NEW YORK — Key West Hand Prints has traveled far in the last 43 years — all the way from place mats to clothing.
The company started in 1961, producing place mats featuring hand-screened prints by local artists in a former tobacco warehouse in Key West, Fla. — a brick building that was one of the few structures that survived the city’s catastrophic 1886 fire. One of the most notable artists contributing was Suzie Depoo, a painter who graduated from Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute on the G.I. Bill and who, at 82, still lives and paints in Key West.
These prints are being revived in the newly revamped Key West line for resort. Produced and wholesaled by Trends Clothing, a Miami-based manufacturer, the collection includes pants, capris, skirts, skorts and dresses, as well as basic knits.
“There are over 3,800 prints in our library,” said Dan Bazo, chief executive officer of Key West Hand Prints Fabrics and Fashion Inc. “The possibilities are endless.”
Largely hippie in theme, the prints feature colorful, large-scale florals and insects such as butterflies. One conversational motif shows daisies and other flowers alongside doves, suns and words such as “Island” and “Sugar Loaf.”
“With the preppy trend so hot again, we felt there was a great opportunity in the marketplace for this collection,” said Margot Todaro, vice president of brands at Trends Clothing, adding the firm is marketing the prints as suitable for the misses’ and contemporary markets.
“The company has such an enchanting history and its authenticity really gives it a great spin,” she added.
The line will be sold at the company’s store in the old warehouse and online. It also will be sold at wholesale, with prices running from $22 to $78.
— D.G.