Launch Date: Summer 2005
Number of Employees: 4
Location of Headquarters: Seattle, WA
Location of Manufacturing: Seattle, WA
Design Heroes: Vivienne Westwood, Rei Kawabuko, Natalie Chanin

Twenty feet from the railway tracks of Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood, Camilla Eckersley and Davora Lindner hunker down in their overcrowded, dilapidated workspace to design, manufacture and market Prairie Underground. With their burgeoning label, these two childhood friends from Lincoln, Nebraska have transformed elements from the post-punk style of their 80’s teen years into romantic, wearable statements for the modern ecofashionista.

While Camilla focuses on the creative end and Davora more on business development, both women contribute to the look and feel of their handmade line. “We try to blend utility and seduction, to find ways clothing can be both useful and ornamental. As entirely independent designers, we walk a fine line between experimentation and commerce and hope to offer something novel and desirable with each new collection.”

Camilla and Davora make sustainability and affordability equally important aspects of their chic organic cotton, hemp and silk line. According to Davora, “We only offer a couple of styles each that aren’t completely or partially made of organic or sustainable fabrications…We’re as concerned about the economic accessibility of our clothing as we are the environmental impact, both of those points have been a part of our mission since day one.”

Prairie Underground is a bastion of American small business. This indie fashion label is proud to utilize a local dyehouse (very rare amongst American designers), source most of their fabrics in the U.S., and hire Seattle-based sewing contractors. “Each day we work to establish a fair and ethical model for doing business in the garment industry and to create a different type of American business.”

Even when describing the type of client they keep in mind while designing their garments, these women keep it local. They envision “the people we grew up with, our friends and family, the cool women walking around on Seattle’s streets.” Fortunately for the rest of us, Prairie Underground has surfaced at over one hundred boutiques outside of Washington, from Alaska to Nebraska to Utah to North Carolina. From California to the New York Islands, this brand was made for you and me.***

***Note from the Editor: Following the 2008 election of Barack Obama, I have become prone to patriotic outbursts. These may continue throughout the coming months, leading up to the inauguration. Beware: a newfound love of country can be contagious, especially amongst liberals, treehuggers, and intellectuals.