Owen Sea Luckey

Article by: Amy Starensier Lee / New Haven Living Magazine

Tangerine is so 2012. The color of this year, according to Pantone, the global authority that declares such things, is Emerald, or PANTONE 17-5641 to be absolutely exact. Shop windows will be dressed with every shade of this inspiring green as it spreads its special powers of “clarity, renewal and rejuvenation” to all who see it. “It’s the most abundant hue in nature,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.” 

That might be overstating it a bit, but new, inspirational colors are important to the fashion industry if for no other reason than that they give us runway wannabes a new reason to buy. Even if you don’t subscribe to the retail therapy school of thought, buying a new piece or two for the upcoming season isn’t such a bad way to get a quick pick-me up. It’s also fun to see what the priests and priestesses of Paris come up with season in and season out, and how we of the average-length leg can sprinkle bits and pieces of the trend into our wardrobes and lives.

A new color can indeed spark the flames of creativity, and definitely plays a role for the local artists profiled on the following pages. As you’ll see, our hometown fashionistas have unfair amounts of talent and are not afraid to use it. Whether it’s repurposing sweaters, creating jewelry or designing bespoke apparel, they can make emerald—or any other color—sing.

Owen Sea Luckey Repurposed Knitwear

Owen Luckey is a hunter and gatherer. Not for nuts and berries, though. Rather, this lifelong Branford resident and artist is always on the lookout for gently used sweaters and shirting that she can repurpose into one-of-a kind works of art.

“For me, they are the perfect canvas to work with,” says Luckey, who has been creating for as long as she can remember, perhaps at least partially because of the influence of her artist father, Tom Luckey, who among other things became known for the Luckey Climber, a structure that is part maze and part jungle gym. “Something that’s already been loved before already has a story. And then I get to write a new chapter.”

Luckey forages through nonprofit used clothing stores for both practical and philosophical reasons. The former is obvious: good stuff cheap. As for the latter, “I feel good about buying things at a place where my purchase is already going back toward benefiting another group of people,” she says. “Then I take this gently worn garment and turn it into something amazing and beautiful.”

But Luckey doesn’t want that “pay it forward” belief to stop there. She’s looking for the next part of the story, specifically a foundation or charity that would benefit from her work. “It isn’t just about beauty, it’s a much bigger story. Repurposed. Recycled. Resold. Rebenefited.” Resplendent.

Luckey also does a good amount of custom business and loves when people bring in their own or their loved-ones’ garments.

She and her whimsical creations can be found at her studio in Branford some, but not all days. Call before you make the trip. (181 Main St., Branford, 203-632-6792,www.owensealuckey.com) 

to read more of this article go to http://newhavenliving.com/article-204-hometown-fashion.html