Made in America Products by Blue Canoe Organic
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Blue Canoe was started by Laurie Dunlap in 1994 as an all organic, made in USA clothing line. Its first home was a small cottage under some redwood trees in Northern California. It was shared by four industrious women all starting their own clothing businesses - from hemp hats to hand painted silk kimonos.
The little space was bursting with machinery, supplies and the energy of new beginnings. It was a noisy, friendly place where the four of us brainstormed ideas, traded resources and information, helped walk-in customers, and hammered out ways to build our businesses.
My first purchase was a $200 roll of un-dyed cotton/spandex fabric. I did all the designing and pattern making, some of the sewing, the bookkeeping, garment dyeing and purchasing. Marketing meant going to craft fairs. I divided my time between growing my business, waitressing, and building an organic, off-grid homestead with my husband and two sons.
My first design was a two-piece swimsuit styled for comfort and movement. I wasn't much of a sunbather and needed a suit that would stay put when I played volleyball or body surfed. The suits were instantly popular in Humboldt County, and when women began buying them as bras and panties I realized I was on to something. There was a ready niche for organic cotton, comfortable underwear both locally and in small eco stores opening across the nation.
Gradually the line and the business grew. We moved into our own building beside Benbow Lake. Inspired by a hand-made wooden blue canoe I noticed floating among the familiar green fiberglass models, I named my company Blue Canoe.
Today Blue Canoe is thriving in San Francisco where we manufacture a full line of stylish eco-friendly clothing and lingerie. The years have not altered our commitment to organic cotton and manufacturing in the USA.
Nineteen years ago, I followed my dream. Thousands of customers later, I can see that was the right thing to do. I hope you'll love wearing Blue Canoe as much as I love creating it!