If you've ever wanted to wear something truly one-of-a-kind, you're in the right place. These pieces are born out of ancient craft traditions, made with intention, and designed to move with your body.
Browse the current scarf collection here.
Sympatico is a studio practice based near Jacksonville, Oregon, where natural fabrics meet the art of dyeing. Every scarf, wrap, and garment is handmade by me, Rose Gerstner. I use cottons, hemp, silk, and other natural textiles that take color beautifully and are a true delight to wear. The result is art you can enjoy every day, woven into your personal style.
Custom tops, pants, and skirts from the Sympatico collection, made in hemp/Tencel fabric, are also available by order and typically completed within 3 to 4 weeks.
Interested in a custom piece? Get in touch.
Forty years of textile expertise
The journey to dyeing grew out of nearly 40 years of working in clothing, studying silhouettes, history, and style, and always returning to natural fabrics. A fellow craftsperson's suggestion to try shibori (a Japanese resist-dyeing technique) opened a door, and I never looked back.
That curiosity led to travels and studies that now shape every piece. In South Korea, encounters with organic dyers reframed what was possible. In Indonesia, studies with Dedi Purwadi of Batik Jolawe and batik artist Hananta Nur grounded me in traditions that go back centuries. Online studies with Maiwa in British Columbia deepened my knowledge of indigo, tannins, and metal dyeing, and British dyer Caroline Nixon opened up the world of ecoprinting. That global foundation shows up in every piece.
(Read my blog to find out more about what I’ve learned from these talented dyeing teachers.)
Grown from the garden
One of the other joys of this practice is how much it has become about plants. My garden is fast becoming a dye garden, with cosmos, coreopsis, madder, goldenrod, black hollyhocks, and marigolds already growing and giving color, with Lady's Mantle and native plants still to explore.
When you wear a Sympatico piece, you're wearing something that came from the earth in a very literal sense.
See the latest naturally-dyed pieces in my shop.
The yellow and brown flower is coreopsis. It makes a wonderful natural dye.
Find Sympatico
Scarves and wraps are available online and in person at the Lithia Artisans Market in Ashland, Oregon, from April through October. Check via email before making the trip to confirm my attendance at the market that weekend.
If a particular piece is calling to you, it's best not to wait. The collection is one-of-a-kind by nature.
Shop the full collection.
Shoppers are also welcome by appointment at my studio near Jacksonville, Oregon.
Rose
Sympatico Clothing
Learn more:
Discover Sympatico’s enchanting line of handmade scarves
How Natural Dye Artists from Around the World Shaped My Craft
Exploring Creativity and Nature's Imperfections