Keely Angel

Collective Hand

What’s your story?

I've been an artist as far back as I can remember. I didn't have the faith in my younger years that I'd be able to make a living off making art, so I travelled a lot, moved around and worked random jobs. One of those random jobs was as a sales associate for a prominent textile designer at a giant tradeshow in High Point, North Carolina. We hit it off and I wound up moving from NC to NYC to work for her doing production at her studio. I worked for her for a few years and it was basically an apprenticeship. We went on sourcing trips to Turkey and India and tradeshows around the US and in Paris. Eventually she moved to the west coast and I stayed in NYC, but my love of textiles was solidified.

I got my own studio in 2014 and started Collective Hand. I had a desire to learn more eco friendly means of production and I wanted to fine more connection to nature, which is what lead me to study dyeing with plants and other natural materials. I'm mostly self taught, through good old reading and experimentation. My first project was a collaboration with Heidi Smith of Moon and Bloom Flower Essences, making little pouches to hold her tinctures.

It's one thing to design and create beautiful fabric, but it's a whole other challenge to take that fabric and make it into products and get them out into the world. I wanted to produce in a way that didn't create excess, so I've been making everything "to order" and in small batches for the majority of the time I've run Collective Hand. I sew a couple of the products myself, but the majority is sewn by a lovely seamstress in NYC.

For the last few years I've been mothering full time and haven't had the energy to really go full force with Collective Hand. My daughter is in school now and I'm just getting my new studio set up at our home in NJ. I have a number of collaborations I'm very excited about and I'm also looking forward to watching my dye garden grow.

What can we find at Collective Hand?

I teach dyeing classes and offer various products ranging from home goods, self care items, and apparel. I am very open to collaborations- they are one big reason why I'm in business in the first place. I love doing custom work as well!

Where can we learn more about you and your work?

Website: www.collectivehand.com | Instagram: @collectivehand