Lately, there has been a surge of elevated, artfully done tie-dye pieces. One artist churning out polished tie-dye creations is Zak Syroka. His standout pieces include pairs of distressed jeans that have been dunked, marinated, and wrung in tie-dye. At first, he had no plan to start his own brand, he just wanted to make pants for himself. “I made myself a pair and then everyone started asking me about them,” says Syroka. “Then, I started making my friends a pair here and there. It sort of spread and then I started making pairs for strangers.”