RANA SATORI DESIGN OPENS STORE
IN DOWNTOWN SANTA CRUZ


Published in Santa Cruz Sent:

Credit Brad Kava
Rana Satori, a designer of high quality, hand sewn, locally produced specialty clothing for women and men, is opening a retail space for two months at 1013 Cedar Street, a historical Victorian building in downtown Santa Cruz. Rana Satori Design is usually only available by appointment and through a long-distance trunk show/ambassador distribution model.
Rana Satori is the sole proprietor of Rana Satori Design. Satori, a Santa Cruz resident, started her business out of her home in January 2011. She moved her production studio to the top floor of the Cedar Street location in November 2012. The downstairs store front was most recently used as an art gallery and for classroom space.
Rana Satori designs and produces clothing inspired by Satori’s background in the world of dance. “I like clothing that’s comfortable and soft,” says Satori. “People want to wear expressive clothing, but most dance wear isn’t that expressive. Traditional dancewear tends toward darker colors and earth tones. My creations are really colorful and sparkly. I use vibrant color combinations and stretchy, comfortable fabrics. The clothes are fun and playful but are not costumes that require a special event to wear. They take the free, expressive essence that we experience in the dance into everyday life. We’re taking it off the dance floor and into the streets.
“My customers include therapists, lawyers, artists, and dancers. Typically, they are people who are bridging the gap between maintream society and the world of the more culturally creative.”
Satori’s designs include dresses, tunics, “swirl skirts,” tanks, pants, shirts, “shrugs,” mini skirts, and cowls. Prices range from $110 for the Audacity line of dresses (her most popular seller) to $45 for shirts.
Satori started her business with production capital of $500. “I started making clothes out of scraps I got from other designer friends and parlayed the profits to buy more fabric. My first sewing machine cost $130. A friend showed me how to use the machine to make costumes for a dance company I helped start. It started as a little project. I wondered ‘can I build this business from the ground up?’ I still use as much scrap fabric as possible.”
Satori’s connection to the dance community has provided a fruitful distribution channel. Dance, yoga and fitness teachers act as “ambassadors,” keeping 20 percent of anything they sell from trunk shows received directly from Satori. “They keep the clothes for three months and can present as many shows as they like,” says Satori. “It’s a mini business in a box. So far I have ambassadors in Japan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Colorado, Hawaii, Marin, and the East Bay. I’m extremely well-networked in the dance world.”
Each trunk show includes 10 Audacity dresses, 10 matching swirl skirts, 10 sunburst tank tops and10 long sleeved shirts in varying sizes and colors. Satori sends a color pallet that allows each ambassador to mix, match and build more outfits.
Rana Satori Design retail outlet is open from noon to 5:00 pm Thursdays through Sundays and can be reached at 415/686-2404. The storefront will be open late for First Friday Art Walk. The company has a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rana-Satori-Design/126176440800216. The web site http://www.ranasatoridesign.com is expected to go live next week. The company also sells on http://etsy.com under Rana Satori Design.