By Shayna Mace | Photography by Shanna Wolf
Tucked in a quaint Monroe Street storefront is Sunne Boutique, a women’s boutique that specializes in sustainable fashion. Owner Carrie Astin painstakingly researches the brands she carries, and sustainable may mean that a brand uses plant-based dyes, deadstock (leftover or discontinued fabric) or organic fabrics. She also carries a small selection of vintage clothing, which is sustainable as well. Yet each piece is fashionably curated, such as wrap dresses in splashy prints, a sweater dotted with pearls and a sumptuous pink velvet suit.
Astin knows that online shopping is engrained in our habits, but even when she shops online, she misses the in-person, boutique experience. She says Madison has great local shops — “but there was space for more,” she says. And, a brick-and-mortar boutique was always her dream.
“There’s an experience to [shopping in-store], and especially during the pandemic — I feel like we are all looking for that human connection again,” says Astin.
2534 Monroe St., sunneboutique.com
SHOP THE LOOK
Clockwise, from top left:
- This Save the Duck jacket uses recycled synthetic down for insulation instead of down feathers. $298
- Wide-leg denim is here to stay. Try these Oliver Logan Aberdeen Wide-Leg Crops. $84
- Genusee eyewear is made in Flint, Mich., from recycled plastic water bottles, as a result of the Flint water crisis. $149
- Astin had Lucky + Lovely, a Black- owned, female brand, print custom totes for her shop. $16
- Corey Lyn Calter’s amazing eye print dress is a statement-maker. $262
- We’re obsessed with Nach Bijoux’s charming animal earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces. $90