The Whole Story

The inception of this project began many years ago, where Forrest and Fauna were actively pursuing their own creative endeavors.  Forrest studied Graphic Design and Printmaking at California State University at Long Beach.  His studio time at school led him to designing custom fabrics for various LA designers and finally into the development of his own small collection of one-of-a-kind garments, which were uniquely ‘Taylored’ with stenciled art, appliquéd vintage fabric and wild dye processes.  All was very successful for Forrest and the garments were in high demand, but he was still seeking to push the garments in a new direction. 

Fauna on the other hand was working on her MFA at UC Davis in the Textile Arts and Costume Design program.  At the beginning of her graduate studies, in the fall of 2003, Fauna went to Borneo to attend the World Eco Fiber and Textile Forum (W.E.F.T.).   After meeting and learning from countless contemporary and indigenous artist, designers and scholars from around the world, she was fueled with their same spirited emotion—to create meaningful work with ecological sensitivity as the number one priority.  She spent time in the interior of the country studying with master weavers and natural dyers where she added invaluable experience to her already well fortified love of dyeing cloth with bountiful palette of plant dyes.

 
After they finished art school, it became evident that what each had been pursuing separately would be the ideal partnering for a project much larger than themselves, in terms of both design and purpose.  Individually they had the knowledge and resources that when combined would produce a dynamic collaboration--thus the Forrest & Fauna clothing label was born.  

At a time when conversations about environmental impact and “green” products were of the hottest topics, Forrest & Fauna were fueled to not only design timeless apparel but more so by the opportunity educate people and inspire informed decisions about the garment they are purchasing. 

 Through the use of natural dyes, the colors of the garments are unlike any produced with the alternative chemical dyes.  These dye sources have been in use thousands of years and in many cases have been used as traditional medicines.  Supporting natural dyeing in a contemporary fashion arena in turn supports many rural communities around the globe in areas of reforestation, agricultural development and economic stimulus.  Forrest & Fauna do all of the dyeing themselves in-house and as a result have developed a low-water system where in which they reuse the dye water as many times as possible and have control of its disposal.

The artwork on Forrest & Fauna garments are also of naturally sourced pigments and as a result the colors permeate the fiber rather than sit on top of the surface as both water-based and plastisol inks and they last just as long as conventional inks.  The result is a garment, really soft to the hand, which only gets better with time.

Forrest & Fauna themselves are learning and growing through all of these processes. They are genuinely committed to developing and designing more ecologically advanced materials and processes, which aim for a cyclical rather than linear lifecycle.