Blue Ruby owner Ammy Foste stands on a bridge wearing a white t-shirt and red plaid skirt with a leather jacket.
Blue Ruby's punk, queer designs will feature at 2023's DIY Festival.
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Blue Ruby: DIY Festival Vintage Vendor

By
August 2, 2023

Art and Fashion

The 15th Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival Presented By Harmons is returning to the Utah State Fairpark to celebrate a momentous 15 years as Utah’s largest local-centric arts, music, science and technology festival with a selection of over 350 local artisans and makers. In the following pages, read about a few of the exciting vendors and exhibitors you can expect to see throughout the three-day weekend, including performances from renowned national acts! Check out craftlakecity.com for more info.

Blue Ruby’s Ammy Foste creates her punk, queer designs primarily with vintage leather items, especially leather jackets. Foste uses bright colors such as ruby red and electric blue to show the opposing “firey-ness with sensitive, nostalgic water,” she says. The contrasts of “darker esoteric themes with beauty, brightness and nature” pull people in and show both a fluidity and complexity.

Blue Ruby owner Ammy Foste wears a red leather jacket. The back is painted with a humanoid creature shooting red vectors from its eyes.
Photo by John Barkiple

Foste recalls cutting and sewing fabric for her Barbie dolls and wearing thrifted clothing from Savers or Gen X at a young age. As a teenager, her thrifting habits continued., and she experimented with various fabrics and accessories. “[I] spent a lot of time in my room frankensteining clothing together,” she says. Punk fashion and sustainability heavily influence her style; she describes fashion as “experimenting with materials you have readily at your disposal when you don’t have anything else.”

Although the concept of Blue Ruby first began as watercolor paintings, Foste also built masks and did performance art under the name “Ruby Blue.” Previously living in Berlin, Foste moved back to SLC in 2020 and with much perseverance turned her passions for thrifting and painting into a business. However, the most fulfilling aspect is the personal connections she makes with people who are drawn to her pieces. When she is able to sell to people who are ecstatic about her clothing, she feels that they become “an extension of my art,” an experience that she describes as “magical, serendipitous moments.” Catch her designs on Instagram @ammyfoste and at the DIY Festival!

Read more about past vintage vendors:
Salt Valley Vintage: CLC Vintage Vendor
Abode Vintage: Craft Lake City Vintage Vendor