Beloved eco-apparel label Bodkin picked up and moved to Los Angeles this month (Echo Park to be exact), making a true blue Eastsider out of the label's lovely founder and designer Eviana Hartman. We caught up with N.Y. transplant at the Afingo Fashion Forum in DTLA, where the seasoned eco-expert was discussing sustainable fashion among other greats including designer Jesse Kamm, and Scott Mackinlay Hahn of Rogan & Loomstate. On our topic menu: True love, hippie leanings, all time bestsellers, and an exciting move into basics:
The Feast: Welcome to Los Angeles — why did you make the move?
Eviana Hartman: I moved for love, and because I like to be in the outdoors and I just wanted a better quality of life. All of my future in-laws are here. I think that with N.Y., either you're a lifer or you're not, and I put in 11 years. I do consider myself a N.Y. designer who happens to live in L.A., and I don't think the move will change the overall direction of what I'm doing. I just couldn't imagine myself as a mom or an old person living in N.Y. I guess I'm just too much of a hippie; I wanted more space, plants, trees...
What is the most difficult thing about doing what you do?
I have one employee so I do just about everything. This isn't my background, so it's like exploring the jungle — you're just cutting bush and seeing what's there. When you're working in this manner, the highs are high and the lows are lower, so not only am I having a hard time making a good margin, because everybody wants everything cheaper, but things go wrong with sustainable and organic textiles because there's just not a lot of experience or expertise there. I think it's just the general unpredictability of the whole thing paired with the pressure from the consumer for prices to come down. I get up every day and I feel like I'm going into battle. I don't know what problems are going to come up but they inevitably do.
Do you feel like the recession has affected consumer behavior when it comes to buying sustainable apparel?
I definitely think there was a moment a few years ago when "eco" seemed to be everywhere in fashion, and it is true that the recession meant that all of a sudden people didn't feel like spending money on anything, but I also think it meant that people would still buy clothing, just spend less. I think he recession has caused people to reevaluate where things come from, and it ties into the domestic jobs issue, so I do think that some people have grown to appreciate locally-made apparel.
What's the number one thing to look for when buying sustainable apparel?
Really what Bodkin is about is just exploring sustainability from the textile angle. There no clear way to make a decision on whether a textile is good or bad, so it's just about doing your best. It's not just whether a source is organic, it's where was it dyed, how was it dyed, what technique was used, how the was fiber processed, where it comes from. For me, it's ultimately taking this idea and trying to adapt it so that I can make pieces that people who appreciate and understand fashion will actually want to wear.
What are your all time bestselling items to date?
There's the Crocus tunic from the spring collection. It came in a lot of different fabrics, and it knots at the bottom and it's just super easy. The Caos Sweater is coming back for fall — the whole body consists of braided pieces and everyone is always asking for it, so it's coming back. It seems that the most popular pieces that those that are comfy and basic, but not too basic. Pieces that you can wear them all the time but have something strange going on too.
What piece are you most excited about from your upcoming Fall 2011 collection?
There's a dress that I'm excited to wear and it's made from deadstock jersey that I got right here in L.A a few blocks away from my studio. L.A. is really the deadstock capitol of the world, and there's so much fabric here and sometimes in really large quantities and you'll look at the label and it's been sitting there for 15 years, so it's great to be able to use that. It's called the Los Alamos dress (all of the styles thus far have been named after science, but I'm running out of ideas), and it's an almost full length, cozy, layered, heather gray dress that I know I'll be wearing a lot.
What's next for Bodkin?
Eventually I would love to make basics!
You can shop Bodkin locally at Mohawk General Store, TenOverSix, and Steven Alan in Venice.
