Designed for function: fashioned for sustainability

We wrapped skirts and apron dresses, in organic fabrics, around folks craving pockets on garments since the first Maker Skirt landed in Vermont in 2017. The original Maker Skirt is designed by Tove Ohlander, a Swedish woman entrepreneur in Burlington, VT. As a creative professional she saw a gap for garments that look good, can get dirty and hold things, plus provide that feeling of empowerment.

Tove

'“I grew up in Småland, the “Glass Kingdom” of Sweden, and my influences come from a long-standing tradition of glass-making, Scandinavian design, music, and nature. With a deep appreciation for the origin of raw materials in general, and the craftsman/woman/ship that bring a product to life, I turned my design focus to clothing in 2017. With a Swedish fashion sense based on clothes by Polarn & Pyret, Katja of Sweden, and basic workwear, I drew up the original Maker Skirt: a classic-cut wrap skirt, overlapping in the back to provide just the right amount (lagom) of pockets.

I built connections with an innovative apparel production team and social enterprise in Bangalore, India, and their GOTS, Fairtrade, Oeko-Tex, and BSCI certified production eco-system deliver all our designs today. Our home base is Burlington VT where we share a space with AO Glass on Pine St. having an active role in the local creative economy. My biggest inspiration in the US is the women behind the brand Dovetail Workwear in Portland Oregon.

As I started in 2017 I had some questions: where had all the good size pockets gone in women's clothing? Where did the A-line skirt go? And, where did the good quality fabrics go? I found some answers and know that I’m part of the solution to some of those gaps. To create, design, and build a brand for folks that appreciate all of the above, with a production team that checks all of the boxes for responsible production is a great honor. “ /Tove.

The garment you always wanted

”Factory Chic” with a “maker touch” is one way I describe our collection. The wrap skirts and apron dresses live at the cross-section of fashion/workwear/outdoorwear, and are extremely versatile. Our skirts and apron dresses are already well loved work & everyday garment for folks across regions, trades, and generations. We hear back from gardeners, stylists, glassblowers, creatives, painters, teachers, jewelers, dancers, bakers, moms, and many more, that these new takes on old classics are practical, stylish, well-suited for work & adventures, as well as for an evening at the bar. It just depends on what you wear it with, and what your imagination tells you. The Maker Skirt has become a canvas for creativity, style, and activity in everyday life.

At tove wear we are continually inspired and shaped by the makers and change makers who wear our garments. Together we are building a brand that is as sustainable, mindful, resilient, and innovative as the folks who wear it. Read a great testimonial and review by Dawn Hammond at INHABITAT for more inspiration!

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