Our Darning Story
Founders, Cai Flynn & Nate Chase met over Surf and Brew. Nate managed a surf shop while Cai was a craft beer rep. He tricked her into thinking he was the ol' decision maker for the attached restaurant perhaps for free samples ..she reckoned that wasn't the case but enjoyed the coastal banter anyway. A friendship came first then one night they both showed up to a bonfire dressing to impress with their finest vintage overalls and the rest is their'story. Many retro van conversions, thrift trips and surf bags jammed with vintage later, a deep devotion for sourcing and sewing stitched them together.
Meet Cai ~
Founder, Stylist and Marketing
Cai’s true love is the one with the ocean growing up on a small island in Maine and frolicked with her older sea-sters into adulthood. She loves to write while sipping on spontaneous fermentations at microbreweries while writing whimsically about the whimsical.
“Hey Dad can I wear your college crew neck?”
Cai figured out long ago how much cooler her parent's clothes were. Well-lived in, built to last and far more interesting than what you see at the stores around. She believes we are all so wonderfully different and styles should reflect that. Thrifting and creating clothing is a perfect way to differentiate!
She learned how to elevate her strict school dress code into something 'true to self' by incorporating secondhand pieces that better matched her vibrant personality. The hobby of curating her “Cai-llection” became therapy and she fell in love with coaching others to find their personal style.
"Vintage & Upcycle feels like the perfect way to find ourselves in a world that tries to push us to be the same."
Meet Nate ~
Founder, Head of Upcycle
Nathan grew up around various parts of New England but always summer’ed at a family cottage in Ogunquit, Maine. He enjoys surfing, skating, snowboarding and bowling which points to his nonchalant yet striking style. He has been collecting iconic t’shirts from a young age with the intention to hold onto them to show his future littles. His cool graphic tees are often paired with tattered and patched up utility pants that enable his daily doings. His nickname is “Nater the Creator,” being the big tinkering projects guy he is. From building out antique vehicles into conversion campers, restoring old Volkswagens and working on classic Harley Davidsons with his father, Nater takes a great passion for the break-down and build-up from the old to the new. When he noticed a lot of solid material being left around the thrift scene, he taught himself how to sew, screen-print, heat press, and other reconstructing skills to see a new day for the garment industry.
