SUNO, designed by filmmaker Max Osterweis and industry vet Erin Beatty, is one of the buzzier brands to emerge over the past year and a half. Launched as a way for Osterweis to utilize his collection of African textiles, the label has garnered an impressive following, from Vogue to Michelle Williams.
But for young brands, demand doesn’t always mean dollars. Osterweis and Beatty chatted with me about how they’re building SUNO without getting too big, too fast.
How did SUNO come to be?
Max: The collection started with East African textiles that I had been collecting for years. I started the line because I wanted to start a business in Kenya at the end of 2007, beginning of 2008. For years I had been promising friends that I’d make dresses and skirts out of the fabrics, so I figured that this would be a good way to do that.
Erin: We were friends for about a year beforehand, and then Max had the idea and was looking for designers. That’s kind of the way it happened. I thought it was a bit crazy at first, but he convinced me.
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