Daily Inspiration: Meet Allison Hylant

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Hylant.  

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Dale & blue makes luxury goods for home and life aiming to connect the heritage of our family with yours. 

The company started after I had been working and living in Boston for several years. I was working for Marimekko (a Finnish Design House) and was the in-house seamstress for special projects. I loved my day-to-day at that job but wanted to start something of my own. I moved to back to the Midwest and set up shop in Detroit to make a go of being a small creative business owner. I spent a long time on the business plan and ethos for the company. I wanted to ensure every choice had intention. The whole cycle of the product was considered and what was going to be made and sold was purposeful. 

With that dale & blue was founded with a simple philosophy: People over things. 

We love things; it’s why we make them. But that should never come at the expense of the people who make them or the environment. With every decision, we consider the deeper impact and make the best choice with those values in mind. Concentrating on craftsmanship and design we create heirloom products to last generations. 

All pieces are designed, dyed, cut, and sewn in our studio in Harbor Springs. 

Why dale and blue? 

The company is named after my grandfather. Dale Jennings was my mom’s dad and Robert (Blue) Hylant was my dad’s dad. His nickname was Blue because he was such a huge Michigan fan and University of Michigan is my alma mater too! (GO BLUE) The name and company ethos pay tribute to all hard-working women and men who have ever tried to build something for themselves instead of following the status quo. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Growth was slow in the beginning. I have my BFA which meant the learning curve was steep. The ins and outs of running a business was all new, and I was doing it on my own. I made many mistakes in the beginning but thankfully wasted mostly just time. After a couple of years of running the business, I really felt confident in the work I was producing and the business, but that was right at the start of 2020. The pandemic fundamentally changed my business. I had to pivot to all new revenue streams and find new studio space essentially overnight. Today, the business looks very different than it did two years ago. I do less art shows, fairs, and trunk shows. I carry less inventory and my product line has changed. I learned how to operate lean. And actually, think the company had better clarity and it is set up for a better future because of it. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Dale & blue specializes in hand-dyed indigo linen products for the home. Each piece of linen is dyed by myself. Then cut and sewn my myself all in my current studio in Harbor Springs. Recently, the product line has expanded to digitally printed cotton and linens all printed in the USA. I create all repeat patterns from my own original artwork. 

The thing most customers notice is our high-quality materials and attention to detail. Dale & blue products are meant to me future heirlooms. Customers also love the story behind the name. I lost both grandfathers many years ago, but I like to think they would be proud of the not just me but the integrity in products and business operations the business has come to stand for. 

Here is what it says on our website about our materials and this ethos is probably what I am most proud of. 

At Dale and Blue, we want you, the customer, to know where our raw materials come from. We work hard to carefully select our suppliers. When starting the company, we gave ourselves quite a few (high) standards to adhere to. Whenever possible, we choose manufacturers located in the United States. Not only to promote U.S. jobs but to help cut down on our carbon footprint. We select suppliers that have similar beliefs as us in terms of eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable practices. We understand that no process is perfect. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try our best to reduce waste, recycle when possible, and minimize our impact on the environment. And finally, we will never compromise on the quality of the materials. Sourcing only the best in order to produce the products we are proud to make and you are proud to own. 

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
To be flexible. To set up operations quickly and how to operate leanly. I really got to see where to cut back in the business and still make it work. I got time to reflect on how the business had been built in the last several years and how I wanted to change it to better align with where I was going. As uncertain a time as Covid-19 was for all of us it really had given me a lot of clarity around the future of dale & blue. 

Pricing:

• Pillows Rang $60 – $250
• Napkins start at $92 for a set of 4
• Bandanas $24
• Zipper pouches start at $58
• Open to Custom work and Special Project

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.daleandblue.com/
• Instagram: @daleandblue
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daleandblue/