Today we’d like to introduce you to Arabella Littlefield.
Hi Arabella, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The idea for Moonsurf came to me mid-shift of my summer job back in 2019. I had just finished my first year of college studying fashion design and had moved back home for the summer season. I’m from an island off the coast of Massachusetts, and our summers were out of a fairy tale. Every free moment was spent at the beach soaking up the sun, surfing, swimming, and exploring the coastline.
On nights when the moon was full, and the sky was clear, my brother and I would head to the beach for late-night surf sessions. This was what inspired our name, and our designs quickly followed. My goal with MoonSurf is for it to be the shirt you pick up off the floor and wear every day or the hoodie you grab for an impromptu beach trip. It is unique, durable, and above all comfortable – a comfort which only grows with time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Though I have been working on and running Moonsurf for almost five years now, every day is a learning experience. One that I would not trade for the world. Learning how to efficiently produce products was my biggest learning curve. As all of our pieces are individually hand dyed, it took a great deal of trial and error to find a method that worked best. The biggest struggle was managing MoonSurf while I was in school and working three jobs in addition. It is an experience I will always appreciate despite how difficult it was. The lessons in time management and prioritization will always stick with me and have helped me to manage this business with a level head and positive attitude during times of stress.
In addition, we use indigo, a natural dye, to create our pieces. This dye can be quite temperamental and has to be kept at specific temperatures and PH levels to maintain similar coloration. Indigo’s ever-changing color (as slight as the differences might be) originally caused a great deal of stress, but I have fully embraced it. The different shades of blue created using indigo in addition to the effort of dying each piece individually, have allowed me to create one-of-a-kind products. No two pieces are exactly the same, and I am happy to embrace the struggles that brought this positive outcome!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
This is a difficult question to answer as there is so much I am still learning about myself and my practice. I am a recent college graduate (last May to be precise) and am just starting to make my way in the world. Managing my own business for 3 plus years has definitely given me a leg up, especially when I was doing so while also studying fashion design.
My goal with my work both in school and with MoonSurf has been to create comfortable products for everyday people. In school, we were steered towards high-end fashion, which is not sustainable or accessible for the everyday person. While I enjoyed studying it, I wanted to create something that was accessible – a feeling that MoonSurf was born from. Creating one-of-a-kind pieces for everyday wear versus a fancy dress that will only be worn once and then be forgotten.
My specialization lies in indigo dye and dyeing methods. In school, I studied textile design in addition to fashion design. While I do not apply all of the methods I have explored to my Moonsurf designs, I am very proud of the library I have built for these methods and the experience it has given me. There is always more to learn, and I look forward to continuing my exploration and finding new things each day.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was an outdoorsy kid. I grew up on the east coast and spent the winter’s building snow forts and skiing with my brothers, bundled up from head to toe. As soon as the temperature hit fifty, you can guarantee we were back at the beach, swimming and exploring. I was easy-going, happy to take it all in and see as much of nature as I could. This interest persisted into high school when I began to study textiles and sustainable fashion. It was here that I learned about indigo dye as well as other natural dye methods and started to explore their possibilities.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chilmv.com/
- Instagram: _moonsurf
Image Credits
Theresa Sullivan
