Anybody who has been to a Wanderlust Competition is aware of that there’s a palpable sense of group that emerges after 4 days of aware adventuring. While you multiply that by the variety of occasions we’d do in a yr, and the variety of seasons we’d put up the tents… then these connections begin to run deep. These acquainted faces turn into household. From academics to visitors, from distributors to our mountain hosts, annually our shared experiences in looking for made us nearer.
So, when one in all your loved ones members grows legs and is all of the sudden seen past our pageant fringes, it’s thrilling for all of us within the Wanderfam. (See: a bunch of yogis tuning in to The Voice for the primary time when our magical musical minstrel, Thunderstorm Artis, was about to take high prize, singing Blackbird and making all of America teary). That’s the identical feeling I had once I first noticed Synergy in Entire Meals. The threads that I’d worn every summer time, internet hosting the Speakeasy at each summer time pageant, had now discovered racks past our beloved dusty artisan merchandising, the Kula Market, and had been now within the premiere marketplace for acutely aware shoppers within the USA. I used to be so happy with Kate and Henry.
Who’re Kate and Henry? They’re the souls behind Synergy Natural Clothes, which has now grown up and turn into WVN: a licensed B Corp that makes use of Truthful Commerce factories to create actually stunning (and sustainable) clothes. Kate started her first attire enterprise in 1993 when she started promoting garments from her travels in India and Nepal at Grateful Lifeless concert events. After pivoting to all natural materials, she based Synergy along with her husband and enterprise companion, Henry Schwab. WVN is the end result of practically three a long time of expertise constructing a large-scale girls’s clothes model whereas staying true to the unique aim of doing nice vogue the best approach.
We sat down with Fisher to study somewhat extra about this evolution, and to speak about how group has performed a component in WVN’s progress. Sustainable type has inherent challenges, and Fisher has navigated them in the course of the added pressures of a world pandemic. Be taught extra about how this feminine founder is making it work.
Wanderlust: The roots of your sustainable clothes journey run deep, and in reality, run by the tapestry of Wanderlust occasions of yore. Hippie festivals, gatherings about peace and love… to many, these would possibly seem to be throwback recollections. However actually, these kinds of gatherings have been a part of many trendy manufacturers’ progress. Are you able to inform us a bit about how occasions that constructed group round sustainable values performed a component within the early years of your model?
Kate Fisher: Sure, certainly! My unique roots within the clothes enterprise truly emerged from promoting my wares within the Grateful Lifeless parking zone! It was an incredible free market to promote in, like an enormous touring music gypsy pageant. Quickly after that, I began promoting at festivals. It was a good way to get our model on the market, construct our buyer base, and to attach with individuals who shared our sustainable values. It was additionally lots of enjoyable to have festivals because the again drop of our work: we met lots of nice folks from everywhere in the nation and it helped us to construct an awesome group. Promoting at festivals was an awesome expertise for us and it was beautiful to see so many small rising inventive companies being supported by the communities that sprang up at festivals. I nonetheless meet folks on a regular basis who let me know that they discovered us at festivals after which grew to become lifelong clients.
WL: Helming a clothes line is a big enterprise, however constructing a line that, from the bottom up, is ecologically-minded and ahead pondering is an much more troublesome process. What gave you the boldness that you’d have the ability to say true to your roots and but additionally handle progress?
KF: Having an awesome infrastructure in place between our crew right here within the US, {our relationships} with our truthful commerce suppliers in India and Nepal, and our years of expertise doing what we do helps us on
each degree and on each sized taking part in area.
There’s a sense that emerges from years of expertise that “we all know what we’re doing and get it executed”, and that our firm is in alignment with its dharma to make stunning clothes that’s sustainable and truthful commerce.
So it feels pure to have the ability to do it at any degree and measurement. It feels just like how a yoga instructor is aware of that once they step out to show a category—that from their expertise they innately know educate with out pondering a lot about it, regardless of whether or not it’s a small intimate class or an enormous class at Wanderlust. It’s pure at any measurement.
WL: What does your individual private yoga or meditation observe appear to be? Are there academics who’ve stood out as beacons to you, both due to their talent/perception as academics, or due to the values etched of their teachings and the way they carried themselves on the planet?
KF: I’ve a each day morning meditation observe that I do quickly after waking, earlier than my household wakes up. It’s a particular a part of my day that helps me keep centered, aligned, and current for all times, regardless of
what my day forward seems like. I then often have some type of a motion observe both a shorter yoga and motion observe that often consists of solar salutations, or an extended yoga observe if my day is extra spacious. I’m additionally actually glad today to be again in studios taking lessons In particular person a couple of days every week. I like flowing practices the most effective. I’d say that the academics who I’ve been most touched by are Sianna Sherman (I took lots of her on-line lessons in the course of the pandemic), Janet Stone, Kia Miller (I additionally love her on-line platform) and wish to weave in breathwork and kriyas into my observe, and Hannah Muse who’s native right here in Santa Cruz and likewise has an awesome on-line platform.
WL: WVN is a licensed B Corp, makes use of Truthful Commerce Licensed factories, is GOTS licensed, As shoppers, what forms of certifications would you want the common shopper to be extra looking out for?
KF: Getting all the certifications that we’ve got and our suppliers have takes time and dedication and observe by to uphold. They’re all indicators that, as an organization, we’re dedicated to creating issues sustainably and utilizing enterprise as a drive of fine. I really feel like for shoppers, being conscious of B Firms is vital, because it signifies that a enterprise is prioritizing folks and planet in all the things 
they do. I really feel like for shoppers who’re shopping for merchandise which can be made abroad, then listening to licensed Truthful Commerce is admittedly vital. Many individuals do not know who made the issues they purchase, or how or the place they’re made. Truthful Commerce signifies that the individuals who make the belongings you purchase are paid a good dwelling wage in a wholesome work setting. Certifications reminiscent of these assist level to issues being made thoughtfully. It’s a tough time we live in when inexperienced washing has turn into so commonplace with buzz phrases like “sustainable” and “pure” sprinkled into advertising and marketing, when it could be simply that—advertising and marketing, with out precise substance.
WL: As a model, and/or personally, how do you steadiness the necessity to promote and scale with the will to guard the planet and promote acutely aware consumerism?
KF: Being within the vogue enterprise the place there are steady cycles, it takes additional consciousness that we don’t “ pump” out an excessive amount of “ stuff” on the planet, and that what we create truly enhances life versus sucking the planet. As a place to begin we attempt to be actually conscious that we work with probably the most low impression supplies and components we are able to starting from GMO-free natural cotton seeds, to low impression dyes, and compostable corn packaging. We strive our greatest to scale back our foot print in each approach. We additionally take note of the sorts of clothes we make, in order that we make prime quality clothes that may by no means exit of fashion that may final. We would like the items we make to boost the wearers life, in order that they turn into beloved wardrobe staples. However we additionally must make choices at instances that places acutely aware consumerism on the forefront. For instance, we simply determined to not make a brand new cloth for our important T-shirts although we wish to enhance it, as a result of we all know we nonetheless have stock left in our present cloth.
As an alternative of constructing extra ‘stuff’, we wish to make that positive we promote the issues we’ve already made so that each T-shirt finds a house, earlier than we make extra. We’re additionally attempting to scale back what number of completely different gadgets we make per season, as a result of let’s face it—an excessive amount of clothes is being made yearly and we don’t wish to be part of the style trade downside.
WL: What units you aside from different sustainable clothes manufacturers, and the way does this imaginative and prescient information your corporation choices as we glance towards post-pandemic instances?
KF: We take lots of care in how we make our clothes and all elements of our enterprise. It seems like we’re weaving a group and are a bridge between our clients, our merchandise and materials, and our 
suppliers. We nurture the relationships we’ve got with all of our manufacturers and need our clothes to have a ripple impact on enhancing the lives of those that purchase and put on our clothes and the lives of those that are paid truthful dwelling wages to make it. On the yoga entrance we’re one in all a small group of corporations that makes natural cotton clothes designed for yoga and motion. Our motion assortment is admittedly tender and comfy and breathes. And it’s plastic free! Within the final two years, we’ve got began working with block print cloth that may be a deep love of mine, with historical roots as a textile custom that goes again 1000’s of years. A few of our block print clothes take 12 hours simply to print the material. I really like being part of a sluggish vogue motion.
My imaginative and prescient for post-pandemic life is that humanity slows down its consumption and tempo of life, and that all of us begin actually searching for each other and for our planet. I can see how a lot this has already began and I do actually suppose this can be a transformative time on the planet and I’m hoping and trusting that we are going to all come out higher than earlier than, even whether it is uneven seas with lots of chaos to get us there.
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Karina Mackenzie is author, producer, and wearer of many hats at Wanderlust. As Sr. Director of programming of Wanderlust occasions, she curates experiences for Wanderlust occasions in addition to the Wanderlust TV platform. and likewise contributes to editorial content material as a author, content material creator, and occasion expertise design.
She served for five+ years on the board of non-profit, Yoga Foster (now Wellemental), whose mission is to make mindfulness elementary in public faculties throughout America, and volunteered on the Inexperienced Wellness committee in Brooklyn public faculties.
She now lives within the woods of New England along with her two children and husband, studying (clumsily) lean into nation life.