ATOMIC TANGERINE Cute-as-a-button

MAKERS

In Stitches

Atomic Tangerine’s Alison Green crochets statement pieces embracing slow fashion values.

Alison Green

Alison Green was browsing through Home Depot’s paint section when she came across just the right shade at just the right time: Atomic Tangerine. It was 2020 and Green, a recent college grad who had been laid off due to the pandemic, was searching for a creative name for the crochet business she was about to start on a whim. She’d learned the craft from her grandmother — and was ready to take her lifelong hobby to the next step.

“I started teaching myself how to write my own clothing patterns,” says Green, who works out of her home in Youngstown. “I fell in love with it.”

Atomic Tangerine became not only Green’s full-time job but also a prominent player in Northeast Ohio’s slow fashion scene.

“Instead of making pieces from scratch, I have been using secondhand vintage blankets and turning them into new clothing items,” says Green of the upcycled totes, coasters and scarves she sells. “This helps me to not support stores that make yarn from using a lot of water and that don’t treat their workers in the best way.”

But in addition to being eco-friendly, Green’s offerings are stylish.

Festivalgoers and fashionistas turn to Atomic Tangerine for unique bralettes ($55) and one-of-a-kind sweaters. A few other honorable mentions include the Nacho Libre Mask ($125), the Granny Cardi ($350) and the Flower Bag ($95).

“One of my goals is to make one-off pieces that people feel comfortable in when around a group or just in general,” says Green, noting that her love of her craft is only growing stronger with time. “You will never see me without yarn or a hook in my hand.”

GET YOURS

Custom clothing and ready-towear pieces can be ordered at atomictangerineclothing.com. Follow Atomic Tangerine on Instagram (@atomictangerine_) for updates on the markets it’ll be at this summer.