CMinterview Jorge Perezchica
photography JevPic
Desert Hot Springs native Noah Newton, known as The Tiedye Queen, has transformed her teenage fascination with tie-dye art into a thriving career spanning 15 years. Newton shares her journey from a high school tie-dye enthusiast to a full-time artist. She reminisces about her early passion for art and love for vibrant colors, which eventually led her to pursue tie-dyeing as a career path. Newton’s mission to outfit the entire desert community in her tie-dye creations remains steadfast, reflecting her enduring commitment to her craft and the local business scene.
Marked by continuous evolution, Noah has expanded her repertoire beyond traditional tie-dye techniques. While still incorporating her signature tie-dye designs, she has embraced cutting and weaving, which now constitute over 80% of her creations. This forward-thinking approach has propelled her from an artist to a business owner, surpassing the boundaries of solo tie-dyeing and establishing a strong presence in the Coachella Valley community. Newton’s story is an inspiration to local creatives and beyond, seeking a path to building a business, demonstrating how staying true to one’s artistic vision can lead to unexpected opportunities and enduring success.
“As long as you keep going and you keep true to your vision and what you want to create, the hard work pays off. And the universe will see what hours you put in and you’ll be rewarded.“
The Tiedye Queen
Setting Up Shop: The Tiedye Queen Store
Coachella Magazine: When was The Tiedye Queen store first opened in downtown Palm Springs?
Tiedye Queen: I have been open for two years now.
CM: Did this occur during the pandemic?
Tiedye Queen: No, it was right after the pandemic. So two years ago, 2022. But actually, my business really boomed during the pandemic. That’s when I was doing tie-dyes and I was doing other side jobs and stuff, just because I didn’t have the faith, I guess, in my own self to do it full-time. And I was just trying all the different things. But during the pandemic, that’s when I went full-time, self-employed, and just did full-time creating and selling and promoting. Since the pandemic, it’s been non-stop work.
CM: What inspired you to open the shop initially?
Tiedye Queen: A lot of people ask me if I had a store location available to come try on things, and I didn’t. But when this physical location opened up — it was like a sign from the universe that it was time to actually open up the store. I always wanted to be a part of downtown Palm Springs.
It’s a long story actually. All the signs pointed to say “Yes” to open up this store, because the very first time that I ever sold tie-dyes as a professional, as a vendor, was right across the street in this art park when I was about 19 years old.
And when this store location opened up, I was like, “Oh my god.” Like, I can actually have a store here—15 years later. It is an amazing experience. I didn’t think I wanted to open up a store until this location actually became available, and I was like, “Oh, it’s pretty meant to be.”
CM: Given the dramatic evolution of Palm Springs in recent years, what were the biggest challenges when opening a shop in the downtown area?
Tiedye Queen: The time and chasing the trends of what sells online versus what sells in the physical store. So those are two different demographics. The physical store, it’s more kids clothes and then online, it’s festival wear. And the really hard part is working in person here at the store and then going back home and then creating the product, setting aside the time to create and keep it going, ’cause it does require a lot of alone time, which is not something that I often get. I’m constantly working, but it’s a good thing.
Welcome to the Bright Side
CM: Could you provide us with more details about your clothing line and the range of accessories available in your store?
Tiedye Queen: I carry pretty much something for everyone, from babies up to adults, and sometimes I even carry dog clothes. I have t-shirts and festival accessories and everything that you could think of from head to toe to dress up in our store location. If you come to the physical store, there’s a lot more perks (compared to the online store).
CM: What unique experiences do you offer to your customers?
Tiedye Queen: I get to dress them up and I get to style them in person. If anybody wants anything that’s cut and weaved, we actually create the items customized to the person, if they’re in the store and whatever things they desire, we can make it happen.
The Tie-Dye Process: From Concept to Creation
CM: Walk us through the typical process of creating one of your tie-dyed pieces from conception to completion?
Tiedye Queen: Absolutely. The process is quite lengthy.
1. I start with browsing through just plain styles of clothes and I look through the styles that I like, that inspire me to want to dye those items. I’ll find the blanks first, and then I conceptualize the ideas of what I would like to dye on the garments. And from there, the ideas just come alive.
2. Then, you have to start your process of tie-dyeing, which you always pre-wash before anything. Once it’s pre-washed, you pre-soak in a chemical bath.
3. Next, you wring it out and you’re ready to fold your desired design into the garment.
4. Afterwards, you go ahead and dye it and let it sit a minimum of at least eight hours. Sometimes I do 24 hours. I’ll dye it at night, come back to it the next day, and then I wash it out. It takes about five washes for things to be done, dried and then hung.
5. And finally, it’s price-tagged, photographed and ready to go to the consumer. It takes about three days, I’d say from start to finish for just any given piece.
Creative Collaboration
CM: How did you and local artist Aaron Hansen meet?
Tiedye Queen: So let me tell you, the very first time I sold tie-dyes professionally, I met him. He was one of my first customers. And we became friends. And then obviously, later on in life, we became partners. And we’ve been together for about 11 years now, and we have our two sons. So, if I didn’t do tie-dying, my life would not be where it is today. Everybody who I have met that is influential and important, it’s through meeting from tie-dyes. If I didn’t do tie-dye, I don’t know what I would be doing. I’d be probably be working in a restaurant. <Laugh>.
CM: How do you and artist Aaron Hansen inspire and motivate each other creatively?
Tiedye Queen: Oh yes, absolutely. We share each other’s ideas and we ask each other advice and we do create together sometimes, not as often as we’d like, but we’re both full-time creators. But I’m very grateful, if I didn’t do tie-dyes, I wouldn’t have never met Aaron Hansen.
Redefining Tie-Dye for Modern Trends
CM: How do you maintain inspiration and drive to innovate in your designs, particularly in a fashion landscape that is constantly evolving?
Tiedye Queen: I do love the thrill of creating clothes and then getting to see people in my clothes is what keeps me going. And I think also, it’s a feeling that people get when they actually wear my creations. And everybody tells me that they get the most compliments when they wear their Tiedye Queen clothes. And that makes me feel amazing, that they feel good and they get noticed and they always feel their best when they get to actually wear my creation. So that does keep me inspired, because sometimes, I think about my job and what I’ve been doing and everybody is like, “Oh my god, it’s so amazing. You create all this?” And I’m just like — “It is a lot of laundry.”
Imparting Lessons
CM: What advice would you give to aspiring artists and entrepreneurs looking to establish themselves in the creative industry, particularly in the Coachella Valley area?
Tiedye Queen: My advice is to stay true to yourself. Stay consistent, keep on creating, even when things don’t seem like they’re gonna be going your way, just keep creating, because you have to be ready for when the opportunities hit. So as long as you keep going and you keep true to your vision and what you want to create, the hard work pays off. And the universe will see what hours you put in and you’ll be rewarded. And I think it’s pretty amazing that, if you put in the work, it’ll show.
CM: How would you describe yourself in three words?
Tiedye Queen: That’s an interesting one. Everybody says, I’m bubbly. I’m a giver. I am generous.
For the Love of Tie-Dye
CM: And finally, what do you love most about being an artist and tie-dying?
Tiedye Queen: What I love most about tie-dying is that every time I create something, I know that I made it with my hands. And then it’s gonna be going off to somebody who gets to wear it and they’re gonna feel great in their clothes. And every time you create, you just don’t know what you’re gonna get. You have an expectation, but you just never really know.
The Tiedye Queen
515 North Palm Canyon Drive B11
Palm Springs, CA 92262