Then and now: how green I am. As a sustainable-modeled business, you know I value that which is green, in the eco-friendly sense, but that is not what I mean here. This is a major career change for me, coming from a background as a medical illustrator and moving into fashion. And I started out green, and I mean green behind the ears, not knowing what I was getting myself into kind of green! Now, don't get me wrong: there are some things I know that do apply: sewing and designing my own clothes for 20+ years, knowledge of human anatomy, experience in running a solo business and a passion for sustainability. But when it came to how to start...
The MN Textile Center has been a wonderful find for me. And this is the story of fabric I dyed that has now gone full circle! I first learned how to dye fabric by taking classes there: Color Wheel in Cotton, Mastering MX Dyes and Bengala Dying. The instructors are so helpful and knowledgeable, and I had lots of fun meeting the other students as well. Then it came time to dye fabric on my own, and I rented the dye lab there to experiment first, and then dye a whopping 10 yard piece of hemp/organic cotton fabric! These photos show me in the dye lab (on a cold winter's day), the experimenting and then the 10 yard piece all...
I’ve been on a magazine kick lately. It’s great light reading before bed; a welcome break after getting about half-way into a rather heavy novel (Cedar House Rules by John Irving, for you curious folks) and a source of inspiration for different parts of my life; cooking, gardening, health, sustainability, entertainment and business. Here are some I’ve been checking out. Rodale’s Organic Life. I did not even realize when I picked this one up that it was their first issue! I’m really liking this one. I keep coming back to this one for the recipes, the photography is gorgeous and I love the overall commitment to the sustainability theme. Naturally, Danny Seo. I like this one for its substantial reading...
Anyone meeting Jennifer Nelson for the first time can immediately feel her warm gentle spirit and caring heart. Jennifer is the co-owner of Humble Pie Farm, where she and her husband, Mike Leck, grow organic flowers and herbs. I met her through my dear friend, Malia Brandt, who is her sister-in-law, and my co-conspirator on our personal journeys into making better-than choices. The more we learned and shared with each other about why organic and sustainable products matter, the more compelled we have felt to do better, one small choice at a time. Jennifer in her hoop house, modeling EcoPetite's clothing Enter the picture: organic flowers. Many of us enter the world of organic products though food. Particularly when babies...
Sometimes people ask me, why did I decide to jump in and start this business? What is my passion and what does it mean to me? I believe in being part of a positive change in how the fashion industry produces clothing, from the fibers to the factory. Mostly, I care about how the industry affects the people in it, wherever they are in the world. I want my children to know that exploitation does not have to be tolerated as status quo and that we don’t have to turn a deaf ear while others suffer, just so we can have something we want but don’t really need. My kids are citizens of the world. One was born in Guatemala,...
