BETINA LA PLANTE
Sutton Stracke is going green with her latest project. The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star — known to captivate audiences with her glamorous designer looks, sparkling jewelry and quick comebacks on TV — has launched Sutton Circular Fashion House, a sustainable line based out of her boutique, The Sutton Concept.
Sutton Stracke
Dimitri Halkidis
The star’s new project amplifies the practice of circular fashion, by also partnering with The Return, a nationwide hub of centers where people can turn in used items for credit or return unused merchandise. Sutton’s green line is made out of pieces that have been returned.
“My friend that has this returns company was telling me about all of the waste that fashion has and while I knew that fashion was a big component of our problem with the Earth, I didn’t know much. So I started learning,” Stracke told WWD about the idea for the fashion house. “I thought ‘I can’t just sit around and not be a part of the solution.’”
A closer look at the Sutton Concept in Los Angeles.
Dimitri Halkidis
Sutton’s Boutique, which sits on a street in West Hollywood, California, is an ever-evolving space encompassing accessories, clothing items and fine art, hand-picked by Stracke herself. The store has been open since 2019 and this September will mark the space’s four-year anniversary.
“I wanted it to be an organic experience for me,” Stracke said about her selection process for choosing pieces in the boutique, later adding she essentially picks what items speak to her. “I played it pretty safe in the beginning. I had maybe four designers that I knew who were friends of mine and it has grown since then.”
T-shirts from The Sutton Concept in Los Angeles.
Dimitri Halkidis
Along with the Sutton Circular Fashion House, Sutton’s brand as a whole has expanded into other business ventures, including partnering with designer Cynthia Bailey for its first designer collaboration.
“That’s going to be really cool, because Cynthia has a whole different audience than I do, so she’s going to be able to reach out and educate people about sustainability,” Stracke said about the news, hinting that Bailey’s offerings will delve into the bedding and home space. “We have a really big platform that we can use to educate.”
Stracke, who is from Georgia, has lived in both New York City and Los Angeles.
“Although I’ll never lose that Southern vibe, when I moved to New York, I became a little bit more sophisticated. Then, when I moved to L.A., I saw there were a lot of T-shirts, jeans and denim. So I became more casual, not only in my dress, but in my understanding of who I was,” Stracke said.
Stracke moved to New York City to pursue a career in ballet in her early 20s, and previously held the role of associate director at New York’s Cunningham Dance Foundation. In 2021, she rose to fame after joining Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” which has a new season set to premiere in the fall.
“I think about my last season and this new season and how much I’ve changed. The show has really given me bravado and a lot of opportunities, so I have really enjoyed it,” Stracke said. “This season, we get to see me a bit stronger and we see a lot more of my personal life and personal stories.”