Local Find Salt & Rain

Clothes Kids Want To Wear

Salt & Rain

WRITTEN BY COCOA LANEY | PHOTOS BY COURTNEY DODD

AS THE OWNER of Salt & Rain, Megan Wright sews colorful children’s apparel that kids feel good in — and every piece is handmade here in the North Sound.

“I like anything vibrant, cheerful, I love things with a retro flair,” Wright says. “Everything has to be wearable. Everything has to be comfortable, machine washable.”

Wright started her business seven years ago making bandanas and headbands under the name Lucky Mama Designs, and the brand has undergone many evolutions in the years since. Some of these changes are personal to Wright, who says that Salt & Rain has always been “exactly what I needed at the time—and it’s still exactly what I need right now.”

“Over the years, [Salt & Rain] has been a creative outlet hobby, and has been our full income,” she continues. “It slowed down when I needed it to, and it ramped up when I needed it to.”

No matter where she focuses her attention, the core of Wright’s work has remained the same: She makes clothes that kids want to wear. From rainbow overalls to tie-dyed pullovers and patterned dresses perfect for twirling, her designs are as fun to adorn as they are to look at.

Wright has sold to shoppers across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, but she didn’t actively seek out customers in Bellingham until this year. She’s taken a step back from online orders, instead preferring to focus her attention on markets such as Valley Made Market and the Bellingham Farmers Market (where she can be found most Saturdays).

Whether she’s selling locally or internationally, Wright tackles every aspect of the business herself, from designing to sewing, shipping orders, and maintaining a social media presence. She currently does not have employees—but she does receive plenty of moral support from her own two children.

“My kids are really great about reading books to me while I cut fabric at the kitchen table,” Wright says. “It’s really sweet, and they’re both really creative kids too. So they’ll pull up an art project … and we just kind of hang out.”

Beyond her own family, Wright’s inspiration comes from sources such as women’s fashion trends and even outfits she herself would have liked to wear as a kid. She’s also conscious of the lack of gender-neutral options for children’s clothing, and as a result, all her sizes are unisex.

“I get asked all the time, ‘Is this for a boy or girl?’ with my designs, and I don’t see anything wrong with putting a unicorn on a boy,” Wright says. “I think rainbows are not gendered, unicorns aren’t gendered. Why gender florals? You know, it’s nature!”

Parents can also feel good about shopping Salt & Rain; unlike other kids’ clothing items, Wright’s creations can be worn for a long time before they are outgrown. In addition, the designs are made from high-quality fabrics and dyes that are both “earth-friendly and kid-friendly.”

“If I wouldn’t put it on my kids, I’m not going to try to sell it to someone else,” Wright says.

If you’re in the market for kids’ clothing that’s anything but beige, visit @salt.and.rain to see where Wright will be selling next. Bellingham, shopsaltandrain.com 