Water has a lot more to do with fashion than just bikinis and doing laundry. It takes 2900 gallons of water to grow enough cotton for one pair of jeans! So, here’s a good question: water covers 70% of our planet but how much of that water is drinkable and accessible?

The answer is .03%. Not 3%…not .3%… but .03% – pretty unsettling, I would say!

By some estimates that leaves nearly 2 billion people without access to clean drinking water and many scientists believe that by 2040 we may need to find 40% more water. Think about how hard your life would be if you could not just turn on the tap and let it flow. There are serious water challenges throughout our world. Though shorter showers help, we are all going to need a little Liquid Courage to develop large-scale solutions.

If you think there is nothing you can do, guess again. The Nature Conservancy needs your help to spread the word about this growing crisis by visiting their new Liquid Courage website learning about their mission and the Liquid Courage campaign and discussing it with every one you know.  The aim of the campaign is to catalyze a conversation about water across digital platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Media, Blogs) and get the conversation (and the water) flowing.

Find out where your local water comes from and start guarding that precious supply of water with the power of your actions and voices. Check out what Adam Freed, Giullio Boccaletti and Emily Simmons of The Nature Conservancy’s Global Freshwater Team are saying on Twitter -  @AdamMFreed, @G_Boccaletti and @Eco_Em.

For over 60 years, The Nature Conservancy has been working around the world to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. The Nature Conservancy has more than 400 freshwater experts working on protecting water at its source. In Patagonia, they are working with Patagonia Inc. to help local farmers protect grasslands from desertification by properly managing streams. They have also partnered with MillerCoors to brainstorm methods to be more efficient with water used in beer brewing.

Today is World Water Day.. Celebrate by going to http://water.nature.org to find your Liquid Courage and be part of the solution.

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My husband and I first decided to travel around a little bit and enjoy some of what beautiful Nicaragua has to offer.  We went to Ometepe Island for a few days then to the city of Granada for a couple of days.

Volcano Concepcion on Ometepe Island

View from a little cafe on Ometepe

The path to the waterfalls (cascadas)

My husband and I enjoying some down time at Ojo de agua

After fun exploring, it was time for my husband to head back to the states and for me to get to work.

I first met the woman from the sewing cooperative who immediately took me to meet her friends who run a fabric recycling factory just 10 minutes from the Managua airport.  Scraps of all kinds of fabric sorted into what seemed to be mile-high ceiling-touching piles; sorted by color, weight, type, etc.  This fabric comes from all over and is purchased by people all over the world to be repurposed.

The last few days have consisted of meetings with the various people I have been communicating with, fabric store visits, a meeting with owners of an industrial sewing machine shop, a tour of two organic cotton farms with an extremely knowledgeable agricultural engineer, a meeting with the non-profit group who I’ve been talking to for so long, and an honest analysis of the project.

Organic Cotton Field - 4 weeks before it's ready

Raul Machin - Agricultural Engineer originally from Cuba/Amazing Educator

Did you know?…

Cotton grows first as a flower

Develops into a fruit called a "cotton boll"

Then bursts open when it's mature

Even after so many communications, being here in the middle of all of it and meeting all of these people face to face has added a lot of different angles to the mix.  The toughest of all issues seems to be the financing to get an additional industrial machine and how to get the fabric I want.  Unless I purchase enormous amounts of fabric (which is unrealistic for me at this stage of startup), my next option is to purchase directly from the shops.  The shops may receive a type of fabric one day and when they completely sell out of it, there is no definite time that can be promised for the fabric to arrive again.  You walk into the fabric shops and there are piles upon piles of bolts of material wrapped and stacked on tables, shelves and the floor; most of them are not labeled to indicate content, origin, or anything of the sort.  This is Central America.  A reworking of the plan with regard to fabric is in order.

I didn’t come here thinking this was going to be easy and anyone who knows me knows I don’t give up easily so, (as I say often) if it is meant to be, I will find a way…

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My husband Shannon and I were given a gift certificate for a weekend stay at The Moorings Village on Islamorada Key as a wedding gift.  It took us 7 months to finally book it and here we are.  This place is heavenly… our very own sweet cottage surrounded by lush tropical foliage, blooming orchids clinging to trees, and other flower-filled plants, just steps from the beach.  Maybe it’s the time of year we decided to come, I’m not sure, but we are the only ones here so (other than the owners and property caretakers) we have an entire 18-acre private beach to ourselves.

Walkway to our cottage

The Sifka House

We couldn’t ask for prettier weather with perfect blue skies, an occasional wispy white cloud floating by, and the temperate high in the upper 70s, low in the upper 60s.  It’s really windy but that’s perfect for sitting in the warm Florida sun (with a ton of sunblock on).

We ran into our cottage, threw down our bags, grabbed our reading materials, sunglasses and towels and ran out to lounge in the sun.  Goodbye normal every day clutter of busy schedules, multiple projects, phone and email overload.   Hello fresh air, coconut palms swaying in the wind, giant hammocks, isolated white sand beach, and time to relax.

Ready for beach time

Loving life

Gorgeous private beach

The perfect day on Islamorada Key

Sit, breathe, and read...

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I am a lucky girl with an amazing support system and since the idea for pashen collection first popped in my head, I have known without an ounce of doubt that I want sustainability to be part of my mission. The little ‘grey area’ clouds that pop into my mind from time to time have to do with the definition of sustainability and how this is so different for so many people. In an effort to look beyond this, I have asked myself, “what does sustainability mean to me and how do I want to present this through my work?”

Vegetable Dye Colors

There are organic fibres, plant-based dyes, recycled fabrics and other sustainable materials; there are commitments to ethical labor practices through fair trade certifications; there is work with artisan groups providing a means to self sustain to talented craftsman and their families; there is the use of local materials rich in tradition which is also beneficial to local economies; there is the focus on superior quality and timeless design in a garment or accessory, which in itself provides sustainability in that a piece lasts a lifetime rather than having to be replaced for wear and tear or because it’s simply outdated. All of these things contribute to sustainability in fashion.

Fair Trade Labels

Feeling a tad overwhelmed by all of these options, I asked a friend and colleague for her input. She reminded me of the importance in remaining focused on the integrity behind the designs and my overall mission – “My Story.” She reminded me that it is a process. So, little by little, I decide what sustainability means to me and how I want aspects of it represented in my designs and the development of those designs.

Thank you for your words, BOFA!

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Pie de Gigante, Nicaragua

I have been fascinated by fashion since birth, I am convinced; mesmerized by the feel of fabrics and the mixing and matching of different styles and just as intrigued by the methods used in constructing each item, from a simple whip stitch on the inside of a hem to the more intricate stitches used in hand-knit crochet pieces and delicate embroideries.

At age 10, we were given several options for an elective class to take at school; the least popular of the options was the ‘stitchery class’. That was my choice, hands down. I loved every second of it. Sewing and creating things filled me with joy and an incredible sense of peace. I remember how proud I was of my first completed project – a smocked night gown in sky blue colored cotton voile with white grosgrain ribbon ties at the shoulders and white and pink embroidery at the front bodice.

Stitchery Class Project

I’ve also always had a deep interest in charity and helping others.  I believe that providing people in poverty-stricken communities with skill training and jobs, for example, best enables them to become self sufficient, offering long term benefits to them, their families and their communities. This understanding has had an immense influence on my business model.

I have officially been on this journey since April 20, 2010, when the corporation was formed. Endless hours of research, paired with ongoing correspondence with manufacturing companies, suppliers, patternmakers, cooperatives, artisan groups and others, has been taxing but rewarding in so many ways. Anyone who has started their own business knows that sometimes you go in with one idea and things change. There are endless challenges and each time you take 5 steps forward there are situations that ‘pop up’ and take you 2 steps back. I have had numerous people ask me, “have you given up on the whole idea of having a sustainable business because of all of the challenges?” and my response remains a firm,”no.” My first goal is to design beautiful clothing and accessories that people will love, enjoy and even treasure. My second goal is to follow the ethics of sustainability in any way possible for me at this stage of development. If I take sustainability out of the equation, it doesn’t make sense for me anymore. And so, I continue…

Pencil sketch

I started with a series of simple pencil illustrations. A single croquis wearing several different looks. So far, I have communicated with potential partners in the US, Peru, Nicaragua, Cambodia, Thailand, and Turkey. We have discussed fabric options, fair trade practices, pattern details, size ranges, colors, logistics, and more. I have samples in work through 4 different groups in 4 different countries and I can honestly say that through this, if nothing else, my passion for fashion and the sustainability of our planet has grown and I have developed relationships with a few amazing and talented people who I may not have ever come in contact with if I weren”t doing this. For that, I am more than thankful.

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