Made on Cape Cod: Banshii

When Heidi Whitney-Sarles started her style brand Banshii in 2009, she had three goals: to produce unique and quality products, while employing local artisans and using environmentally friendly materials.

Whitney-Sarles didn’t find this path immediately after leaving the Cape to go to school at Salve Regina in Newport, Rhode Island, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Upon entering a graduate program, she decided to change her path and go back to school for fashion design at Mass ART in Boston.

As Whitney-Sarles says “Boston is not a fashion capital, but it does have a great costume design industry.” She worked in this industry for the Boston Conservatory for three years, where she “learned a lot about garment construction, design principles, and important business principles.”

But it was here and in fashion design school she also learned just how much waste the fashion world produces, and how many natural resources it uses.

“I think I have always been in tune to the injustice that humans have imposed on the land,“ Whitney-Sarles says, which she attributes in part to growing up on Cape Cod, “where the natural environment is such an integral part of our culture.”

So, she is dedicated to “in some small way decreasing future impact.” Thus, she is committed to using only organic, recycled, re-purposed, and vintage materials in her products, whether they be clothing or home accessories.

The organic textiles are predominantly grown and milled in the United States and all of our custom dyeing is done in-house with natural and low-impact dyes. The t-shirts that Whitney-Sarles sources are dyed with clay.

One of Whitney-Sarles’ signature features on her products is using a reverse appliqué technique to “create and interesting effect on fabric…and depth to the design.” She had seen the trend a lot in quilting, and thought it would have a place in the home-grown fashion movement.”

The process for her clothing designs begins with concept, and then she creates an original pattern, which can be graded up or down for different sizing needs. At this point Whitney-Sarles hand-dyes the fabric, and machine stitches her design.

If the design incorporates the reverse appliqué technique, Whitney-Sarles creates the pattern with a stencil, and either hand sews the pattern herself, or outsources it to one of the local stitchers with whom she works.

Currently much of her product is available in local boutiques, who work with Whitney-Sarles on consignment, as well as made-to-order on the Banshii website.

So far, she feels the response to her product has been positive, even though she sees a seasonal economy as a challenge.

Which is why she is “branching out online and connecting with other boutiques off-Cape,” in order to gain some wholesale customers and reach different parts of the country.

Her next big goal? Whitney-Sarles says, “ultimately I’d like to create more of a lifestyle brand that focuses and educates on green living in general, because there’s so much more than just consumerism and ourselves.”

Banshii products are available at The Jagged Edge in South Yarmouth, Fisherman’s Daughter in Chatham, Shift in Hyannis, Pink Yoga Studio in Osterville, and online at www.banshiionline.com.