About Funky Buddha Collection
Organic Lifestyle Clothing with Consciousness
Funky Buddha Collection is Canadian made organic clothing that is fair trade and ethically transparent. The clothing is made from hemp, organic cotton, modal, silk, bamboo and merino wool. The fabrics are GOETS fabrics.
The designs can be layered and worn on the matt and off the matt. I am the maker, designer, the retailer, the wholesaler and the marketer. My clothing is made from hemp, organic cotton, modal, some bamboo, some silk and merino wool. I choose hemp because it oxygenates our planet and gives back to the soil. Hemp is mould resistant, UV protective, anti-bacterial and durable. Funky Buddha Collection is clean everyday clothing that is stylish and practical. Perfect for travel, yoga and a green lifestyle . The clothing is made in Toronto and Peterborough, Ontario.
Plant Dyed Clothing
I recently began a creative journey into plant dyeing and have made one of a kind pieces that I would love to see you wearing. Plant dyeing is a time-consuming process whereby the organic fabric is boiled to remove all the waxes and oils from the fabric; it is then simmered again in a tannin bath; it is simmered again in an acetate bath and finally hung to dry. The garment is now ready to receive the plant dye. Plant dyes on organic clothing increase the durability and longevity of the cloth. It provides a protective layer of cleanliness to your skin. The dyes vary naturally, as the colours are found in, and are a reflection of nature.
- Logwood: Purple
- Indigo: Blue
- Osage: Yellow
- Madder: Brick Red
- Black Walnut: Coffee and cream
- Cochineal: Hot pink
- Goldenrod: Bright Yellow
Eco Printing
Eco printing is a final stage whereby plants are placed directly onto the naturally dyed cloth to create fossil images that are steamed onto the fabric. I use leaves like: sumac, black walnut, goldenrod, marigolds. There are thousands of possibilities.
Sacred Geometry
YANTRA
Yantras have been used as tools for awakening consciousness for thousands of years. A yantra image is an external representation of an inner process of spiritual unfolding. It is the hidden music of the universe made visible. Comprised of intersecting geometrical forms and interference patterns, these images have been designed using sacred geometry; the embedded fundamental language of nature. These configurations of matter and energy can be found in the smallest particles as well as in the structure of galaxies and solar systems. The yantra is the divine intelligence that directs the unfolding of the inner and outer worlds; that which is born at the still point in deep meditation. You (We) are that! These images were created by Dan Schmidt "Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds".
This Beautiful Imagery is locally silk-screened using low impact dyes.
Suzanne Vaillancourt
My love for planet earth, yoga, and dance, are the seams of the Funky Buddha Collection. Creating the Funky Buddha Collection is my effort to make our world a better place. Slow fashion requires patience and intention. I am committed to hemp as the most crucial plant that our planet has to offer. Its potential gifts are many, from bio fuel to fabric to buildings and vehicles, all with a negative carbon footprint.
I am also a committed yoga practitioner and a student of the Diane Long. I move with the flow of gravity, my spinal cord and my lungs. My fashion is an expression of that. I am also committed to The Peterborough Regional Farmers Market and will continue to participate and encourage our local community to support its farmers, bakers, chefs and craftspeople. The Vaillancourt family dates back to the late 1600s and I am a proud Canadian. I am also committed to our aboriginal causes and have a deeply held belief that clean water and decent living conditions are a human right. As a Canadian I am committed to service and kindness which is our heritage and the expression of our universal family tree. My final dream is to grow the hemp for my clothing and advocate for greater production in Canada. Hemp can clean our soil, our food and our air. We must be able to grow it without license as it is our right. I thank you all humans for existing and hope we can rise together towards the light of peace and harmony. A world without violence is my truest wish. To live as one like we were intended is our global right and responsibility.
Who am I?
I grew up caring about my environment. My parents had stable jobs with pensions, dental plans and savings accounts. They would spend every evening tending to their flowers and vegetables. The days were long and the skies were blue. There seemed to be so much time and enough of everything. I ran away from that and when I returned many years later everything was gone. The unions were gone; job security was gone. Born was the contract job. That was the nineties.
I moved to Japan in 1990 and lived there for more than a decade travelling back and forth to India, Thailand, Australia and Canada. I learned the rag trade from two separate merchant travellers. Ramon was a craftsman who made leather moccasins and jewelry. We sold in markets and life was unpredictable and hard. Phil a British businessman helped to create a line of clubwear clothing when raves were all the rage. I fell between these two merchants and learned the rag trade.
My whole existence was the dance floor and fashion. In the beginning, we were importing from Asia. We would spend several months a year in Bali. This life felt glamorous but it was never my home. There was a huge scene of ex-patriots living in luxury homes in Bali with servants. I got used to that lifestyle. I would come home from these experiences looking ten years younger and then starting all over again. The year the twin towers came down the parties stopped. The economy changed. We moved from designer clothing to cheap and cheerful disposable clothing. The trips to Asia meant less and less to me. I was never in it for the money it was always about fashion and when the fashion turned generic I wanted nothing more to do with it. I had my son for ten years back and forth until I got pregnant with my daughter and that was it I have not set foot in Asia since.
That was 12 years ago do I miss it? Not a bit. I had to leave that life to find my place here again. And it is hard. I had to leave my relationship and start over with a determination to create a line that would withstand the test of time. For me, the end of the world as we know it has changed and I say you better be prepared and wearing clothes that last and are comfortable to move in or should I say dance in!!! And yes wake up world because the rag trade is a dirty business and I strive to use hemp and it is hard because you have to educate your people to buy a fabric that is not instantly compelling like bamboo. When you touch bamboo it is soft as silk when you touch hemp it is slightly rough. For me, that is the beauty of the fabric! It transforms every time you wash it. Eventually, that fabric becomes your second skin and I would not trade it for anything!!!
How long have I been in business?
Funky Buddha Collection was born in 2011. I started by making my wrap tops out of bamboo and hemp. I did a line of hemp, cotton canvas scrolls. I also designed a small and simple line of children's clothing inspired by my daughter Shanti.
How long have you been running an online store?
I have been running an online store since 2013. I recently closed my site and sold on Etsy. Shopify is the perfect transition for me.
Where are you located?
I share a studio space with Ceramic Artist, Bill Reddick at 926 High Street unit #3 Peterborough, Ontario K9J2Y8
telephone: 705-761-7803
The clothing we wear should protect our skin, body, mind and spirit. I choose hemp because hemp crops can save our planet by creating oxygen, food, fibre and regenerating depleted soil.
The choices we make in our everyday life really matter. Choose to wear organic clothing!