In Shondaland’s Joy Makers series, we spotlight creative curators who operate behind the scenes to inspire moments of elation. Their handiwork illuminates pathways to delightfulness, and their one-of-a-kind insights help us find happiness in our own lives. In this month’s installment, we explore the joy of color.
When you visit Superbloom’s site for the first time, you’ll be met with a mesmerizing showcase of gender-neutral designs, from puffy, paint-splattered backpacks to vibrant wide-brimmed hats. It appears to be like any other online store until you go to click, well, anything. The site is password protected — and that is by design.
“We ask how you’re feeling, which I don’t think people do that enough,” says Alexis Ramirez, who, along with partner Chris Ramirez, founded the Palm Springs, California-based design studio in 2019.
To become a member of their community and buy any of their pigment-infused fashions or decor, you will be asked to answer a simple prompt: Choose a color or a meaning you feel most connected to and explain why. “There’s no wrong response or answer,” Chris says. The prompt is not meant to create elusive secrecy or a braggadocious VIP feeling. It’s there to force product seekers to slow down.
“We are more connected than ever — and at the same time, disconnected,” the site reads when you make it through what the couple call “the gate.” With instant gratification and consumption readily available at the tap of a screen, Alexis and Chris want to create a more intentional shopping experience inspired by their mission to bring meaning to color.
“Color is timeless,” Alexis says. “Color has no age. Someone that is just born can enjoy color, but also someone that’s 100 years old can see color, hopefully, and enjoy it. Chris and I feel like it’s our duty to bring more color and meaning into the world.”
Each of the 10 letters in the word Superbloom — a name inspired by how a mentor once compared Alexis and Chris’ relationship to the wild floral phenomenon — represents a vibrant color and a corresponding trait. For instance, they dubbed a striking shade of aqua turquoise Bold, while an icy fog white is called Mysterious.
Superbloom’s blossoming fashion and lifestyle brand, which includes an online store as well as separate studio and showroom spaces in Palm Springs, vends personalized products created with only the colors and patterns within Superbloom’s spectrum. The hues, culled from photos of their past travels, took about a year to develop.
“When we first started, people were like, ‘You guys are shooting yourselves in the foot. The worldwide web can’t even come and shop on your site,’” Chris says. For the couple, the strategy works. They currently boast having more than 1,200 community members and recently expanded their industrial warehouse studio in North Palm Springs to add a recording studio and event space.
The concept behind Superbloom began in 2018 while Alexis and Chris were living and working in New York City. She desperately desired to leave the soul-sucking world of fast fashion, and he was ready to give up the grueling grind of corporate tech and entertainment. “We wanted to help other people slow down,” Alexis says, “[and] we were able to do it through these colors.”
The majority of Superbloom’s pigments, created using Dunn-Edwards Paints, are bright and unmissable. “Some people are intimidated by that,” Alexis says. “If you’re open to it, they just make you feel good. You can stand in front of a Reflecting yellow wall and automatically feel energized.” Thanks to color psychology, it has been scientifically established that color influences mood. However, Alexis and Chris also believed in an inverse notion that mood can also influence color choice.
Color is on people’s minds. A Twitter thread went viral in July pointing out that the world is actually filled with less color. A 2020 analysis conducted by the Science Museum Group Collection on the topic found that everyday objects are duller. “Color — from automobiles to interior design — has become more gray and darker tones,” Chris says. “Interiors used to be so colorful, and cars used to be these really poppy colors, so it’s fun to be able to bring more color to the world.”
Every product Superbloom launches is either custom-made or created in low quantities. The animal-free product materials and paint needed for accessories like their hats, fanny packs, socks, robes, and vases are carefully calculated before creation so they eliminate unnecessary waste, reducing their carbon footprint. “Yes, it takes more time for us to do,” Alexis says, “but there’s also something so special about us doing as much of the work as possible — even the packaging.”
Superbloom’s first and most popular product continues to be their signature Sombra del Sol hats. The cyclical process of painting the hallmark pieces brings Alexis deep contentment. “A hat is about 20 coats of paint,” she says, “from start to finish.” Her ritual is simple: She always paints barefoot on the floor of the studio while upbeat music blasts on Wi-Fi speakers.
Fittingly, the hat-making process — indicative of Superbloom’s core value — takes time. “You have to be super, super patient,” Alexis says, “especially the first couple of layers when the paint is really soaking into the fabric. Sometimes, you just want to finish these hats. It’s not that. They’re finished when they’re ready. But there’s something that’s really beautiful about that.”
Because the hats are made to order, Alexis always keeps the customer — and their choice of exterior color and interior pattern — in mind. In 2019, a hat order came through for someone’s family member who was fighting cancer, a compelling reminder they’re creating something beyond fashion. “It’s not just an object,” Alexis says. “It’s a token of energy, power, and love.”
In the three years since launching Superbloom, Alexis and Chris have discovered that color is a vital portal to community, both online and in the real world. In their studio space, they’ve hosted open houses, screenings, performances, parties, and yoga sessions, where the studio lights change to correspond with various chakras. “Oddly enough, our 10 colors also align with the chakras in your body,” Alexis notes.
Beyond the cheerfulness of the palette they’ve created, Alexis and Chris are laser-focused on embracing the joys that can be found in meaning, identity, and expression. Connection, they say, is at the heart of Superbloom. “It’s not just to be another brand,” Alexis says. “[We want] to really impact people’s lives in a positive way.” After all, as the couple often say, there’s a reason why we don’t see the world in black and white.
Alexis and Chris Ramirez’s Three Tips for Adding Color to Your Life
Embrace bold hues.
“The world has a lot of color,” Alexis says. “People don’t really take a moment to slow down and realize it. Don’t be scared of it.”
Don’t be afraid of paint.
“Paint is an easy way to give second life,” Alexis advises. “It’s actually pretty easy. It’s a therapy as well. You can add paint again to anything.”
Listen to different perspectives.
“You can add a lot of color when you’re able to listen,” Chris notes, “because we are all going through different things every single day.”
Mia Brabham is a staff writer at Shondaland. Follow her on Twitter at @hotmessmia.
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