We love fashion, sustainability and ART! At the 2019 Sustainable Fashion Forum in Portland, we met artist Loveleen Saxena, and fell in love with her pen and ink drawings. For the last few months, we’ve collaborated to bring you her bright, bold artwork printed on sustainable modal scarves using low-impact water-based inks.

Our first four art-inspired scarfs are online now. We thought you might want to know more about the artist and this fantastic alliance. So we sat down with Loveleen to talk about what inspires her.

Faerie’s Dance: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Loveleen Saxena: Hello everyone! I am a self-taught artist based in Katy, Texas. I have been dabbling in art since I was a kid. Creativity has always been a part of my life and career. Getting my education in architecture and construction fostered creative expression in a different way for me.

FD: How long have you been creating art?

LS: I rediscovered my love for art six years back when I started carrying my journal during lunch walks in Downtown Houston, while working in my corporate job. And I haven’t stopped since then.

First few years I made art to de-stress. And I loved sharing my work online. I never intended to become a full time artist. In 2014, my husband and I took a seven month backpacking trip to ten countries. That was a game changer. It gave me the courage to continue following my heart and live a purposeful life. Life that is in alignment with my truth.

So when we came back, a year later I decided to leave my career in construction and dive full time into art, along with starting a business with my husband.

It’s been a beautiful and unique journey so far!

I can say creativity is my meditation. My spiritual practices and creative expression have helped me learn so much about myself.

And that’s what inspires me to create everyday. So I can share those nuggets of wisdom with everyone, through my art. My vision is to awaken our inner joy, to spread love and see beauty in simple things. And I feel so grateful I’m doing that everyday.

FD: Where do you create most of your art? Do you have a home studio, or prefer to work outside in nature?

LS: I have a home studio but my entire home is my workspace! Some days I work in our backyard, some days in the dining area and some days in my studio.

I just take my pens and paper and find a spot that calls me that day. I find it so freeing to create when I feel inspired. Be it a coffee shop, during my bus rides, in the plane or train, by the beach, in the park and even while I’m in a waiting area.

I do love working outside in nature the most. Especially during mornings. Making art while listening to birds is a precious experience.

FD: Are there particular places or things that inspire new designs for you?  Where does your inspiration come from?

LS: Nature is my biggest inspiration. Hanging out in our backyard and talking to our trees is one of my favorite things to do.

But my spirituality is the force that brings out new designs on paper. Without my spiritual practices I don’t think I would create the way I do now.

My drawings express and celebrate nature, our connection with everything in the Universe and lessons that we’re here to learn in the school of life.

When I create, I am not Loveleen – the artist anymore, I become a vehicle to let the Divine wisdom and creativity flow through.

FD: Are there particular artists or art styles that influence your creations?

LS: There are few artists and illustrators that really inspire me. One of them is Lisa Congdon, another self-taught artist who began her creative journey in her 40’s. It’s her stories and her journey to become a successful artist that inspire me to continue on my own journey. Then there is Lizze Snow. Her pen and ink work is amazing and I learn so much from seeing her work.

FD: All of the designs we currently see are line drawings, is this your preferred method of creation or is this just what calls to you at the moment? 

LS: It’s been my preferred method for the past 6 years. Although I am not fixed upon using it only. I dabble with acrylics and even mixed media. I love pen and ink because I feel more in the flow with this medium. Plus this medium gives me the freedom and simplicity to create wherever I am. That’s how I started, making doodles in my bus ride. My favorite pens to use are Sakura microns.

FD: Does your color inspiration come after the work is finished or do you have colors in mind as your creating?

LS: Both. In my bigger original pieces I start with color and then draw over it. And in smaller pieces, I typically finish the drawing and then play with colors.

FD: Do you have a personal favorite art piece of yours?

LS: Oh I love every piece that flows through me. They might not be perfect in a traditional sense, but I love them because with each piece I grow a bit more.

There are a few which are extra special because I clearly remember when I created them. One of them is called “Journey of Life”. I created it on my birthday, a few years back. I love it because it captures my inner growth throughout the years. And I feel it’s the growth we are all going through, no matter how unique our journeys may be.

FD: Do you have a personal favorite art piece from any other artist?

LS: It keeps changing as I change 😀

FD: Have you ever considered printing any of your artwork on other clothing pieces?  I personally would love to see your “Inner Beauty” on a skirt!

LS: Yes I have! It’s my vision to collaborate with brands and designers and have my art on their beautiful and sustainable clothes, such as dresses and skirts.

Right now I’m working with a small startup for the art printing, and I use the options that are offered by them, which are limited.

FD: On your blog you wrote “I barely shopped from 2015-2018 because I wanted to invest in pieces that match my values (sustainable, ethical, fair trade).” How do you shop differently now to ensure your values are reflected in your choices? 

LS: Oh it’s completely different how I shop now! Before shopping was a therapy for me. Now it’s only when I need something that I shop. Many years back going to the mall was an adventure. But I don’t do impulse shopping anymore. In fact, I don’t feel the desire to do so anymore.

And since it’s more challenging to find sustainable options in the shopping malls, I mostly shop online. 

I research brands, read their mission statement and their practices. I follow them on social media. I read blogs and reviews to get a feel for their brand. I have a few favorite brands now, and I am on their email so if I come across something that I love, I invest in it. I have added Faeries Dance to my list too!

I only shop a few times a year, even less. And when I do I invest more in sustainable pieces.

FD: Sustainable, ethical clothing does cost a little more (and it should since workers are being paid fairly for their labor and environmental impacts are priced into the garments rather than being something for governments to deal with later).  Do you have a strategy to afford new items like saving up to buy pieces or filling in gaps with thrift finds or budgeting for clothing?

LS: My shopping style and strategy has shifted tremendously in the past few years. I use what I have in my wardrobe to it’s maximum life. And I shop only when I intuitively feel the need of certain things. When I get that feeling I start looking for sustainable options. I buy versatile pieces – colors that complement each other and pieces that I can wear on different occasions. So I do invest more in each piece because I know their true value. I do always have a certain budget in mind so I stick to that, unless I find something that really makes my soul dance! 

FD: What is your favorite wardrobe piece and why.  What calls to you in fashion?

LS: While my go-to wardrobe pieces include jeans and tee, my favorite are scarves. And lately my modal scarves.

I have loved scarves for a long time because they’re the most functional pieces in my wardrobe. I can dress up by adding a scarf, I can cuddle in them when I’m cold. Scarves are something I wear no matter what season.

Fashion for me is what can bring out my inner beauty. Comfort, ease, versatility and sustainability are the few things that I go for. I go for things that light me up. Pieces that can bring out my true essence. Pieces that feel right when I wear them. Lately the sustainable pieces I have invested in do that for me. Because I know their true value plus they resonate with what I stand for – living in harmony with our own selves and with the environment.

FD: Is there anything else I haven’t covered that you would like to add?

LS: If you want to learn more about my work or my creative journey check out my website www.loveleensaxena.com

After 8 years of university, Kayla finally completed her M.D. in family medicine and started working at a major hospital in 2012.  She was excited to meet and help patients.  Unfortunately, the US health-care system is focused more on profit than on care, and within a few years, Kayla was burnt out and discouraged.  Often with just 15 minutes scheduled per patient, she was not making the deep connections and serving the community in the way she had hoped to.  She finally realized that to provide the type of care she wanted to give, she would need to start her own non-profit clinic.  She spent another 2 years getting formally trained in Ayurvedic medicine.  Armed with both science-based and holistic health training, she manifested Moon Cycle Medicine, Inc. from a dream into reality in 2017.

Kayla and I met through a women’s networking group, Women Entrepreneurs of Portland (WE PDX) that I cofounded with a realtor friend. She was so excited to find a reliable source for organic cotton intimates!  She and her mom have become regular customers, and I have joined the board of her non-profit.  Unlike Ann from our last customer spotlight story, Kayla has no known allergies or skin rashes.  This led me to ask her at a meeting recently why she wore organic cotton intimates.  She responded, “Wearing organic cotton bras and panties is part of my self-care.  I get peace of mind knowing there are no chemicals on my intimate areas.”

She also told me she occasionally prescribes organic intimates to her patients. “I had a patient who had a severe rash in her private area.  I prescribed her organic cotton underwear along with more conventional creams and antibiotics.  When she came back for her follow-up, she had gotten all the conventional items, but still hadn’t purchased the underwear.  I had to explain, that the organic underwear was the most important prescription I’d given her and sent her off to go find some.”

Kayla appreciates that FaeriesDance.com gives her a specific place to recommend patients to.  “It’s easier for my patients to follow my guidance if I know where to refer them.”

With so much synergy between our respective businesses, Kayla and I will be working on a few joint projects over the spring and summer.  She’s going to be offering a free workshop on breast cancer awareness at our warehouse and we’re also collaborating on a series of bra videos that have been on my to do list for several years.

As I mentioned in my last customer spotlight, my personal motivation for starting Faerie’s Dance was wholly environmental.  Twelve years into the business, I have to agree with Kayla that wearing organic clothing, and intimates in particular, is part of my self-care.  I just hadn’t thought of it in those terms.  Wearing lacy soy panties, or a sensuous pine-tree bra feels luxurious to me.  It’s become part of my everyday armor.

Adrienne: Most fabric production does have some waste products.  A closed-loop processing system captures the production waste and recycles it for reuse in the next round of fabric production.  Companies like Lenzing, who make both Tencel® and Modal® have achieved near 100% waste recycling.  So there’s no waste or runoff at all into waterways or oceans.  Closed-loop production is really the future of fashion.

Richard: Those are the kind of solutions we like to hear about. Clothing dyes also impact waterways and the ocean. So, can you tell me more about what you have found about those impacts?

Adrienne: ​As I mentioned before, conventional dyes can have really harsh, and in some cases, carcinogenic chemicals.  Unfortunately, the dyeing process creates a lot of waste.  The single biggest improvement of low-impact dyes over conventional dyes is the enormous reduction in waste output.

Richard: It is deeply concerning that fibers from plastic based clothing come off in the wash and end up making their way through water treatment plants, eventually flowing into waterways to the world’s ocean. These plastic fibers are also found in our drinking water. Would you say it’s better to have plastics go to a landfill than to be made into products that will end up in the ocean?

Adrienne: ​Actually, a huge portion of non-recycled plastic do end up in our oceans.  So RePET fibers keep a lot of plastic out of the ocean rather than just out of landfill. So I guess the question would be is it better to have a lot of plastic in the ocean (a lot being defined as an entire garments worth) or a little plastic in our waterways (a little being defined as the small amount of the garment that leeches away during the wash)?

Richard: ​What’s worse? Is it a large piece that gets churned over time, or the piece that’s microscopic that we can’t see? The answers to these questions may be filled in over time by researchers, but until then we can keep cleaning it up and your company can keep making our footprint as light as possible like you have been doing. One thing that I really love about Faeries Dance is that you are offering solutions for a One World Ocean.

To learn more about the Ocean Blue Project, checkout their Mission Page.

 

One of the questions we get A LOT is about organic clothing manufacturing in China.  There is a belief that garment manufacturing in China automatically means low wages and lots of pollution.  Many of our customers avoid anything made in China at all.  However, some sustainably-minded companies are still manufacturing organic clothing lines in China and it’s time to take a closer look at why they are.  For one thing, garment industry wages in China are increasing rapidly.  “Cheaper” clothing lines are actually leaving China for Africa and East Asia, where wages remain ridiculously low.  Additionally, organic clothing manufacturers are working with third party certifiers such as the Global Organic Textile Standard, OEKO-TEX, and Fair Trade International to ensure their Chinese-made goods are meeting environmental, safety and ethical employment standards.  Many of our USA made goods actually carry fewer certifications.

We caught up with Jane Nemis, owner of Echo Verde clothing for an interview on why they still manufacture in China.

Faerie’s Dance: What influenced your company to manufacture in China?

Jane Nemis:  I had been working in China when it was the only producer of eco/organic fabrics (18 years ago) and formed relationships with factories that I still have to this day.

FD: How long have you worked with your current factory in China?

Jane:  We have several factories – depending on sweaters or cut/sew knits – some are new 2 years and several are 6 years – 2 are 15 years.

FD: How often do you travel to China directly to meet the people who make your clothing?

Jane:  Twice yearly.

FD: Can you tell us about your relationship with the folks who make your clothing?

Jane:  There is still wide-spread opinion that sourcing and manufacturing clothing in Asia-and more specifically in China is a desire for cheap labor and that the conditions under which people work is not good. The truth, though, is much more complicated and nuanced, or just plain not true!  Our Chinese manufacturers have become experts in working with organic and eco textiles and they produce some of the highest quality goods at competitive prices. All of our factories are reviewed for workers’ conditions and all must show proof of third party monitoring of social and environmental conditions. We have formed relationships with these factories from our years of visiting them in China and their owners and many of the ladies that work there are now our friends!

They have also listened to us over the years and instituted changes which have bettered the living and working conditions of their staff.

While the work ethic in China may not seem “perfect” to our standards, it is considered to be a skilled trade now to be a garment worker.  They bring home a middle-class income and many factories now have health care.  Many of the workers support their families and send their children to school based on the money they earn cutting/sewing and finishing our goods. The factories we work with are all family owned and smaller operations that employ workers from the surrounding areas. This means we are able to support families staying together. There are many sweatshops all over the world including specifically in New York and LA. It is important to us that we can personally monitor conditions and we have a partner that respects and listens to our requests for change.

Our workers are honest, hard-working, and family oriented and doing the best that they can to make a living. They depend on us for this. When we visit the factories, the ladies laugh and joke with us and teach us new words in mandarin. They are free to come and go to the bathrooms, they have tea and water available at all times and they are free to stop work and share a chat with their friends. The food they are served is the same as I eat when there (free lunch tokens are given out) and it is good and balanced and they have access to fresh fruit and vegetables. One of our factories has even built a small meditation garden where workers can walk during their breaks and get some fresh air and enjoy the greenery. Both our knit factories have adopted stray dogs from the local area and care for them like family pets.

These ladies make our clothes!

FD: Do your factories have any certifications (WRAP, GOTS, OEKO-TEX, etc.) and can you explain what that entails?

Jane:  Yes, one factory has WRAP the other has a European version of WRAP and the very small ones cannot afford the costs so I just make sure they are following the same standards.

All our factories are small – we paid for one factory to get WRAP certification but while many big businesses can list an impressive amount of certifications – the reality is this is out of reach for most small family owned operations.  Cost for WRAP was around $350 USD for a small factory of 23 employees.  So it is impossible to do this for all our little factories even though they use the same standards (or higher).  Bigger companies can afford to pay for WRAP and FLA (Fair Labour) is even higher $1200 USD which is to be paid as a yearly fee.

FD: Do the fabrics you work with have any certifications?

Jane:  Yes, bamboo is 100% certified organic, cotton is 100% certified organic, wool is produced using humane farming practices and non harmful chemicals to process it.

FD: Some of our clients are concerned with Chinese factories “faking” certifications or claiming certifications they don’t actually hold.  Is this a real concern? 

Jane:  Yes, I would say this is more related to large scale operations – they can afford to bribe the certifying body – I have heard about it but have never experienced it first hand.  I would say it is a real concern with anything that is produced on a large scale for low cost… organic is expensive – as are good working conditions.

FD: Can you tell us a little bit about what modern Chinese facilities are like?

Jane:  Here are some pictures – they are like any factory I walk into here in Canada or USA.  Some are much better kept actually.  Very  neat, all windows are open in summer and doors.  Well ventilated, lots of natural light and each worker has their own chair/light/table.

FD: What other information can you give us to assuage the negative connotation that is still often associated with garments that are Made in China?

Jane:  Another reason that we manufacture in Asia is because all of the eco textiles originate from Asia, and one of our goals is to have our production facilities as close as possible to where our fabric, hardware and fixtures originate, this has been proven to reduce the environmental impact of shipping.   Did you know that much of the cotton produced in the US is sent to either China or India for milling before coming back into the states?  So really, if you go to the root of the garment – it is possible almost every piece of clothing has come from China in some way.

I would add is that I find it frustrating that there is such a negative connotation with Chinese goods.  The US has spent the past few decades growing trade with China and helping to bring the work up to standard, pay etc.  This is primarily why all the cheap brands have moved to countries without any work conditions in place (Bangladesh, US Samoa, Cambodia, Areas of Africa) – I also think other big industry has not kept pace and there are still horror stories of people falling asleep making cell phones and getting little to no pay for extremely poor work conditions.  So unfortunately, I think this is the impression that is given in the media – these are the things that make the headlines – not the goods news.

FD: Is there anything you’d like to add or would you like to bring up any points we may have missed?

Jane:  Just to stress that we have worked a long time with our factories and they rely on us – that’s how they make a living.  So although we may do some production locally, we will continue to support them.   It is impossible to do the sweaters we make in US or Canada.  The machinery just does not exist anymore.