & vintage design.
Sonia T.
Founder & Artist
Thrifting Process
- Thrifting to different locations
- Cleaning & repairing pieces
- Recorded into the 88th Co. inventory
Leather Process
- Cutting the shape by hand or by machine
- Paint Base paint
- Trace design
- Paint full design
As an artist, I’ve always been taught to create clean and perfect designs, but when I discovered vintage clothes, I saw the imperfections as BEAUTIFUL! Imperfections are several human stories of hardship, love, discoveries, adventures, wars, revolutions, and voyages throughout history. Imperfections are stories that I will keep in my designs no matter what. So yes, imperfections are simply PERFECT!
Painting Process
- Tracing the design on the canvas
- Painting the full design (the process can take three weeks or more)
- Heat Pressing the design on fabric
Dyeing
I use natural dyes such as coffee, turmeric, tea, vegetables, paint, and oil on all my canvases.
Distressing can be made by using: sand paper, knifes, razor blades, metal brushes, dirt, oil, paint, fire, chlorine, sun and all type of natural dyes . The process can take a few days to a couple of weeks.
Tags are unique to every design project. They’re dyed, stamped, and illustrated by hand.
Your Letter
I take the time to write you a thank you letter for your purchase and welcome you into the 88th Co. family.
The Certificate
Each design comes with a certificate of authenticity, serial number, and your name.
My custom stencils are always used to spray paint the 88th Company logo and the name of the project.
Cutting & Folding
Cutting and folding the bags or boxes for your art piece is something I do in-house!
The Seal
Each package comes with an 88th Company military wax seal because it is your classified and unique piece!
The 88th Company -REMAKE©- pieces are made from something old into something new, with an obsession with every single detail.
I always felt that old things shouldn’t have one life, but multiple. Like Japanese people, I’m a strong believer in the Mottainai philosophy. “Mottainai attempts to communicate the inherent value in a thing and encourages using objects fully or all the way to the end of their lifespan. Leave no grain of rice in your bowl; if a toy breaks, repair it; and take good care of everything.” – Kevin Taylor, ABC News May 2017” I apply Mottainai for all my a -REMAKE©- designs and I find it particularly important to create new things from old things. They have soul and character! Finally, it’s important to be less wasteful in the environmental crisis that we are now facing.
Turning old jackets, coats, hats, jeans, pants, shirts, sweaters, curtains, bags, scarfs, and gloves, into reusable material for a -REMAKE©- takes time. First, I go thrifting for hours and sometimes in far locations (where I even have to fly there) and find the perfect recyclable item. Second, I rip seams to recuperate: zippers, buttons, leather, suede, ropes, tags, patches, buckles, pins, and fabric in all shapes and forms. For example, there will never be the same buttons or leather, so each -REMAKE©- is a unique wearable art piece made with love!
Remake means that it’s only related to upcycling materials, but at 88th Company -REMAKE©- has a wider meaning. Painting & dyes are major tools to remake old things into new things. For example, old leather needs to be cleaned, dyed again, and hand-painted with new designs for a new art story piece. The same goes for all the materials that can be customized for a particular project. I only use the best and most durable paint brands: Speedball (for fabric) and Angelus Paint (for leather/plastic). Finally, I only use natural dyes such as coffee, turmeric, and any available organic dyes.