Mr. Larkin Organic Clothing Made From Milk
What do you do when you hear someone’s making clothing from milk? Not just any clothing, mind you, but pieces like the stunning, body-skimming evening gown accented with vintage pailettes that Anne Hathaway wore for a sex-sells, Oscar-pushing Los Angeles Times Magazine photo shoot, which obliterated any memories of the actress in a tiara?
If you’re our intrepid founder Rachel, you grab a camera and head on down to Visionary Boutique in West Hollywood, where you snag an interview with San Francisco designer Casey Larkin at the trunk show for her Mr. Larkin line.
Notice how Rachel can’t stop touching the creamy fabrics that make up Mr. Larkin’s spring collection. Many are made from milk, transformed by steam into a heavy, rich fabric that feels like the love child of cashmere and silk. According to Larkin, this process was pioneered by Italian textile designers and first used by her eco-design idol Linda Loudermilk.
But Larkin also creates pieces in organic cotton, silk and cupro (which utilizes the entire cotton plant), mixed together in varying proportions to achieve different weights and feels. She works with a local group of sewers to create her designs, embodying the “slow fashion” ideals: Fair-trade creation of limited-edition garments from organic and recycled materials that are made to be worn year after year, rather than discarded after a season. The result is a collection that’s as tactile as it is beautiful, and ranges in price from a $60 belt to a $700 evening gown.
What’s next for Mr. Larkin? At least one drop-dead gorgeous gown per season. Because you never know which it-girl actress is planning on breaking out.
