FAQs

What does SERPEN mean? 
SERPEN comes from the SERPENT of the earth, and SERPENS a constellation in the sky. A union of earth and cosmos together, creating something unique to this world. 

What are your store hours? 
We aim to be open Wednesday - Saturday, 11 – 5pm. Open by appointment Monday & Tuesday, email us at hello@serpen.co. It's just 2 artist humans running it all. The intention of our store is to have a gallery space for all of our creations. We need time to create, live and be still. After all we're in the big easy. 

What's the cool animal in the window?
That's Flash! He's our special adored Jackal friend. 

I love the dusters, how do I wear them? 
Our garments are designed to be multifunctional, so that they can serve whatever purpose you’d like of them. Some people wear SERPEN around-the-house as a soft, lusty bedroom garment. Or as the best friend to your morning coffee. Other’s wear the sets to special events like weddings or a night out with friends. Others wear a duster with jeans to brunch or the office. It’s really up to you! THere are so many different expressions based on what you’re feeling. 

We design our pieces for you—to look unique, elegant, and stylish, no matter the setting. They can work together as complete outfits, or in isolation as accent pieces to the other beautiful pieces in your current wardrobe. 

What is a duster?
A style originally worn in the 1920s when traveling in an open car. Our dusters are a type of overgarment worn either directly on the skin or over clothing. Because our pieces are multi-functional we didn't want to do them any disservice by naming them robes. Our dusters are designed to capture the feeling of timeless, luxury, uniqueness, and effortless style.

They can be worn in any setting, to complete any look, from casual to formal, and ensure you look stunning in each. Dusters add an air of class to any outfit, and can be worn as part of an look, or alone. 

 

What’s the best way to care for my cupro garment?
• Dry clean
• Lightly steam to remove wrinkles
• Hang on a fabric hanger (gentler on the material), or store loosely folded 
• Keep in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight

What is Cupro?
Cupro is a sustainable and eco-friendly fabric made from cotton waste—the tiny fibers that stick out of cotton seed and are too small to spin (also known as cotton linter). These ultra-fine, silky fibers are collected instead of thrown away, dissolved into a solution, spun into fiber, and then woven into fabric. 

Why Cupro?
Cupro is biodegradable and recyclable because it is 100% plant based. It’s silky smooth and drapes beautifully, similar to silk. In addition to these, it has some other pretty great properties:

• Hypoallergenic
• Breathable
• Anti-static 

Where do you source your fabrics?
Our fabrics are sourced through multiple acclaimed vendors out of NYC. Our silk comes from Korea, and the cupro comes from Japan. Our goal is to source everything locally, unfortunately this is not a sustainable option yet.

What and who is involved in creating the garments?
Our designer creates the initial designs—from there she creates a paper pattern and physical sample of each piece. A magical husband and wife team based out of the garment district in NYC then creates a new pattern and begins the tedious preparing and sewing of the pieces. Both cupro and silk are very tricky fabrics to work with. A lot of time and great care is taken in the sewing of each piece. 

What does one size mean? 
Our dusters are created to fit many different body types. As we realize it’s not possible for any one garment to fit everyone, our intention is to accommodate most. The cut of the garments are specifically designed to accentuate the beauty of many different body sizes. 

 

 

 

Why do the pieces cost what they cost?
High-quality garments made with sustainability and ethics in mind are the antithesis of fast fashion. As such, they come with a price that reflects the effort put into their production. Securing beautiful fabrics and materials that are also gentler on the Earth and environment, as well as ensuring the garment makers who hand sew each and every piece are well paid, creates a higher value, and therefore, a higher sticker price. As a result, our pieces  are priced according to the high-quality materials, labor and the current market.

We do offer discounts periodically, so jump on our mailing list to be the first to know when a sale is approaching!

Who do you work with to create the beaded pieces?
An amazingly talented family in India sews our beaded designs by hand. Working together with our designer until the final pieces come to life. 

What is an adornment?
Our Golden Laurel is just that—a thing which adorns or decorates; an ornament. We choose to call this golden piece and adornment because it decorates the body in such a beautiful golden way. Nothing else would make sense to call this special piece.  

What is your return/exchange policy? 
It is our intention to exceed your expectations. We want you to love your SERPEN piece and use it for years to come. With this in mind, we’re here to address any questions or concerns (eg, sizing) you have in regards to the piece you’d like to purchase. Just send us a note with your questions orders@serpen.co.

We accept returns for store credit or exchanges on unworn, unwashed, and undamaged pieces within 15 business days from the date of delivery. If we receive the item and it does not meet these conditions, we reserve the right to refuse store credit or exchange. Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds at this time. In most cases, if 15 days have gone by since your purchase was delivered, we cannot offer a store credit or exchange.

How do I complete my return/exchange?
To complete your return, please contact us at orders@serpen.co with your order number, date of purchase, and reason for return. Please indicate in the body of the email whether you’d like to receive a store credit, or to exchange your piece for another SERPEN item. If the new item exceeds the price of your original purchase, please provide your payment information and authorize us to deduct your credit card for the additional amount. If the new item is less than your original order, then you will receive a credit for the remaining amount. 

You will be responsible for the return shipping. We recommend using a trackable shipping service to ensure that we receive your return. When it arrives, we’ll begin to process your store credit/exchange.

 

DOORWAYS

Creating a partnership in all things creative. We are a collective of profound artists, designers, poets, makers, thinkers. If you're looking to dream something creative and meaningful into the world, we'd love to hear more.