Eunji Kim, Guest Writer        

You would think she has posters of prominent fashion designers for inspiration. You would think she has stacks of Vogue magazines piled up on the floor. You would think she has meticulous notes of the year’s fads and trends. But this one is like no other fashion artist. She’s unique. She’s left of left-of-center. And she’s a self-proclaimed “renegade seamstress” who can whipstitch outside the box.

Helen Carter started her own clothing line, “Secret Lentil,” in 2005. Like her clothing, the way in which she came up with her moniker was rather unique: she jumbled up a bunch of words and in the end, “secret lentil” poured out. The business has been booming ever since. Her eccentric pieces get sold out daily, and her mailbox is filled with customers’ accolades.

“My clothes are a little bit odd,” Carter admits, “I know they’re not for everyone.” Carter said that when people look at Secret Lentil clothing, many think, “Wow, I wish I could get away with wearing something like that.”

The day I’m in the shop she makes a shirt by sewing two sweaters together. A dress has what she calls “super wavy squiggly stitching,” and she’s turned a soft wool fabric into an “unusual asymmetric top, with wonderfully oddly-angled seams.” 

She clearly enjoys the diversity of the garments she makes, and the variety comes from the types of fabric she uses to produce her designs: recycled materials. “I like the limitations of working with things that exist already,” Carter says. “I like the challenge of it. I’m not sitting here, ripping out the same piece.” Too, you never know what design she’ll come up with. “Just like a potter makes a bowl, when you get your hands on that clay, it’s different every time.”

Carter calls herself an “innovator” who “sculpts” clothes for a living. She dabbled in other creative works, like writing and playing punk rock, until she hit 40. “When I started building this business, it just fit me perfectly,” she shares. “Everything sort of slid into place.” For six years, she has pursued sculpting clothes for Secret Lentil and feels this is her “right path – a great path.”

And I bet her customers couldn’t agree more.

If you want to check out Helen’s creative wares, she’s just a bus ride away!  Hop on the FREE Connective Corridor and get off at the Warehouse. Walk two blocks down to 501 W. Fayette Street, where you’ll find her – and many other nifty artists – at the Arts Shops at Delavan Center in Studio 221. Or, visit (secret lentil) from the warmth of your home!