“There is something very special about the “face to face” selling experience. Seeing a woman feeling comfortable and beautiful in something I’ve created is a wonderful feeling.”
Renee Sedoo is a textile artist and educator, working primarily with clothing castoffs. She purchases quality materials from thrift stores, dismantles and reconstructs them, then merges fabrics together in unique and unconventional ways. She creates dresses, skirts, jackets, wraps, bags, and accessories…every one is one-of-a-kind. Locally, you’ve seen Sedoo’s Redos at Mountain Sage, and she is easily spotted at local festivals and art shows with her signature mobile dressing room. She’ll make you a custom piece, and she offers hands-on sewing experiences in her Groveland home studio April-December.
Renee moved to Groveland in 1995. She taught second and third grade at Tenaya Elementary until 2003. When her own children were young, she started selling her aprons, bags, and hats at the Waldorf School while she worked part time in a kindergarten classroom.
In 2012, Renee hit the road and started vending all over northern CA. Recently, she’s scaled back how far she’ll travel, deciding to focus on a few select annual events, like the Strawberry Music Festival and (we hope) the 49er Festival! Always an attraction, the Sedoo’s Redos mobile dressing room is a 1959 Miley horse trailer. Horse trailers make great dressing rooms because the carriage is low, making it easy to step up into. It’s also a great way to cart inventory to local shows, not to mention it being the perfect backdrop for selfies.
For a number of years, Renee contributed to a magazine called Altered Couture. The quarterly publication was packed full of “how to upcycle” articles. Sadly, the magazine went out of publication in 2018, but Renee retains her portfolio of published articles.
Renee admits that she’s tried online sales, but found the experience unsatisfying. “There is something very special about the “face to face” selling experience. Seeing a woman put on a dress I’ve made and look at herself in the mirror, and watching the smile emerge on her face as she twirls and takes in all angles, its fantastic,” she said. “Knowing she feels comfortable and beautiful in something I’ve created is a wonderful feeling.”
Sedoo’s Redos' secret ingredient is upcycled materials. Her pieces are “new”, but built with quality upcycled fabrics and a keen eye for design. Each piece is unique–a conversation piece. Her creations are “feel good” clothing–comfortable, made locally, and reusing quality materials to keep them around a little longer. Contributing to sustainability is always a feel-good choice.