OUR STORY

The official logo for ellie.kate.

Ellen Keane & Katie Matherly met during the summer of 2010, in Cape Coast, Ghana. While in Ghana they volunteered for a non-government organization as design interns and studied traditional methods of batik. They enjoyed the opportunity to be surrounded by a beautiful culture & experience a simpler lifestyle, which incorporated “back to basic” methods in everyday life. These methods soon became the basis for the design process used by ellie.kate changing only the aspects that make the process more efficient and environmentally sound.

While in Ghana, Ellen & Katie adopted the motto, “No Condition is Permanent”. They feel that this philosophy can be applied to all aspects of life. In an ever-changing world it encourages people to take control, savor the good & not dwell on the bad. To never settle for less & constantly look for ways to improve current situations & conditions.  When creating ellie.kate, Ellen & Katie applied this motto to the design process. They decided to take control by changing the current wasteful design process into a process that is more environmentally conscious.

Left to right, Ellen Keane & Katie Matherly studying traditional
African methods of batik in Cape Coast, Ghana.

After studying in Ghana, Ellen & Katie returned home & both graduated from Central Michigan University with degrees in apparel design & merchandising. Ellen & Katie share similar design philosophies & believe small changes can produce big results.

In 2011, Ellen & Katie founded ellie.kate in order to create a product that is not only good for the consumer but also good for the environment. Every product is one hundred percent handmade created with the impact on the planet being considered throughout the process from raw materials to end use & shipping materials. The fabrics used are derived from Eco-friendly, natural fibers such as bamboo, soy, seaweed & cotton. The dyes used are low-impact dyes & have minimal effect on the environment. Through a minimal waste design process ellie.kate strives to used all materials with little to no leftovers, using small fabric scraps that are not used in the apparel products as tags & packaging materials.

Ellen & Katie at the first official ellie.kate meeting developing
the brand and creating trend & Inspiration boards.

As ellie.kate grows we hope to continue creating an environmentally and socially responsible product in order to keep everyone, including Mother Nature, happy.

OUR MISSION

Our goal is to create a product that is environmentally conscious without sacrificing quality, style or taste. We strive to work with ethical companies and conscious consumers. We believe that taking small steps to improve the apparel design process, that is so often polluted with unethical and wasteful practices, can make a big impact.

ellie.kate also strives for 100% customer satisfaction. We know that happy customers are repeat customers. We hope that you will recommend our products to your friends and family. Because your satisfaction is so important to us we love to hear your feedback, good or bad. Who doesn’t love receiving compliments?