SARAH APHRODITE is more a point of view than a product.
An Avant Garde streetwear label, made from what already exists. Handmade in the USA since 2008 — cut and finished by hand, one piece at a time. Imperfect. Unapologetic. Joyful. Sexy. Real. No bullshit.
It offers one of a kind clothing and accessories that can make you feel strong in your own right. Sometimes understated. Sometimes not.
Worn by: Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria S3, May 2026 — heart cut-out jeans), Robyn (New Year's 2026 + Sexistential tour 2026), Kylie Jenner, Chloë Sevigny, Sam Smith, Julia Fox, M.I.A., Rina Sawayama, The Girl JT, Lila Moss, Gabriette, Selena Forrest, Ruby (Black Pink), Charli XCX, Paloma Elsesser, Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid, and Kelela.
Featured in: The Met (exhibition object, 2022), Vogue USA, Vogue Italia, Vogue France, Harper's Bazaar US, L'Officiel USA, Self Service, The Gentlewoman, The Face, The New Yorker, Dazed, i-D Magazine, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, NSS Magazine, INDIE Magazine, 1 Granary, More or Less, Nylon Japan, Homme Girls, Myth Magazine, Re-Edition, Coveteur, and more.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Sarah Aphrodite Stolwijk was born in 1979 in The Hague, the Netherlands. After finishing high school, she spent several years traveling before settling into fashion design — studying at ArtEZ, the Academy of Art and Design in Arnhem, and graduating in 2005.
In 2006, she moved to New York City and worked for several years with fashion designer and artist Susan Cianciolo. In 2008, she started building her own label from the ground up — Sarah Aphrodite — while teaching fashion design at Parsons School of Design. She's been growing it ever since.
In 2015, she moved her studio to Northampton, in western Massachusetts, where she still works today — building, shaping, and pushing Sarah Aphrodite forward.
HOW ITS MADE
The production at Sarah Aphrodite is circular, by nature. Since the beginning of SA, leftovers from every stream of production — deadstock, in-house fabric, upcycled garments — go straight into the scrap collection, where nothing gets wasted. A small amount of fabric used across the board — maybe 5% — is new, or its origin isn't fully known.
Sarah Aphrodite is made three ways.
Recycled Collection — pieces built from garments that already existed, given a new life. The heart tee and heart jeans collections are made entirely from upcycled garments — not fabric bought by the yard.
In-House Production — limited runs of a few designs at a time, made mostly from deadstock fabric bought from jobbers. Made in small runs of multiples — the one category built for continuity rather than a first of its kind.
One-of-One Originals — hand-sewn, one of a kind, made mostly from the hand-picked, in-house fabric collection — new and antique material gathered from markets all over the world — and the scrap collection, made up of all the leftover material.
Reusing and reworking material like this isn't a marketing decision. It's a way of living and working mindfully connected to the surroundings, and it shapes almost every choice in the process — what gets kept, what gets mended, what gets left exactly as it was found.
Small holes get mended as best they can — sometimes visibly, when there's no other way. Stains and markings sometimes stay, if they add character rather than take away from it — often making a piece even more unique than it would've been otherwise. Every piece is judged on its own, case by case.
Sarah Aphrodite is the true antidote to mass-produced fashion.
IMPERFECTIONS INCLUDED
Sarah Aphrodite is committed to reusing materials as much as possible. That means working with fabrics that may be aged, worn, or already marked by life before we start working with them. Working this way means having to accept the outcomes that come with this type of production.
Stains, fraying, thinning fabric, or small holes aren't treated as faults. They're part of the reality of when you build from what already exists. We repair what we can and try to keep the honesty of the material intact, as long as the final piece still feels powerful, expressive, and beautiful.
This type of production is part of what gives Sarah Aphrodite pieces character. We acknowledge and include the imperfections, rather than rejecting them.
We know this approach won't appeal to everyone — and that's okay. We design for those who are drawn to rawness, realness, and imperfection. This is clothing with character. It's not about polish, it's about presence.
Below are examples of the kinds of imperfections we sometimes work with. We decide on a piece-by-piece basis what's acceptable and what isn't. Each piece is one of a kind.
INSPIRED BY
Sarah Aphrodite is inspired by People. Culture. The human condition. Street style. The state of the world. The animal kingdom. Handwork. Color.
