On a hot August day in southern Arizona, Chelci Schroeder walks into a coffee shop wearing a bell-sleeve silk kimono with a turquoise and bright green tapestry pattern layered over a tank top and denim shorts. The kimono is flowy, chic and feminine, but it’s not something you’d typically consider part of a Western wardrobe. Yet, seeing it on Schroeder, there’s no doubt a concho belt, turquoise jewelry and cowboy boots would complement it.
Drawing on her Western roots and global travels, the designer and owner of Wylder Trading Company excels at weaving together cowgirl practicality and free-spirited style with upcycled artisanal textiles. She also forms fair-trade partnerships worldwide to source small batches of unique apparel and accessories with a Western-boho look. Through extensive interviews and virtual tours, she ensures that the products are produced in accordance with three primary standards: ethical manufacturing, which includes fair wages and the absence of child labor; sustainably sourced materials with minimal waste; and authentic, original designs.
“Our products are one of a kind; if someone else is doing something similar, I’m not interested in it,” says Schroeder. “What also makes us unique is that we help support the livelihoods and traditions of artists all over the world.”
Last December, Schroeder debuted her clothing line at Cowboy Christmas, the annual shopping event held in conjunction with the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nev. She was unsure how traditional rodeo cowgirls and ranch women would view her vintage, eclectic style, which is inspired by 1960s and ’70s fashion. However, by the end of the 10-day event, she was surprised at the response from women who had sought her free-spirited style and couldn’t find it or didn’t know how to create it themselves. Visiting the Wylder Trading Company booth allowed them to put together outfits that honor their Western roots while embracing their sense of freedom and wanderlust.
“There were women who didn’t think they could pull it off or never felt brave enough to wear something a little hippie or boho, but trying on pieces made them feel so authentically connected to themselves,” she explains. “Watching them gain confidence to dress the way they want to and giving themselves permission to express their personalities rather than how they think they’re supposed to dress was so liberating.”
Partnerships with a Purpose
Schroeder’s style and pioneer spirit mirror her heritage. Her great-great grandparents homesteaded in Wyoming in 1917, and she remembers visiting the homestead several times during her childhood. Her great-uncle, Doug Scott, was a longtime saddle maker, which sparked her interest in cultural craftsmanship. Although her parents didn’t adopt a Western way of life, they relocated their family from Phoenix to a horse community southwest of the city, giving her opportunities to ride horses and participate in 4-H and FFA. She also loved creating outfits and accessorizing them with eclectic vintage finds. Many treasured items she wears today were passed down from her grandmother, Marilyn Kay Storms, who was an avid jewelry collector and supporter of Indigenous American artisans.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Northern Arizona University, with an emphasis on global communities, and a master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University in California. While pursuing her education, she traveled to developing countries such as Uganda, Honduras, and Latvia on humanitarian missions. She also spent a semester studying in Dubai. During her travels, she was exposed to global disparities and aimed to do what she could to empower families and promote fair working conditions. She also collected beautiful textiles from markets and grocery stores as souvenirs.
After college, she married her husband, David, and started building a career in community healthcare, focusing on under-served populations in California. When she became pregnant with their second child, she stepped down from her executive role, and she and David moved back to Arizona, where he secured a job in archaeology, allowing them to raise their children near extended family. Still, she wanted a creative and entrepreneurial outlet she could do from home. In 2022, she launched Wylder Trading Company, named after her oldest son.
“I wanted to do something with textiles that would elevate and empower artisans worldwide,” she says. “I didn’t have a background in fashion, but I love vintage pieces and was always experimenting with different looks and started designing clothing in a funky, retro style.”
With a notebook full of designs, she then needed a manufacturer to bring them to life. She searched Instagram for manufacturers and, after virtually interviewing several companies and touring their facilities, she found two small, multi-generational families in northern India with whom she continues to collaborate.
“We regularly visit online and share pictures, videos, and drawings,” she says. “It’s really humanized the experience for me. I know their kids, and they know mine. The world is really big, but it’s also really small.”
In the fall of 2022, Schroeder applied to set up her first trade show booth at Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market in Scottsdale, Ariz., even before she had inventory. Luckily, her small order arrived on time and nearly sold out.
The garments she commissions can take up to four months to arrive in the United States. They are made from upcycled fabrics, such as discarded silk saris, which come in compressed bricks. She works with her partners to sort through these bricks to find the highest quality silk in colors and patterns that fit her brand. Some of the silk is over 100 years old, and the patterns resemble those found on hand-carved leather or engraved scrolls on silver.
“It’s a slow process, but everything is handmade and crafted from unique textiles,” she explains. “I work hard to push the envelope and avoid duplicating designs. I want my customers to get one-of-a-kind pieces they can feel good about buying.”
Bandana Bar™
As Wylder Trading Company’s collection grew, Schroeder looked for ways to reuse fabric scraps and reduce waste. That’s when she came up with the idea of making bandannas or “wild rags” from leftover silk pieces, setting up a mobile Bandana Bar inside an old chuckwagon. She can customize her products for special events, such as weddings and corporate retreats.
The Bandana Bar™ follows a three-step process: first, select a bandanna in your preferred size, color, and pattern. Next, add a bolo or slide. Finally, adorn the bandanna with vintage pins and baubles. Schroeder uses her great-uncle’s leather tools to stamp leather slides from scrap leather, inspired by traditional symbols and icons of the American Southwest. She can personalize the slides with a brand, initials or company logo.
“Most of my bandannas are 100 percent silk, and people wear them year-round because they keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter,” she says. “They’re beautiful and functional. I love watching people shop the Bandana Bar™ to see which colors, patterns and ‘fixin’s’ they’re drawn to based on their personality.”
Textile Stories
Now over three years into her business, Schroeder is proud to offer global artisans job security and preserve their textile traditions.
“It’s becoming a lost art, especially in India where there’s such a strong technical sector,” she explains. “Being able to support textile [traditions] and encourage them to be passed on is important to me. It’s just like a saddle maker or rancher passing their trades down to the next generation.”
A role model to her two young sons, she is teaching them the value of hard work and pursuing their passions, hoping to inspire them to find their own creative outlets someday. She continues to develop new partnerships and grow her lines. Recently, she connected with a female artisan from Northern Africa, and they are collaborating on a new collection made from mud cloth, a thick cotton fabric used for ceremonies and protection. Rich in pattern, symbolism, and heritage, mud cloth has been incorporated into modern fashion designs and home décor.
Building on her Western influence, she’s collaborating with her manufacturers to incorporate Western yokes into clothing and adding fringe made from water buffalo hides to vests and handbags.
“Everywhere I go, I love meeting people and asking them to tell me their fabric stories,” she says.
Connect with Wylder Trading Company
◆ Website: www.wyldertrading.co
◆ Instagram: @wyldertradingco
◆ Facebook: Wylder Trading Co
◆ TikTok: @wyldertradingco
This article about Chelci Schroeder and her Wylder Trading Company appeared in the October 2025 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
