I get asked a lot where I came up with such an interesting name for my little business. So here it is... the surprisingly simple story of Argaman & Defiance.

My first name, Lydia means 'the maker of purple dye'. That purple dye was described as Argaman, which translates from Hebrew as crimson. Growing up, my grandparent’s home was in Defiance, Missouri located near a popular Missouri nature preserve, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary. This is the place where I spent a good portion of my childhood learning, discovering, nature, which had a great impact on my artwork and designs.

I have been creating art and designing for as long as I can remember. In 2008 I received a generous scholarship to study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). I focused most of my time at SAIC in the Fiber and Material Studies department where I quickly picked up a knack for natural dying.

Natural dying can be an expensive hobby. To supplement the expense of learning my new found love I tried selling the silk that I had spent the semester creating at SAIC's Holiday Art Sale. It was a huge success and lead to commission, representation in boutiques through out the midwest, a write-up in Timeout Chicago, featured on my Fox Chicago, and most recently landing on Chicago Magazine's Holiday Gift Guide!

The Argaman & Defiance studio is located in Chicago, Illinois. We love studio visits, coffee, and creating beautiful colors! For questions or to just stay in touch contact me at lydia [!at] argamandefiance.com.