The fashion-forward minimalist who never misses a Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love at El Cosmico will want one of everything. There is even a scent that evokes the essence of the magical West Texas desert. No matter where in the state the maker actually lives and works, each of these items is made with purpose and intention befitting Marfa.
Our Made in Texas Gift Guide appeared in the December 2017 issue of Texas Monthly.
Caroline Boot
Miron Crosby • $2,750
Lizzie Means Duplantis and Sarah Means spent their childhoods roaming their family’s now sixth-generation cattle ranch outside Valentine and dreaming up cowboy boot designs. They ended up pursuing careers in finance and fashion in New York City—until the tug of their roots brought them back. In June the sisters opened a shop in Dallas’s Highland Park Village to sell the high-fashion cowboy boots they have manufactured in Mercedes. Each style can be personalized with a monogram or ranch brand. Buy Now.
Open Road Hat
Texas Hatters • From $400
All over the walls of the bungalow that serves as Texas Hatters’ headquarters, in Lockhart, photos document the shop’s rich history and clientele—there’s one of Robert Duvall, there’s one of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Billy Gibbons, and so on. Joella Gammage Torres, a granddaughter of the original owner, runs the shop with her husband, David A. Torres, a master hatter who can usually be found chatting with customers, taking detailed head measurements (though he can guess your size), or carefully working the steamer. Getting fit for a lid here has been a must for generations of Texans.
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Flying Cactus Catchall
Bexar Goods • $65
The two sets of brothers who founded this fast-growing San Antonio company have become darlings of the Texas maker scene thanks to their timelessly handsome leather goods and Yeti-like branding prowess. The catchall tray is made of bridle leather and hand-hammered with copper rivets. Buy Now.
Long Time Bandana
Design Build Adventure • $30
Welder-meets-designer-meets-artist Jack Sanders recently opened the Long Time, an event space and studio and baseball field in East Austin. The venue’s official bandana, hand-dyed with indigo at the Long Time, is a replica of Sanders’s fine-art print West Texas Night Sky. Buy Now.
Custom Chainstitching
Fort Lonesome • Variable Pricing
Kathie Sever’s wildly popular chain-stitching and embroidery outfit, Fort Lonesome, started in her garage with a single sewing machine. Today, when she’s not collaborating with brands like Madewell or stitching pieces for celebrity fans like Bill Murray, Sever and her seven-person team make unique designs for anyone. After getting measured at Fort Lonesome’s South Austin studio, clients send inspiration pieces, anything from a landscape photo to a treasured quote. Fort Lonesome then turns the idea into a one-of-a-kind. Prices range from $25 for a chain-stitch name patch to $1,000 or more for a custom denim jacket back-panel design.
Multi-Strand Knot Necklace
Growing Jewelry • $275
Austin resident Christy Curcuru’s fine-art background—she’s a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design—is evident in her line, Growing Jewelry, which can be found at fashion-forward boutique Kick Pleat in Austin and Houston. Take her signature multi-strand knot necklace, in which she pairs unique matte Greek ceramic beads with metallic copper beads from Africa for an unexpected look that works in every way. Buy Now.
Everyday Jumpsuit
Miranda Bennett Studio • $265
Austin-based designer Miranda Bennett’s minimalist linen wardrobe staples, including this deep V-neck jumpsuit, are made in collaboration with Open Arms, a nonprofit that provides fair-wage employment to local refugee women. Buy Now.
High Desert Perfume
Boyd’s of Texas • $125
Air Force vet Katy Couron makes Texas-inspired apothecary goods in San Antonio—think bar soaps inspired by Hill Country lavender, an exfoliating coffee scrub, and the warm and dusty High Desert perfume, which includes coriander extract and ruby red grapefruit oil. Buy Now.
Side Table
KKDW • $99-$175
Married maker couple Kelly DeWitt and Travis Norman can do it all—welding, woodworking, and even floral design. This winter they will open a shop in Bertram, where you can come in to select finishes and sizes for custom furniture like this industrial yet pretty stool that can be powder-coated in soft pink, natural white, or red clay.
Cascade Quilt
Initial K Studio • From $475
Quilter Kristi Schroeder’s new book, Southwest Modern, out this month, is part travel guide to the region that inspires her and part love letter to quilting. An Austin resident, Schroeder found her way to quilting after an earlier career in graphic design. This striking rainbow-striped example, in her popular Cascade pattern, showcases how she gives her traditional craft a modern edge. Buy Now.
Dopp Kit
W Durable Goods • $60
The origins of the heavy canvas dopp kit made by Daniel Wright in the historic O.B. Macaroni building in Fort Worth began when he taught himself to sew in order to mend holes he’d get in his work clothes as an electrician. Today, Wright makes rugged yet refined overnight bags, briefcases, and water-resistant dopp kits like this one in canvas and leather. Buy Now.
San Jose Sake Set
Linda Perez Ceramics • $85
Ceramicist Linda Perez has raised cattle and taught in rural Zambia, but it was at the potter’s wheel where she found her great passion, making dinnerware for top San Antonio restaurants and collaborating on pieces like this sleek sake set inspired by Austin’s Hotel San José. Buy Now.
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Work Sock Sweater Kit
Madeline Tosh • $61
In 2006, Fort Worth’s Amy Hendrix started a small hand-dyeing outfit, which quickly grew into a thriving e-commerce source of natural fibers with wholesale accounts across the world and monthly yarn and sweater club memberships for crafty DIY-ers. Buy Now.
Want more? Many Marfa lovers make their home in the city. See For the Urban Scenester. While they’re out west, your Marfa lover might need some supplies for roughing it. See For the Outdoor Adventurer. Or take another look at our other categories.
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