Q&A with the Kaftan Queen Erin Shriver
Erin Shriver is not your typical working mom; she is an artist, an entrepreneur, whose success will have her sitting in the sun for years to come. Not that she doesn’t get enough of the real thing—when not at her beach house in at Kamalame Cay in the Bahamas, this Pittsburgh native, along with her husband and young daughter, are currently calling Sarasota, Florida home.
She was once the head of a bath and body company, when about a decade ago Erin’s passion for art and fashion came roaring back. After lots of hard work and experimentation, and plenty of love and encouragement from her husband, her new business Indigo Palms (which gets its namesake from their home in Kamalame Cay) is finally off the ground, selling her beautiful hand dyed sarongs, kaftans, and other gorgeous pieces. Erin sat down to tell us all about her craft, and what the future holds for this kaftan queen.
Maniac Magazine: In terms of clothing or fashion, what formal training have you had? Or are you self taught?
Erin: I am totally self taught. I never intended to get into fashion, I just wanted to create art initially.
MM: What inspired you to get into fashion?
ES: I began making intricately hand-dyed charmeuse sarongs over 11 years ago and slowly and methodically honed my skills and am now re-launching with a more cohesive vision for what the Indigo Palm lifestyle brand looks like. The inspiration comes from our visits to Kamalame Cay in the Bahamas. I’ve never been fussy when it comes to fashion and I wanted the designs to reflect the barefoot chic lifestyle that we live.
MM: Can you tell us a little bit about the design process and how exactly your silks work?
ES: The design process typically starts with my sketch book. After sketching, I will often start painting using water color, Gouache, acrylics, and other mediums. The hand-designed pieces are all done with dyes including the screen prints so as not to change the hand (feel) of the fabric. Dyes are thickened with seaweed to produce the screen prints and block prints while un-thickened dyes are used for much of my painting, which lends itself to the watercolor effect achieved in many of my silk pieces. I also utilize traditional batik in some of my work as well as natural plant dyes such as Indigo, of course. 
MM: Your designs are so versatile. Can you tell us what collections you have in the works?
ES: I will be working closely with my sewing team to add two dresses, lounge pants, and additional kaftan styles. In a turn of events, the canvas art “Stella” that I created for the house has inadvertently created quite a buzz from Pittsburgh to Miami so I will be working on adding additional pieces for sale as time allows. It’s likely that the paintings will also be reproduced on fabric for home decor and beach sarongs in the future. I am also still working with private clients developing custom home decor upon request.
MM: What do most of your clients say about your kaftans?
ES: The kaftans have received amazing feedback so far. In just one month, I have been approached to supply our original white India inspired kaftan in six stores including one larger resort wear chain. What I love about kaftans is not only the chic comfort, but also the various size ranges that can fit into one of our one-size kaftans.
MM: Where do you see yourself in three years?
ES: Well, considering that we have recently received requests for merchandise at stores in six US cities, in addition to the Bahamas, I see Indigo Palm expanding exponentially in the coming years. The next step will be finding a larger space to house production with additional employees. I have more immediate plans to expand into pre-teen resort wear that matches the relaxed sophistication of the adult garments.
If you desire beautifully dyed and styled outfits, please visit www.indigopalmsshop.com. If visions of Kamalame Cay are calling out to you, you can actually stay at Erin’s gorgeous home, which you can view here: www.indigopalmbahamas.com
