FEATURED COLLABORATION

SAIREN x COMMON GOOD

In response to the rise in anti-Asian hate over the past year, Common Good Lifestyle teamed up with Kaitlin & Kaitlin, co-founders of Sairen, to create an exclusive limited capsule of graphic t-shirts and tote bags that celebrates AAPI Love and the beauty, diversity and resilience of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

MEET THE DESIGNERS

Kaitlin Uemura & Kaitlin Madriaga are both designers and owners of the small boutique, Sairen, located in Seattle's International District. Sairen is a modern and creative shop filled with an eclectic mix of Japanese, Hawaii, and Seattle-made goods focused on highlighting talented Asian American artists and highlighting Seattle's Nihonmachi community.

SAIREN’S BACKSTORY

Two things have happened that led to the opening of Sairen: buying a sewing machine and meeting Tom & Lei Ann, owners of Momo. In 2016, when we were roommates, Kaitlin Madriaga brought home a sewing machine and we started getting creative and wearing our designs to work. In 2017, we created our brand Morning Siren, a small batch clothing brand. From there, we started selling our clothes in a few local shops and pop ups, including Momo, where Kaitlin Uemura eventually started working part time. From Kaitlin’s connection with the owners, they suggested we take over the space as they were planning to retire. We thought hard about this decision and were so excited to create a shop of our own. We officially opened our doors December 2020.

ABOUT THE COLLABORATION

The vision behind this collaboration was to uplift our Asian American Pacific Islander community. This has been a rollercoaster of a year filled with ups and downs. As violence against the Asian community has increased over the past year, we could feel the uncertainty and caution grow throughout the nation and our local community. We have also seen many examples of people coming together and taking action: an organized kids against anti-Asian violence protest in Hing Hay Park, safety check-ins from our neighboring businesses, and more.

The collaboration celebrates the diversity within this AAPI community bringing light of the unique features that make us who we are.

100% OF PROCEEDS DONATED TO INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES

We wanted the proceeds of this collaboration go towards an organization that was serving and addressing the needs of the AAPI community, especially in this time. And while many great organizations are doing this work, in the end we chose International Community Health Services (ICHS) because we want to support the health and safety of our neighbors. ICHS provides healthcare and services to the International District and the Asian community. They provide culturally and linguistically appropriate health and wellness services and promotes health equity for all.

This year’s ICHS spring fundraiser theme is ‘Together We Rise’ which was inspired by the murals painted in the ICHS International District Medical & Dental Clinic courtyard. The background in the word ‘Rise’ was one of a four part mural series titled ‘No Mud, No Lotus. No Justice, No Peace’ by local artists Jude Jing Dai, Miles Yung, Sahm Miller and Shea Dailey. It acknowledges that when there is no justice for the ongoing injustices against BIPOC communities there is no true peace. The first step toward healing is to acknowledge we are all interconnected and need one another to walk a path towards peace.