Reader of the Week: Lindsay Keating-Moore

Stencil-smith mixes feminism with recycled fashion

By Kirsten Kilponen
Published: December 15th, 2008 | 12:00am

After discovering how apt she was with stenciling, 25-year-old Lindsay Keating-Moore channeled her passion for feminism into creating eco-friendly clothing. Her Minneapolis based line, KM Stitchery, features the faces of revolutionary women — like Simon de Beauvoir and Frida Kahlo — printed onto thrift-store fabrics.

What made you decide to start KM Stitchery?

I started out crafting about 5 years ago making appliqué bags from recycled fabrics and selling them on the street. But as I got more interested in feminism and other social issues, I wanted to push my crafts further and do something that I could really feel proud of. I was tired of seeing mostly male revolutionaries revered on t-shirts, and not many women. So after figuring out how to stencil one day with some friends, I decided my first design would be Emma Goldman.

Why did you choose clothing as a medium for your activism?

Clothing is a great visual way to spread a message, and all of the clothing I use is recycled because I hate supporting the textile industry. I buy their excess that they dump at thrift stores, which [is] still brand-spankin’ new. I use cereal boxes for my business cards and tags and brown paper bags for packaging. I’m also planning on coming out with a new line of bags that I hope to have ready within a year.

When you're not working on KM Stitchery what do you do in your spare time?

I’m always reading — I love books. I also live in a community house with a bunch of folks, so there’s always something going on and people to talk to. I like to frequent vegan potlucks and I go to protests occasionally.

What kind of feedback have you been getting from your customers?

I have gotten all sorts of positive feedback. The best was an email I got from a customer who told me that anytime she was wearing my shirt in public she would have to leave the house early because so many people stopped to ask her about her shirt!

www.kmstitchery.etsy.com

www.kmstitchery.blogspot.com