ITS CAFTAN SEASON

One of our products which is making a bit of a comeback, is the California Caftan. This garment originally has a storied history that goes back thousands of years, traditionally a men's garment and has a rich history from Persia and North Africa. They also had a massive reinvention and reinterpretation in California in the middle of the 20th Century. Hollywood celebrities back in the day hosted pool parties at their Palm Springs getaways, and it was the essential outfit for the refined host. 

The style has popped up here and there in the proceeding decades, but it has really made a comeback in the last two years for men and women alike. Just walking down the street in Palm Springs or a review of online stores will show you how popular they have become with large and small retailers alike. 

We are inspired by the bright colors, bold prints, and fun detailing that harks back to glamour of California in the 60's and 70's. One of our prints takes key inspiration from Don Loper's iconic Banana Leaf wallpaper at the Beverly Hills Hotel. One thing we love about the Caftan is that its also becoming a strong part of the body positivity movement, and a wonderful non-gendered fashion item. 

Designing Caftans is not easy, for such a seemingly simple piece, so much detailed work goes into achieving the perfect fit. Son of León went through five prototypes for our caftans, whereas the other pieces in our range typically took three. We tested multiple placket, button and collar details, and added features such as an epaulet (shoulder detail and strap) for further styling options. Prints went through multiple rounds of vetting to get the color combination and pattern correct. Also multiple materials were selected including linen, eco-cotton, and a poly crepe, ultimately the poly crepe was selected to ensure a balance of affordability versus achieving the light, bright, fun look-and-feel. 

We hope you are as excited about our range of fun heritage prints as we are, and are excited to join the growing number of retailers offering this garment.