Ginger Root/ReVamp Design

Washington, DC, United States

4.6

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 202-567-7668
Website:
www.gingerrootdesign.com
Address:
1530 U St NW Ste 1, Washington, DC, DC, 20009
at N 15th St
U Street Corridor
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.4 miU Street/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo
0.5 miEuclid Street
0.5 miL2, 96, etc
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Wheelchair Accessible
No

Today

Today –
Local time (Washington, DC) 8:21 AM Friday, May 30, 2025

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

We are by appointment only, so please call or email to schedule a fitting, and visit our blog for examples of our work. No leather or wedding dresses please.

Ginger Root Design is a professional tailoring shop, where the 2 owners also design and create their own clothing line. Owners, Erin and Kristen, do basic tailoring for men and women in addition to their specialty – repurposing forgotten items from the closet. They work with customers to figure out why they aren’t wearing the garment and what they can do to alter, repair, or repurpose it into their new favorites.

The Ginger Root clothing label that is designed and sewn at Ginger Root is recycled by the 2 friends from damaged and vintage clothing and surplus fabrics into modern and unique designs. The store also carries the jewelry line Metal Musings, made by one of the owner’s mother. The Gingers closed the basement Local Artisan Boutique in May 2013 to focus fully on their tailoring and clothing design upstairs.

See you soon!

History

Established in 2010.

One of the owners of Ginger Root, Kristen Swenson, moved to DC in September of 2009 with a waitressing job, and within 2 months started her own tailoring business out of her apartment in Shaw. Four months later Swenson’s friend, Erin Derge, moved to DC to join forces in the tailoring business known as ReVamp. Within 4 month’s of Derge’s arrival, the ladies had completely outgrown their apartment office and were on the hunt for a studio space. They came across a retail space on U St which they instantly fell in love with. There was a small window of opportunity that if they could somehow open the shop within 6 weeks, all while running their full time tailoring business, the 2 friends could have their own store together. One VERY sleep deprived summer later, Erin and Kristen are the proud owners of Ginger Root Design, which officially opened 9−18−10. The store is the new home of ReVamp’s tailoring and eco-​friendly clothing design.

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20 reviews of Ginger Root/ReVamp Design

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
I learned about Ginger Root thanks to a friend’s recommendation and had a wonderful experience! Erin was incredibly friendly and helpful (plus we had a shared Minnesota background), plus the alteration was a reasonable price. Will be sad to see them close, but excited for them and their future adventures!
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Got a vintage 1920s tux jacket from the internet that fit in the shoulders but was enormous in the paunch. She needed to take 8 inches of material out, but loved working with the old piece, and I came out with an awesome tux jacket. I now come here whenever a vintage find needs a little sprucing up.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
Kristen squeezed in a super last second alteration for me for a wedding. She was super cool about it and did amazing work. Thank you, Ginger Root!
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Thank you Unilocal!After struggling for 2+ years to find a tailor that actually listened to what I said and had an interest in making my clothing fit me better, I found Ginger Root thanks to Unilocal.I took a suit in to Kristen at Ginger Root for basic tailoring. I always have a hard time finding pants suits that fit me because I’m tall, skinny and a little bit busty, but Kristen knew all the right things to do to make my pant suit fit just right! On top of that, they told me it would be about 2 weeks or maybe even a little longer, and it was done in less than 2 weeks just in time for my big interview!
Despite the price being slightly high, the quality of the work is great and so worth it. This is the first time in my entire life where I feel like something was tailored to fit JUST me. I highly recommend this place. I especially liked that they schedule individual appointments with you so that you have their full attention. Great customer service touch!
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
great people and skills. i have brought a few items there and always was given great treatment
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
This place is pricey, but worth it. I had minor alterations done to a suit here — but nothing major (e.g., nothing to the side seams or back, nothing to the pant legs except hemming). The pricing was substantially higher than I had anticipated — but with that said, it came in at what I was quoted. So it’s not as though I wasn’t told up-​front what the cost would be, it’s simply that this was higher priced tailoring than I had experienced in the past.
However, the store is quite nice and it’s clearly a small operation. Don’t expect to just drop off your tailoring — they do require you make an appointment. This is likely due to the small staff — they simple can’t consult with more than one person at a time by virtue of staff size and space. This method seemed to work out very well, and I even showed up a bit early and they were able to take me. Their philosophy is very much to let the customer tell them how they want their garment to fit, rather than making recommendations. I do appreciate this philosophy, although I personally would have liked them to make recommendations on how the suit would look best on me.
As for the work, it was really flawless. They dropped me an email when it was ready (well ahead of the promised date — they work fast!) and I went to pick it up and try it on (no appointment required for that component).
Anyway, in spite of the price, I was happy with the work and like I said — it’s not as though I wasn’t made aware of what the price would be. They simply run a bit higher than most hole-​in-​the-​wall shops. But unlike other tailoring shops, they are very attentive to their customer’s needs and wants. I think for simple tailoring work like a simple pant hem I might take things somewhere cheaper, but if I had an expensive garment (like this suit was) or needed something substantial done, I would definitely come back here without question. You can certainly trust they will do a wonderful job.
Place rating: 5
Arlington, VA
I don’t know what drove me to bring a wool blazer and wool pencil skirt to be overhauled by an untried tailor, but I am glad I did. Having begun the process of whittling my wardrobe and buying quality pieces, I started the search for a tailor and was frustrated by the lack of quality women’s tailoring options in DC. I came to Ginger Root because of Unilocal,and I did not leave disappointed. I made an appointment for a weekday evening. One of the co-​owners did my fitting. I have a good idea how I want my clothes to fit, but was unsure of what to do about the slightly-​too-​long sleeves of my blazer. Wanting to avoid an expensive shoulder alteration, the woman offered up several options and the rough price points for each.
After dropping the pieces off and paying a deposit of 50% of the total quoted price, they said it would take two weeks to complete the alterations. They notified me via email and even included their altered shop hours due to the Thanksgiving holidays. I picked up my pieces today and I must say they are flawless. The skirt fits me perfectly (after basically being reshaped entirely) and the blazer looks retail store new, but fits beautifully now.
This shop is not cheap ($ 50/​hour for alterations and price quotes only given once they’ve seen the items), but I found the work to be top notch and worth every penny. If you are looking to invest in quality clothing, you will want that clothing to fit you properly. The only way to do that is with a good tailor, and these women absolutely deliver. I will definitely be back!
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
The Unilocalosphere did not do me wrong this time!
Someone had given me a dress that was my size, but just didn’t fit correctly in the most flattering way. So, naturally I turned to Unilocal to find a good tailor, which brought me to Ginger Root. The whole experience was 5-​stars. You need to set up an appointment for your first consultation with your item, and it’s understandable why — they have very limited staff, and want to give each person special individualized attention. As someone who went through the effort to make an appointment and who received this special attention, I would have been pissed if someone else came in with a dress «emergency», as one reviewer complained about. (Jess T., I’m looking at you.) I mean, how is there ever an emergency when it comes to tailoring? It’s kind of up to you to look at your garment with enough time before you need it to be sure it fits properly and all buttons work, etc… your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for others. Anywho. The woman (who was the owner) was extremely friendly, helpful, and it was clear that she loves her job. She made worthwhile suggestions, and even gave me options in different price points, explaining what those options would look like.
The item was done on time as promised, and pick up was seamless (no appointment necessary for pick-​up). The dress fit as we had discussed and looked great, and the total price even came out a bit under the original quote — how awesome is that?! You certainly can’t feel like you’re being ripped off.
Place rating: 1
Fontana, CA
The worst. The woman at the front desk was so rude and absolutely talked down to me. I went in to get a shirt altered and the woman asked if I had an appointment. I didn’t know I needed one. Then she asked if I had a shirt, they don’t make shirts. Excuse me, I wouldn’t ask you to alter a shirt unless I had one already! Of course I didn’t say this to her but then she went on and on about how hard it is to get an appointment. Wow! Clearly you don’t want my business. I still can’t believe how rude she was.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Although they normally don’t do bridal, Erin was kind enough to make an exception for my wedding dress, which needed hemming and a bustle.
I came in for a couple appointments to go over the dress, and in each of them, Erin was attentive, thoughtful, and gave me great suggestions (like don’t leave the dress hem too long because it looks great in pictures but will get stamped on in the actual wedding – this happened last weekend to my best friend who kept tripping on her muddy hem and I was so grateful for Erin’s sensible advice).
I felt fed up with the sycophancy in the wedding industry, and it was a relief to come to Ginger Roots for fittings and just have sane, solid work.
Erin also made the most amazing bustle for the dress – I don’t know a thing about wedding dresses and she thought up an incredible design for a somewhat complicated dress so that the bustle is completely invisible when the train is let down and very securely and carefully holds it up when it’s all strung up. It is obviously such creative work, and I’m just really glad I brought it to them.
Thumbs up!
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
I’ve been to their tailoring shop twice to get bridesmaid’s dresses altered. It’s always fun to chat with the owner as well. They offer affordable alterations (about $ 20 to take out a horrendous «butt pleat» for one dress, and about $ 40 to completely redo a back zipper to take in a strapless dress that’s way too big in the chest). They also have a quick turnaround– just about a week. I’d highly recommend this place. Thanks Ginger Root!
Place rating: 5
San Antonio, TX
After waiting till the last minute to find my clothes for fancy shmancy inauguration, I was in a royal bind to get my clothes altered in time. It being DC coupled with the fact that inauguration is around the corner, every tailor I found was either booked or had subpar Unilocal reviews (which is an obvious NO).
I did find one tailor that would take me, European Custom Tailor. However, I got there and the tailor was a little unfriendly, awkward at best. He ended up shooing me out the door because I hadn’t brought my shoes in with me (yes, rookie mistake, but I called first!). And there was a bit of a … language barrier? I really, truly couldn’t understand him most of the time, and I’m not one of those prissy white girls that has never left the suburbs. I just really couldn’t do it.
All this hemming and hawing eventually led me to leave a desperate sounding voicemail for Ginger Root Design. Despite being closed that day, they called me back nearly immediately and told me they could fit me in the next day even though they were completely booked. What a relief!
I came in ASAP and they were ultra friendly, professional, and prompt. What more can you ask for from a place of business, especially when you’re kind of putting them out? They made friendly small talk with me and got me out within 10 minutes, promising to have my clothes ready the next day so long as I was comfortable with a rush fee. (Also, as a side note, they’ve got a really cute store underneath the tailor shop with tons of vintage and handmade accessories.)
I came back the next day (today, so happy that I wrote the review same day) and ta-​da! Everything is perfect, and all done under $ 55. Not too shabby, Ginger Root.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Can’t sing their praises enough. I took an antique dress of my grandmother’s to them, and they restored it beautifully and for a very reasonable price given the high quality of the work. Because of the high-​but-​worth-​it prices I don’t use them for minor tailoring jobs, but for anything I absolutely cannot afford to mess up, they are my go-​to.
Place rating: 4
Ann Arbor, MI
This place was great. I needed a bridesmaid dress altered on short notice, and they managed to squeeze in a fitting and get it altered and back to me in a matter of days. Plus, they came in way under the estimated cost, and were eco-​friendly («sorry we don’t have a plastic bag to cover your dress… we try not to buy them and re-​use what we have, but we don’t have any on hand right now.» Totally fine by me, and I appreciate the awareness!)
They were super-​nice and friendly. Would totally go there again! (Oh, and the alteration was perfect!)
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Fact (s) #1: I love earrings. I love creative, craftsy, colorful jewelry. I also love recycling.
Fact #2: One of the owners’ mother (who lives in Wisconsin — we had a long conversation) makes great earrings based on Fact #1.
Each pair of these danglies is composed of three circles of recycled materials that the artist scopes out from old metal boxes and cans (trust me, they are better than «old metal boxes and cans» might sound). These are layered with interesting textures; to give you an idea, my pair has an impression of a window screen in them. Fortunately each pair comes with its own description of where its materials were harvested — which in my opinion, is half the fun! I found it really hard to pick out just one pair.
Place rating: 2
Silver Spring, MD
This is not my kind of place. Artsy, homemade clothes and other things for the indie/​mod type. I thought the ties and tie pins were especially nice, but I disliked the limited clothing collection.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Erin and Kristen couldn’t be nicer people. My partner and I have thoroughly enjoyed stopping by Ginger Roots on our walks thru the city.
After a few visits and small purchases (mostly fun, not-​your-​typical gifts for other people), we decided who better to design our wedding outfits than these two wonderfully talented local business owners? We had a «consulting» meeting with Erin to talk about the feel of our wedding. She sent us off with ideas for types of clothes/​accessories that could work, including the idea of bringing back small pieces of metal from a trip to Sicily that could be turned into cuff links, bracelets, key chains, etc.
Upon our return from Sicily, we brought a bag or two of clothes, ties, shoes, belts, etc from our closets/​travels that we thought could be turned into something fun and unique for the wedding. Some of the pieces held significant meaning for us, so the idea of repurposing them for our wedding was really fantastic. Both Erin and Kristen helped us sort through the options and come up with ensembles that we couldn’t have been happier with.
Thank you!
John and Matt
Place rating: 5
Richmond, CA
OMG this place is so refreshing! A lil A-​line skirt in the window caught my eye and I was pulled into Ginger Root. All of the clothes are made by Erin, and her business partner, most with recycled fabric, etc. I LOVE the concept! Not only are the clothes stylish and reasonably priced, but they are also eco friendly.
The store is outfitted in the same way, recycled materials, such as a mattress spring and an old door serve as display pieces for the clothing and jewelry. I talked with Erin for a while and she is sweet and passionate about her work.
Ginger Root is on my list. I will definitely support this small business. If you’re completely fed up with the cookie cutter, mass produced items in the department stores this is a great place to start your new journey.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Kristen and Erin have improved my wardrobe one shirt at a time for months now. I’m a slender, style-​conscious fellow with paltry grad student wages, so I buy my dress shirts from mid-​range retailers (e.g., J. Crew, Gap, Lands’ End Canvas). Still, even the «slim fit» shirts are cut too large for my taste, and the few traditional cut shirts that I own have been relegated to the back of my closet for eons– effectively a waste of my already limited income.
On the recommendation of a friend whose inexpensive H&M suit appeared custom-​made (thanks to Ginger Root’s intervention), I visited their shop with an armful of shirts. During my first visit, Kristen deftly pinned my shirts– taking in fabric from the sleeves and the torso– while discussing with me the state of men’s fashion in DC (consensus: improving gradually). A few weeks later, I received an e-​mail from Erin informing me that some of my shirts had been tailored and that I could come by to pick them up. When I stopped by the shop, I was delighted to try on the shirts that I had long ignored. Erin made sure that each shirt fit the way I’d hoped (they all fit wonderfully, but I felt confident that if I had any concerns, Ginger Root would work to resolve them) and sent me on my way with a better understanding of the tailoring process.
The ladies of Ginger Root are kind, funny, and very skilled; I can’t recommend them enough.
Place rating: 5
Arlington, VA
I can’t say enough good things about Ginger Root.
I bought a polka dot printed skirt there a week and a half ago and have already wore it 3 times. You will find unique things here that you won’t find anywhere else in D.C.
Also, I’m impressed by the fit of the skirt, it’s not too short and not too long. The seem to «get it» — they know just what a girl needs. And they put elastic in their skirts so they can fit a variety of sizes.
Fabulous! A must-​visit in D.C. Thanks to Ginger Root for bringing some character to D.C.