Brand Analysis: Wilt
Lindsey is a lawyer by trade, so when she started at Kiskadee over a year ago, she was curious about retail in general and especially about as to what made a clothing line different. We thought it would be a fun series to present some of our core lines in the store and what makes them special. First up, Wilt! - Celeste
I’m interested in the stories behind our brands, so I’m here today to tell you about Wilt. I’d seen Wilt occasionally before I started working Kiskadee, but it gave me a bit of sticker shock and I know I’m not alone. I wanted to understand the process behind the price. Was I paying more for quality? What about labor costs and environmental impact? What was I was paying for? As it turns out, the price of a Wilt garment is influenced by all of those factors!
As a teenager, Wilt founder Roxanne Heptner designed clothing for family and friends and pursued training in pattern making and draping. Later, while running a boutique selling her one-of designs, she realized that she had something to say design-wise. Believing the market was focused on poorly constructed fast fashion and that good quality t-shirts were unavailable outside of the very high-end market, Roxanne founded Wilt to create well-made t-shirts with unique shapes.
Roxanne’s goal for Wilt is to produce basic t-shirts with architecturally interesting drape and shape, including her signature uneven hems. Her background in draping comes in handy since she fits every item on herself before it goes into production. Wilt is garment dyed, giving items a lived-in feeling, with the added benefit of removing shrinkage and ensuring items can be machine washed and dried. Everything is designed, fit, and produced in LA, and Wilt is a small family business, involving both her husband and son.
Small scale design and U.S. production reduce environmental impact and provide fair wages. The clothing is interesting and feels good on the body and, as an added bonus, is well constructed and easy to care for. Those factors have earned Wilt a devoted fan base at Kiskadee. Wilt clothing doesn’t tend to stick around for long, and it seems to me that that brand loyalty is well-deserved! We have new fall Wilt in the shop, so come by and check it out before it’s all gone!
