Choosing Natural Fibers
Whether it be fun clothing for the beach bound, or dresses imported from Italy, defining the character of Affine was one of the first steps in starting my brand. This is the story of why I chose to use Natural Fiber fabrics.
As a visual artist, it's no surprise my inspiration came from a visual image: It was me, wearing a loose linen outfit on a breezy summer evening at the beachside. The feelings it evokes are comfort, freedom, health, and confidence.
Growing up, I spent many summers on Croatian beaches and these are some of my favorite memories. When visiting my Baka I was given all the freedom I could want. It surprises me that I had no curfews and could decide for myself how I was going to spend all of my time. With her cassette deck in my room I'd blast mix tapes I made especially for the trip. She never asked me to turn it down.
All dolled-up at the market in Crikvenica, with my Baka.
I'd spend my days at the beach and on the promenade, come home to eat, shower and get dressed (for hours) then out to the disco's. Wonderful Baka Dragica, was fine with it all. I wish I could tell her now how much I appreciate that freedom and the love for the Mediterranean it seeded in me.
I specifically remember being 16 and thinking I was pretty cool. At that time, I put a whole lot of time and effort into how I dressed. Hair, make-up, jewelry, outfit - all of it carefully considered!
Summer of 1986. It may not be obvious but the dress was on backwards, V-neck at the back, a big matching belt, and a puka shell bracelet and earring set. With my hair and make up perfectly set, it was a lot for a simple walk to the post office.
My outfits were elaborately put together to match and stand out, requiring constant adjustments. I cobbled it all together using what I (or other family members) had.
I certainly stuck out because in Europe, the locals generally wore a simpler style. They looked carefree, natural, and effortlessly beautiful. Of course, I didn't realize this at the time but now I aim for that easy-going look.
Wearing a simple linen dress with sneakers, while in Rome.
Natural Fiber fabrics are well suited to living near the coast in a mild weather locale (my dream). The humid air means wrinkles are less persistent. The breathability, durability, and light weight make linen the ultimate in comfort anywhere, but especially in warm weather.
Linen gets a bad rap for being wrinkled but I saw a different point of view in Croatia. I asked a sales clerk about ironing a linen blouse I was purchasing. Her reply was simply; "Ma, ko ima vrijeme? Ne trudimo se." (Who has time? We don't bother). I love the attitude of accepting things the way they are, embracing them for the good features they do offer, rather than trying to make them something they are not.
Obsession with perfection is making our quality of life poor. Wrinkle free, suffocating shirts that can practically stand up for themselves, heavy black lashes thicker than brows, and teeth as white as piano keys have become beauty in the wake of this obsession.
The time required to maintain it all leaves us scrambling for more time and spending too much money. We cut down on quality time in order to reach perfection and we miss the best things in life by doing so. Image repetition has desensitized us to this fake look of swollen mouths and exaggerated hourglass figures so we see these as something to aspire to. It's just my opinion, but I don't think these things look very good when not natural.
There are more important things in life that looking "perfect".
In this pursuit of perfection, plastics have come to play a big role. Why wash dishes or iron when you can just dispose and buy new? People appear to value convenience and perfection above all. It's good for the economy to keep us shopping but its bad for the environment and bad for our health. Single use cups and forks are tossed every day, without a care as to where they end up. Sure, plastic breaks down, but in the worst way. It becomes so tiny we can't see it and it doesn’t ever totally go away. It's accumulation should be more alarming! These tiny particles are found in our food chain, so not only are we using plastic to eat with, but we are actually eating it!
Plastics are negatively impacting the natural world we depend on. I chose natural fiber fabrics because the last thing I want to do is to add more microplastics to the soup. By using natural fibers only I can present to people another option.
Linen is durable which means you can keep it in use for years and, in turn, the fabric becomes softer and even more comfortable. This should also mean you need to buy fewer things. Knowing my clothing is it is made from natural origin products that can potentially turn back into earth makes a lot of sense to me.
The more I learn about and wear things made from organic cotton, wool, raw silk, and linen, the more I am drawn to choose these from my closet. The truth is simple: natural fibers feel better because they are breathable, soft, and generally static-free.
My first run at natural dyes on linen.
So that's how I came to choose natural fibers. Now comes the job of convincing others to see the many benefits.
Some favorite properties of 100% natural fiber fabrics:
- Durability, linen costs less per wear than short-lived synthetics;
- Breathability, all natural fibers allow for air flow;
- Break-down completely if properly composted; and
- Retain their shape, unlike synthetic fabrics which lose their shape after washing.
Do you have any favorite qualities of natural fiber fabrics?