Burlington, Vermont - December 29, 2006
Christina Maxon-Alley, friends call her Xmas, sits quietly in her Burlington studio, ripping out the seams of a perfectly good shirt. She "deconstructs" garments so she can "reconstruct" them. She explains, "The main purpose is to keep using stuff over and over again."
Xmas wears her passion for recycling on her sleeve. She wears it everywhere, actually. Most of her wardrobe is made from ripped pieces of vintage clothing. The designer says, "The less we manufacture and produce, the less waste we create."
The California native is a self-taught seamstress. Sewing is in her blood. She recalls, "My mom used to make all our clothes as a kid."
Her label is called "Post Decadent." The line is entirely made of recycled fabric. She attaches the collar and yoke from one shirt to the front and back panels of another, then adds the carefully-removed pocket. Think Dr. Frankenstein with a sewing machine.
Now, Maxon-Alley hopes to sew up a tidy business for herself. Her new Winooski store Green Closet carries more than ten small, Vermont-designed labels. She says, "It's all about being an individual."
It stresses what's hand-made, with an eco-consciousness and rock-star edginess. Part of a nationwide "indie-clothing" trend that bucks mass manufacturing. Perfect, the designer says, for such an independent state. Chuckling, she says, "Heck! This is the only state that was its own country at one time, so that's cool."
Xmas Maxon-Alley's Made in Vermont, or re-Made in Vermont, clothes are another reminder that with fashion, what's old is new again. She says, "It's a passion."
Most of the shirts sell for $35 to $65. And the store Green Closet is starting a new series of showcases of Vermont designers. The first Thursday of every month, it will host a different "trunk show" from different local sewers.