What Inspired the Soul Flower Catalog: An Interview with the Karma Captain

Every time I page through a catalog, I can't help but wonder what inspired it. Out of all the themes and all the clothes in the world, how did this catalog come to be what it is? Even though I work here at Soul Flower and take part in much of this inspiration while it's in the works, I still find myself wanting to ask....what spurred all of this? Well, if anyone would know, it would have to be Peggy, our Karma Captain & Co-owner.

 And so my questions begin: 

What inspired the Soul Flower Spring/Summer 2012 clothing line?
It is two fold – bright, patterned, flowing fabrics for much of our imported line and printed positive, powerful images for our US made line. Both can easily be combined together for an eclectic, bohemian look. Our clothing is thoughtful and active  – two important parts of my lifestyle and also soul flower’s philosophy. Since a lot of our clothing has a yoga quality to it, much of our graphics & images are rooted in that. As are the messages –you will find both positive images and positive messages mixed into our active wear – things like fly free, be yourself, and let your soul flower. Finally, we are always inspired by mother earth and try to keep things as eco-friendly as possible.

This seasons many patterns!

When you select pieces, do you keep entire outfits in mind, or does it just fall into place?
I do try to think about how pieces will work together. We look for common themes in prints and colors in hopes that our buds can find lots of creative ways to work the pieces together. We buy a lot of designs and patterns that can be layered together for unique looks.

Looks like the Soul Flower Originals line is really growing, especially with all the new yoga/lounge sets – any particular reason why?
We wanted a line that was comfortable but stylish, US-made but affordable, eco-friendly but fashionable. Since we hadn’t found it elsewhere, we decided to make it ourselves. We found a great source for organic cotton and recycled fabrics here in the US. And we have a group of Soul Flower buds here that makes it work – lots of ideas for designs, graphics and messages are always flowing, so it is fun to be able to make it from scratch!

How did this year’s line inspire the catalog's overall theme of Everyday Bliss?
I always go back to comfort, being cozy, and feeling happy and confident in your own skin. I like to think that our clothing helps people do that – we design for a lot of different styles, body-types and looks while keeping it comfortable - to help our buds best express themselves. Everyday Bliss means feeling happy right where you are, just as you are and wearing positive, comfy clothing can help that!

What’s your favorite thing about this seasons catalog?
I love the idea of finding bliss right where you are – embracing those you love around you and not always trying to search for something more. For this catalog, we imagined things like building forts on a rainy day, snuggling up with the ones you care about and really taking the time to notice what you have. It became a crazy-fun set up at soul flower – cool random bunkers with fabric, tapestries, scarves - these comfy-cozy forts where our buds could hang out in their soul flower threads. :)

Peace & Happiness,
Peggy & Jacqueline Lee