Protea
Kelly Bradshaw aims for her clothing line, Protea, to strike a harmonious balance of a “sophisticated look with a little bit of quirkiness.”
Now in her third season, Bradshaw continues to refine her collection by taking standard shapes and adding details of fabric sculpting.
“I love it if there’s something about a garment that gets your attention—that’s kind of mysterious,” said San Francisco–based Bradshaw. “You just want to get closer and check it out.”
One example is a ribbon-weave fabric tank that has a standard pattern in the front and a draped twist in the back. A silk/linen broadcloth dress dips low in the back into rows of draped folds. Pleated skirts, shorts and pants in cotton/Cupro/polyethylene woven fabric have a tailored refinement and modern viewpoint but “not in a cold way,” said Bradshaw, who makes her own patterns. She adds warmth to the designs with a chipper fuchsia, lime and navy color palette that was inspired by stories in French and British home deacute;cor magazines.
Before Bradshaw launched her clothing line, she worked at a business-consulting company. She started Protea to exercise both her creative and business acumen. In addition to being the name of an African flower, the name Protea comes from the Greek god Proteus, who “morphs from shape to shape.”
“I like that idea for dressing and style,” Bradshaw said. “Most people don’t have a really clear look that they do day in and day out. They like to mix it up a bit. I liked that concept for the line.”
Wholesale price points are $41 for a micro-Modal/silk jersey racerback tank and $120 for a pleat-front skirt in cotton/Cupro/polyethylene twill fabric and up to $159 for a silk/linen broadcloth draped and belted dress. Protea has been sold to Ron Herman stores in Los Angeles. For more information, contact The Bar Showroom at (213) 622-1268 or Protea at (415) 730-0434. —Rhea Cortdao
