REKINDLE 4 5 Words: Kathryn Blake Images: Rekindle Shopping without compromising your ethics is an almost impossible feat. Mass produced clothing and non-vegan materials are the default while questionable and unsustainable practices within the industry are rife. If you’re looking to update your wardrobe while also championing your views and wearing your ‘art on your sleeve so it were, well you need look no further than ReKindle clothing. Brighton based Lisa Skelly of the sustainable clothes and accessories brand ReKindle took time out to answer some questions about the hows, wheres and whys behind starting up an ethical fashionable business. You’re a young female creator prominent in the vegan scenes so I’m super excited to chat to you about your work. Could you tell me a little bit about the background of your work and how the brand got started? I began Rekindle Clothing at a time of change in my life. A few years prior to the beginning of this new adventure, I had ended a career I no longer loved and was taking some time to work out who I was and which direction I wanted to move in. During this time, various aspects of my life and my outlook on life changed, but one major change was my decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle. I researched, and learned so much about the many industries that exploit animals and felt like I needed a way to share everything I had learned. I knew I wanted to do something to encourage positive change but I wasn’t sure what or how. I was in a charity shop one afternoon (as I often am!) and I found a denim jacket. I took it home and decorated it with pretty fabric from old clothes that I didn’t want anymore- just for a bit of creative fun! But that was the moment I realized what I wanted to do. The idea was particularly exciting because it combined my creativity with my love of second hand clothing, my passion for animal rights and the environment. It just seemed to click! Am I right in thinking you started with repurposed jackets and have now moved onto tote bags and patches? Is there anything else in the line so far (or in the works) you can tell us about? Yes! Initially, I began with just the repurposed jackets and have now added the tote bags and patches. The tote bags were added as I became interested in plastic free living. I wanted to have a product which could encourage people to shop without plastic bags and to be more mindful of those ‘small’ decisions that have a huge impact on the environment and the sea life. All of my tote bags are made from organic, fair trade cotton as well, so there are no harmful pesticides involved in making them. The patches are cute and I love painting them and making them all unique. They are all made from second hand jeans! I do also paint denim shirts and I have a range of A4 art prints on recycled card available too. At the moment, I don’t have any plans for new products. I just want to keep creating lots of jackets, patches and shirts and focus on spreading as much compassion as I can! Do you have a favourite product? The jackets! I spend a lot of time painting, sewing and hand embroidering each one, so, naturally, I care for them more. I also think that out of all the products I offer, they are the most eye catching and are the most likely to get a reaction from a passer by. The main point is for the artwork to encourage an emotional response in people - people who are walking behind someone wearing one of my jackets. People who may be on their way to a supermarket to buy a beef burger or a pint of milk or a cheesy pizza. They may not have made a connection yet, and I hope that my jackets can encourage them to make that connection and question the way they view these beautiful animals. Your work is incredibly beautiful and detailed - I know that if I tried anything like this it would look like a Jackson Pollock inspired child. Do you have a professional artistic background? Thank you! I did A-Level art but nothing further than that. I’ve always loved drawing and painting - I’m a creative person. I have had to teach myself how to use a sewing machine though since starting Rekindle Clothing! How do you see yourself/how do you think others see you as a young female in business relating to the mainstream market? I don’t really think of myself as a business woman so it is difficult for me to get in to the ‘business’ mindset for this question! I think of myself as an animal rights advocate, environmentalist and an artist. Whenever people ask me what I do for a living, that is what I say and that is what I feel is most true. I don’t want to think of myself as a business woman, because I am not. I am someone with a deep desire for justice in a world where humans have taken what they believe is theirs, for money, for taste buds, for fun, for fashion and for sport, with little regard for the animals and with little thought for the lasting environmental effects. I am one of the many people finding my own way to stand up and say that is not ok. My artwork is my activism. My Etsy shop is a platform for my art and a way for my artwork to travel and influence people in all areas of the world. How do you think ethics and small business can collaborate and forge mainstream success? When you look to the high street it’s hard to find a business that hasn’t lost its way in terms of sustainability/ fair wage/scandal/general unethical behaviour in pursuit of profit. Do you think values have to be compromised to become bigger? Unfortunately, yes in most cases. I do think that growing a business to meet the kind of demand that large high street chains have results in compromising morals. Recently more and more people are supporting smaller businesses because they are aware of this. I think that more people are also buying second hand. There seems to be much more awareness of issues revolving around the environment. This gives me hope that we can move away from the era of massive chain shops selling cheap at the cost of the environment and the people working to make their products, and move in to a new era, where lots of small ethical and environmentally friendly businesses can support each other through a joint interest, and dedication to making positive change. At the moment, I think it’s lovely how almost all of the vegan shops and café’s are independent and small, but there is a growing community of vegans excited to support them and keep them alive. I definitely feel like I have that support and I am very grateful for that. I also think that most people who are vegan or mindful of the environment, are much more likely to shop on Etsy or other similar platforms as opposed to mainstream chains, as it gives them the option to be specific about what they need. So I feel that, as the ethical and environmental awareness grows, people are turning to the smaller shops and Etsy shops and we can all support each other to encourage the rise of smaller, ethical businesses. Your messages are blunt when it comes to the ethics of veganism. What would you say to other small businesses who want to succeed but are afraid of remaining true to their values incase it puts people off? I was afraid to begin with. My boldness has grown as I’ve nervously tested the boundaries. The first few jackets I made had no messages on them. They weren’t specifically vegan. They were open for interpretation. I remember the first time I made a vegan cow jacket. I created a fabric collage cow and embroidered the word ‘vegan’ and ‘Love’ around the cow. It was heavily embellished and there was no mistaking the message I was putting out there! I was nervous to put it in my shop. I was worried I would get hateful messages. I didn’t want people to tell me I was ‘preaching’ through my art. But, regardless, I took a deep breath and I posted it on social media and put in the shop. Within one hour, it had sold and I had 100 more followers than I had had 60 minutes ago. I realized at that point, that there are a lot of people who are as passionate about animal rights as I am and want to stand up for those poor animals, just as much as I do. And so I stopped worrying about what people think and starting fueling that passion that I feel every time I see footage from a slaughterhouse or painful images. There will be people who don’t agree with my art work because they don’t agree with veganism, or rather, they don’t understand it. But those are not the people I am reaching out to. I am reaching out to the people who are going to help me make a positive change. So my advice is, to be bold! If the whole point of your business is to raise awareness for something you care about, like mine, then you need to give it every ounce of passion you have! When it comes to clothes and shopping, what can people do to reduce their waste and manage the sustainability in their own lives? Firstly, I would say reduce the amount of clothing you have. I think I’m pretty safe in saying that most of us have far more clothes than we need. Enjoy the simplicity of less! Have a clear out and take your unwanted clothes to your local charity shop. Secondly, buy second hand. When you need some ‘new’ clothes, browse around the charity shops, ebay auctions, vintage shops or swap clothes with friends. Lastly, if you buy brand new, research before you buy. If you understand which materials are eco friendly and which are not, you can make better choices. Where you do you see you and your business growing over the next years? I don’t like to plan too far in to the future. I know that I am comfortable doing my art in my studio, creating awareness and raising money for sanctuaries, vegan groups and charities. I would like to continue! I feel like part of a wonderful community of compassionate individuals and I have had so much support from them and so many encouraging comments and wonderful conversations. My main goal with my work is to encourage people to take positive steps towards creating a better future for the animals that we exploit and for our incredible planet. I just want to be able to do this all the time! Do you ever take time off? In my own experience, running a startup is incredibly demanding and it’s hard to separate work from life sometimes. What do you do to relax and have fun? Oh yes it’s hard to find that line definitely! I practice yoga every day and just adore it! I love cooking and experimenting- making up my own vegan recipes and making my kitchen messy! Finding woodlands to explore and standing on the cliff top, looking out at the sea with a fennel tea in hand and my bare feet on the grass. It’s the simple things make me happy! Thanks! <strong>Vegan</strong> <strong>Connections</strong> Lifestyle Lifestyle <strong>Vegan</strong> <strong>Connections</strong>