Summertime is one of my favorite times in the station. It’s a time of sunshine, doors wide open, and music escaping into the streets. It’s also my favorite time to create with Shibori. This summer Make & Mary invited the chic dispensary SERRA to share their story, process, and thoughts on curating a cannabis experience. Afterwards attendees learned the Japanese Art of Shibori—a process of using plant based indigo dye and folding to create beautiful printed material.
SERRA means greenhouse in Italian. The color blue was chosen as an alternative to the standard green, which automatically sets them apart from the norm. However, it’s the branding experience that I am drawn to. From the time you walk into one of their dispensary’s until you leave with your beautifully packaged goods, you are absorbed within it.
A magical transformation happens when you play with Indigo Dye.
Director of marketing Cambria Benson explains how SERRA creates a comfortable experience when clients come into shop for cannabis:
They are all about the “feelings” at SERRA, and walking into their shops is like being in a gallery. The minimalist touch mixed with fine details is prevalent everywhere, from the greenhouse style display cases, to origami-wrapped chopsticks for measuring buds, or the artisanal edibles—like their line of chocolates created with local maker Woodblock Chocolate. The SERRA tagline, “Purveyors of Quality Drugs” may be blunt, but just maybe it’s good example of owning it when it comes to the stigma of weed.
Indigo. Like the effects and transformation of experiencing cannabis, Shibori goes through a magical transformation as well. The dye starts out green and when you begin to unwrap your pieces, and air is exposed to your garment, the patterns you've created turns from green to blue. There’s always a little wonder and excitement to see this in the moment. Add a little herb and it makes for a wonderful pairing.
Photo by Valarie Yermal & Make & Mary
