After an impressive 7-year run, local, sustainable apparel brand Winsome Goods announced Wednesday it will be shuttering its apparel business. That includes both its e-commerce site and its standalone Store + Studio in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood.
Kathryn Sterner at the Winsome Goods Store + Studio. (Image courtesy Winsome Goods)
Owner/designer Kathryn Sterner made the announcement to the brand’s mailing list and Instagram followers on Wednesday, thanking them for their support over the years. In the statement, she said there wasn’t only one contributing factor for the closure. “The last year has taken a financial, emotional and motivational toll that has simply become impossible to overcome,” she wrote.
Kathryn got her start as an independent fashion designer in 2009 at the age of 20 after graduating from the apparel design program at the University of Minnesota with her line, Kathryn V, which was sold at now-closed Uptown shop Cliché and a fixture at local fashion shows, including the legendary rock ‘n’ roll fashion show, Voltage: Fashion Amplified. After folding the line in 2012 to take a design job at Target, she returned to independent design two years later with the launch of Winsome Goods.
Over the years, Winsome continued to experiment and evolve. After years of offering entirely limited-edition collections in small runs, in 2016 the brand began to offer signature favorites in her Essentials collection. The same year, Kathryn hit the road in a mobile clothing design studio she built herself within a retrofitted 1975 Airstream trailer.
In early 2017, Kathryn debuted Winsome’s flagship Store + Studio, where she and her team of sewers would make all of her collections. The storefront acted as a retail space for Winsome along with fellow maker Al’s Tailoring and sustainable boutique, Hazel & Rose, as well as a community space, hosting makers markets, vintage pop-ups and workshops with a focus on sustainable, ethical fashion. In 2015, Winsome was also a founding partner of the launch of Fashion Week MN.
Last year, Winsome was one of the first local designers to pivot from producing clothing to making and donating protective equipment due to shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, repurposing deadstock cotton fabric into CDC-approved face masks. Most recently, Winsome has been rolling out small capsule collections featuring one-of-a-kind garments made from vintage and scrap fabrics (the Winsome Zero line), debuted a line of original sewing patterns, and launched its Secondhand Shop to sell pieces from the Winsome archives as well as pre-loved items in a true testament to Kathryn’s dedication to sustainable fashion.
The next two weeks will be your last opportunity to purchase from the full Winsome clothing collection, including made-to-order garments. After the made-to-order window has closed or hit capacity, she will continue selling any remaining inventory while it lasts. The brand’s run culminates with a big sample sale running June 25–27 (details to come). As for Hazel & Rose, owner Bobbi Barron says she is not sure what’s next, but it’s possible she could remain in the space, move to another space, or shift to online only.
Winsome’s last regular shop hours will be this weekend, Thursday–Saturday from 11am–4pm (201 6th St SE, Minneapolis). After this weekend, they will take visits by appointment until the sample sale, and you can also shop online.
After she’s taken a much-needed hiatus, Kathryn says she plans to reopen the online shop exclusively with her sewing patterns, so you can always have a bit of Winsome in your wardrobe.
Shop now @ winsomegoods.com
Image credits below: 1) Winsome Goods Store + Studio; 2) A look from Winsome's Spring 2021 collection; 3) A piece from Winsome's zero-waste collection; 4) Winsome Goods Store + Studio, all courtesy Winsome Goods’ Instagram feed.
