We're Changing the Name and Concept of our KC Storefront!
We have some super huge news regarding our Kansas City flagship store that we've been anxious to announce!
On Earth Day - April 22, 2023 - our storefront is rebranding with a new name and concept that reflects our evolving commitment to sustainability, ethical practices and prioritizing humanity.
Don't worry, MADI Apparel (the brand) is not going anywhere! In fact, we're just getting started...
Introducing, Slow Motion Goods - a home for conscious consumers.
Click here to snag a ticket to our Kansas City storefront re-launch party on 4/22/23!
Slow Motion Goods is an immersive, ethical shopping experience for thoughtful consumers. Our focus on ethical manufacturing and waste reduction is reflected in every aspect of our store. We keep already-made goods in motion and out of landfills by artfully reclaiming and renovating them. We'll also carry our own line of staple basics - MADI Apparel - intentionally and consciously made sewn goods that are designed by us, made locally, and donate a pair of underwear for every item sold. Our goal is to promote mindful consumption by keeping new and used unwanted goods in motion with the effort of diverting waste from landfills. Welcome home, curious and thoughtful shoppers, to a loungey space where you can stay a while and explore our mission to inspire positive change in the world.
We want to reassure you that MADI Apparel will continue to be carried in the Kansas City International Airport Made in Kansas City Marketplace store and other shops across the US, on madiapparel.com, and now in Slow Motion Goods! This change reflects our commitment to our brand values encouraging slower, more intentional lifestyle and shopping choices. There will be no disruption in your ability to purchase the MADI Apparel products that you love, and we will continue to provide the same customer service that you have come to expect.
Here's our founder Hayley Besheer Santell's story on why she decided to evolve our storefront into Slow Motion Goods
"The very early stages of dreaming up Slow Motion Goods began a few years ago when my husband challenged me as an artist. It was at that point that I started watching myself grow and get inspired again...
I started MADI Apparel when I was a 23-year-old bartender in New Smyrna Beach. Before that, I would say my identity rested in "artist". My grandma and my mom - both incredible artists - passed down the spark and the gift that I developed in art school over the years. Out of no where - I changed paths and became a sustainable fashion entrepreneur, not an artist, to ultimately answer a global call and need for new underwear donations. Everything I've built through MADI Apparel was once foreign and eventually learned. (On that note, I'm writing a series of do-it-yourself books on how to start your own sustainable fashion brand...stay tuned, budding entrepreneurs!)
Fast forward to 2016 when I met my husband. I launched MADI Apparel a few years prior, and that was kind of the only realm he knew me in. I was (and am) in constant hustle and grind mode. My roles as fashion designer and owner of MADI Apparel are vast and all-consuming. So, for years, I put my art on the back burner. He literally had no idea that I was an artist, until one day he came home and I had literally just finished a six foot oil painting. And he was like, 'where did this come from?' I think he realized I was side-caring a huge part of my life. And he challenged me with something like, 'I bet you won't keep making paintings,' knowing how competitive I am. It gave me the push to bring art back into my life.
Last year, my grandma passed away, and it got very hard for me to work, to feel inspired. She and I were like best friends - in a mid 30s mid 90s kind of way :). I was just too crushed. She gave me all of this old watercolor paper and old paints, and I started feeling inspired to paint again. I thought it was so cool that I could paint on the paper she used - that she wasn't done with - that would've otherwise likely ended up in the trash.
I got to pick out some of her jewelry after she passed and thought, 'I wonder where it wouldve gone if I didn't repurpose it in my own daily life. A thrift store?
My husband and I moved to Florence, Italy last summer so I could take some continuing education fashion classes. It was nice to take time to heal, to get inspired...I couldn't stop thinking about all of the unwanted goods, paper, fabric, art, sitting in landfills and on thrift store shelves, likely landfill-bound if never sold.
I kept thinking about those goods once made by someone, goods once loved by someone, goods with a story. Today's world is full of noise, full of instant gratification and fast fashion and over-saturation. The art of slowly made fashion and goods has become overshadowed by loud consumerism, by the "next best thing.
I think because I'm inspired by the intimate process of making something physical, and because I know how much work goes into making something by hand, I also find beauty in the story, in the life of an object. Certain cultures believe in praying over an animal after it's just been killed for food, and then eating or using every piece of that animal. That's sort of how I feel about made goods. They're meant to cherish, meant to be reclaimed or rediscovered over and over and experience multiple 'lives', not meant for taking up space in our already crowded landfills.
It makes me smile to think that someone's grandma's belonging might end up in our store and go home with our customer.
I'm evolving, and so is my store, our brand. You've known us since day one for taking an extra step on a road to being the most conscious and thoughtful brand that we can be. This time is no different than when I set out ten years ago to start a brand that would 'make a difference' in every way.
MADI Apparel will still truck on as normal and a smaller collection of our staple ethical basics will continue to be carried in our new store concept. But, Slow Motion Goods will be more, will do more, will teach more, and will empower conscious shopping decisions. I'm proud and grateful for the opportunity to do what I love. Thank you for following along!"
XO, Hayley
Here's more of what to expect at Slow Motion Goods:
Welcome home, thoughtful shoppers... to a loungy experiential shop x living room x art gallery x listening lounge for learning, growing and immersing yourself in the art of ethical fashion and goods.
We'll carry:
1. New ethically made biodegradable apparel and goods
Our own brand of ethically + locally made staple basics, MADI Apparel. For any item you buy, we donate a pair of underwear. We've discontinued about half of our collection on a mission to hold ourselves accountable for even smaller batch production runs and close to zero waste! Click to shop 50% off of those discontinued products until we're sold out. We'll continue to carry our biodegradable sweats (joggers, hoodies, sweatshirts), our vegan plastic free plant leather bags, our notorious bamboo underwear that we've been making for over ten years, and a few other of your staple favorites.
2. Reclaimed goods (found old and turned into new/fresh) like:
Pocket notebooks and card holders made from landfill bound paper + leather waste, skateboards, acrylic + oil + watercolor paintings reclaimed from old canvas' and scrapped paper, customized sneakers like nike dunks/converse/vans, old vessels turned candles, hand-dyed pillow cases + napkins, etc
3. Curated (but mostly untouched) thrift finds like :
Vinyl records, record players, coffee table books, candlesticks, plant pots, glasswear, etc
Our goal is to make, find and reclaim pieces that will become your most beloved lifetime staples.
Think of us like a combination of all of these amazing store concepts:
- Ethical fashion shop
- Record store
- Thrift store
- Mid Century Modern goods store
- Sustainable stationary and leather goods shop
- Vibey lounge you never expected to stumble upon
Join us in our mission to promote mindful consumption and reduce waste. Together, we can make a difference. See you on Earth Day at Slow Motion Goods!