“We wanted to recreate the excitement of shopping abroad,” says Natalie LaChall, co-founder of Secret Ships, a caravan-webshop one-two punch inspired by its creators’ lifelong wanderlust. (Co-founder Sara Hartmann has visited 40 countries, while LaChall did a stint in a traveling circus. “The plans for our caravan were inspired by the caravan for the sideshow she was in,” Hartmann says.)
This isn’t just any import business. “While I was taking time out last winter in Mexico, I had the idea to import in a way that was actually design-oriented,” Hartmann recalls. “I pitched Natalie on the idea, and we shook on it right away.” Offerings include clothing that LaChall designs and sews using globally sourced textiles like Dutch Wax and hand-loomed Guatemalan ikat, alongside home goods, jewelry and other treasures Hartmann picks up in her travels.
Browse the goods online, or find the stylish caravan at local outdoor markets; SoWa’s weekly market is a favorite destination. But the duo can’t set up shop just anywhere. “It’s actually still not legal to have a retail truck that’s not a food truck, so, for now, we’re limited to private spaces, not public city streets,” Hartmann explains, although she hopes Mayor Marty Walsh may change that.
They’ve kept the caravan close to home while getting a feel for the business, but it will clock plenty of miles in the next year or two; Secret Ships will set sail on a New England college campus tour, and LaChall is looking forward to hitting destinations like New York and music festivals like SXSW and Bonnaroo.
On their style…
- “I try to collect unique accessories when I travel. Wearing a lot of black helps my finds stand out,” Hartmann says. Hence her monochrome look: an Emerson Fry tunic and a skirt she made herself, paired with bracelets hand-woven in Mali by Tuareg women.
- “I love visiting junk shops and antique stores,” LaChall says. The petticoat peeking out from her Secret Ships dress is a thrift-shop find; the boots come from a New Jersey square dancing store.
Dressed for Success
The founders of five new fashion ventures share their stories—and style.
By Renata Certo-Ware | Photo Credit: Holly Rike | June 20, 2014
Sara Hartmann + Natalie Lachall – Secret Ships
“We wanted to recreate the excitement of shopping abroad,” says Natalie LaChall, co-founder of Secret Ships, a caravan-webshop one-two punch inspired by its creators’ lifelong wanderlust. (Co-founder Sara Hartmann has visited 40 countries, while LaChall did a stint in a traveling circus. “The plans for our caravan were inspired by the caravan for the sideshow she was in,” Hartmann says.)
This isn’t just any import business. “While I was taking time out last winter in Mexico, I had the idea to import in a way that was actually design-oriented,” Hartmann recalls. “I pitched Natalie on the idea, and we shook on it right away.” Offerings include clothing that LaChall designs and sews using globally sourced textiles like Dutch Wax and hand-loomed Guatemalan ikat, alongside home goods, jewelry and other treasures Hartmann picks up in her travels.
Browse the goods online, or find the stylish caravan at local outdoor markets; SoWa’s weekly market is a favorite destination. But the duo can’t set up shop just anywhere. “It’s actually still not legal to have a retail truck that’s not a food truck, so, for now, we’re limited to private spaces, not public city streets,” Hartmann explains, although she hopes Mayor Marty Walsh may change that.
They’ve kept the caravan close to home while getting a feel for the business, but it will clock plenty of miles in the next year or two; Secret Ships will set sail on a New England college campus tour, and LaChall is looking forward to hitting destinations like New York and music festivals like SXSW and Bonnaroo.
On their style…
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