The Folklove Story - Waistless and Waste-less Clothing catering for the Entrepreneurial Corporate Hippy and Menopausal Mamma

Folklove is

The Place Where Looking Good Doesn't Cost The Earth

So where did it all Begin.....

Folklove represents more than just fashion, it encompasses a natural lifestyle, living harmoniously as custodians of our environment, practicing respect by protecting the earth we live with, not only upon.

We are the wise women who see the damage of "disposable" products in our lifetime and no longer accept plastic products and packaging.

We are the awareness of our population impact, we are guiding the new generations by practicing our own self sufficiency gardening, growing our own food and composting most of our waste, using natural body and skincare and home products that are not toxic to our bodies or the planet.

Folklove garments are designed as investment pieces to be worn out and repaired or repurposed to not end up in landfill.

We are supporting  Australian made products that lift up and empower local artisans creating a better economy, ethically transparent natural fibres for the body that allow air flow and thermoregulation for the better health of our body, mind and spirit and for a better nurtured planet.

Folklove is about improving the planet through improving the ways in which we choose to buy products, the way we choose to live, to live kindly, a gentler, better way, there is always a better way.

Folklove is a lifestyle that improves our wellbeing and embraces and supports the wellbeing of our surrounding beings, protecting the nature that we belong to and the living beings we can choose to support and save from extinction.

We respect and embrace the foresight and inherent wisdom of Indigenous Aboriginal Laws, of respect, care, connection, love and important ceremonial rites inherent to country.

We acknowledge country, acknowledge all Indigenous Aboriginal Australians, past, present and yet to be born, and value, love and respect country, we have so much yet to learn here. 

Folklove is learning about our footprint, questioning our habits, working harmoniously with the planet, slow fashion, commitment to long term use of these beautiful garments, which are then returned for repair and repurpose. We do not throw away- we repurpose

Folklove is a closed loop lifestyle range made up of Ethical and sustainable local, Handmade clothing and products based in Cooma, at the heart of the Snowy Mountains, where I design and hand make these beautiful pieces.

I am not a model, but as i wanted to test my designs, they are based on my body shape, so yes I am modelling my clothes to make sure they fit and feel good. I also Quality Control them to ensure they wash and dry well and I understand stain removal and wear areas.

I'm also modelling my designs to show you how comfortable and easy they are to wear, also fitting beautifully!. 

 

The Folklove story began many years ago, seeded in the mind of a teenage girl, who dreamt of designing stylish clothing for comfort, style and good health. My inspirational heroine, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, was one of the first pioneers to offer women a wardrobe option choice by introducing sportswear - basically trousers!,  thereby, emancipating women in the process of the early 1900's.

My love of the feminine and elegant 1940's tailoring, as well as the variety and craftmanship of fibre, colour and fabric in the Folk costumes from all around the world, were the seeds that inspired Folklove Clothing to germinate.

Having always been involved in fabric and fashion design, I wanted to create sustainable, natural and ethically made pieces, designed to accentuate the positive points of the body, offer natural comfort, ease and breathability as well as crossing the fashion barriers of shape, height and age without exclusion.

 

The Seed Sprouted

While working in the fashion industry in the 1980's and renting a house with five women, we of course, shared our working wardrobes and this resulted in a small popular range that we all fought over.

Worn again and again, they were classic styles, made in Australia from natural fibres with slight tailoring to give form and movement and great colours to mix and match - bring on the capsule range.

What struck me at the time was that even though our five body shapes and heights were distinctly different, through our individual styles, we could all "rock the outfit" in our own way - Folklove was born.

I wanted my designs to contour the body shape rather than tailoring a snug fit, so through this process, I am able to offer the wearer instant comfort and confidence in their own shape and to celebrate their unique style

My process for designing was never to a standard size, Size doesn't matter to me, more important to me is comfort, confidence and creating your own style!

To the gorgeous women out there who are perfectly imperfect and comfortable in their own skin - I see you!

 Goodbye Fast Fashion - Hello Slow fashion

Let's face it, most of our clothes are mass produced overseas, in factories exploiting workers or harming the soil and water used to process the fibres, fast fashion lasts a lifetime in landfill, but barely a season in your wardrobe.

I don't believe this is how we continue to look after our one and only planet.

As an advocate of slow fashion, I want to create beautiful quality pieces that will last and become favourites pieces that you can wear again and again. 

Folklove's mantra is slow fashion, waistless and wasteless, made to last and soften up, to be repurposed. 

Of course the quality control process is tested by yours truly, not only gardening, cooking and painting in them but also dancing in them so they allow ease of movement whatever you are doing. 

Handmade with Love

I design to transcend fads, fast fashion and time, as my pieces are classic in form, trans seasonal, made to last and be repurposed when they cannot be repaired or patched. I  can see and feel if they are the true fit and style i created, I then have them made up by my patternmaker. We will make several toiles to get it right, then our Folklove group of sassy women will wash and wear them for me so i know how and if they work.

They are handmade in small batches by local women, working from their homes. This gives these women the freedom to fit their work in with their own lifestyles and creates amazing quality garments with a story to tell. These glorious pieces were made to wear out, soften up and be repurposed.

We use only ethically sourced, GOTS and OEKOTEX Certified 100% sustainable fabrics of Linen, Hemp and Merino that are made to last whilst also offering natural and breathable softness.

We do not use synthetics fibres to make clothing. Synthetics are not natural and not good for you or the planet, so No to Nylon, Polyester and Viscose.

Made for Real Sassy Women with perfectly imperfect bodies

Fast forward many years in the fashion industry seeing many changes, my living in France, Italy, Canada and the United Kingdom and I now see the opportunity to share my passion for fashion without harming the planet or hurting the makers.

I love creating locally handmade fashion for the Corporate Hippies ( that's me!) and Menopausal Mammas (yes! me too) that inspire me to create classic, transeasonal capsule ranges to compliment any shape, style or event.

I have also noticed that over the time of deliberation in launching Folklove to the world, I have transversed the life stages - from Puberty, to Career Woman, Motherhood and now Menopause, in awe at the body's amazing ability to adapt and change through these phases then change back.

Only now in Menopause - as the wise and sassy defiant crone of the third age, have I joined the age of invisibility in the fashion industry, Haute Couture and catwalks don't yet see Menopausal women. Ironic when we make up such a large percentage of the the population worldwide and this is such an empowering stage in life where women view their life's tapestry and are quite content with who they are.

Menopause has a way of dictating a wardrobe, hot flushes restrict the wearing of synthetics, night sweats change bedding to wool and cotton only, tight waists cause discomfort, the ever expanding waistline even ruins wearing favourite old jeans! But this has all been taken into account in my design process

 The Folklove Family

At Folklove, I want to create space for women to connect, to find their favourite clothes, to share their experiences, their stories, learn about slow, sustainable, ethical fashion and live abundantly in tune with the planet doing the things they love. I want to create Transeasonal Capsule Ranges in breathable fabrics that will inspire you and make you feel your best. I have been designing these clothes for over 30 years and have created flattering pieces that skim and don't cling. They will make you feel comfortable in your own skin and can be worn time and time again, dressed up or down for multiple occasions.

You're invited, come and join the Folklove Family, embrace new friends, new challenges, new energy, new styles and a new radiantly unique you.

After all We all need more Love, Folklovexx