This month, we celebrate one of my favorite times of year– Mardi Gras, a celebration of creativity, vitality, and indulgence. Traditionally, Carnival (carne vale = “meat, farewell”) is the last hurrah before lent, a season of fasting and abstinence. Although the holiday itself is Catholic, the celebration is rooted in ancient Pagan spring festivities. Its traditions have changed and morphed throughout history, and to this day is a very special (and wild!) time of year. Traditionally, people celebrate Fat Tuesday by eating fatty foods, but consumption of just about everything is celebrated, with the intention of giving up these earthly delights for lent.
The downside of this celebration and the bigger-is-better attitude that comes with excessive consumption is the mass waste produced. From costumes, to throws, and the waste accumulated through parties, Mardi Gras produces approximately 1,150 tons of waste annually. This hits me every year when I’m leaving a parade on St. Charles Ave and the streets are littered with throws and beads; it’s like swimming through a sea of garbage left behind. In these moments I remind myself that there are beautiful ways to celebrate, express ourselves, and indulge in the excitement without contributing to this wasteful aspect of Mardi Gras. If we shift our focus and money spent on fast fashion costumes and plastic throws to eco-conscious habits such as upcycling, supporting small businesses, and finding creative ways to support our city, it will only make the celebration more special. Although there is so much more work to be done, there is a shift in awareness taking place. This year, I was inspired to see the expansion of local organizations tackling the epidemic of waste around Mardi Gras. Our choices spread into our communities, which helps protect our beautiful planet. After all, Mardi Gras comes from Paganism, which is rooted in celebrating mother nature.
Here’s a few ideas of how you can celebrate the opulence of this beautiful festival season without contributing to wasteful overconsumption:
Costumes
Mardi Gras, fantastical by nature, is a perfect time for storytelling. Some dress as medieval royalty–jesters, kings, princesses– but most people choose their own adventure. This year, I saw angels, monsters, a pink cheetah, and I even got a carriage ride from The Kool-Aid Man. In addition to individual costumes, there are many different krewes, each with their own theme, such as Krewe of Red Beans, Krewe of Cleopatra, Krewe de la Renaissance, Krewe de Kink, Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus, and so on. Your costume can be as abstract or classic as you’d like. In 1892, Rex’s parade theme “Symbolism of Colors” gave meaning to Carnival’s iconic palette: purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. These colors are often incorporated into Mardi Gras looks.
Fast fashion dominates everyday fashion and costume wear alike. According to Environment+Energy Leader, roughly 83% of all costumes use non-recyclable, oil-based plastic, and tens of millions of costumes end up in the landfill annually. Fast fashion costumes are not only detrimental to the environment, but cheapen the quality of costumery and strip the ‘characters’ of character. Here are my suggestions…
Shop from your closet. Mardi Gras has many different themes to play into. You can create a character from what you already own, or bring back a character using an old costume. Or, wear your favorite outfit and embellish your look with makeup, glitter, or face gems.
Make your own costume. Costumes we make with our own hands are one of a kind, and the relationship we have with our garments is deepened when we’ve spent time imagining, planning, and creating them. Plus, they reduce the demand for fast fashion, and are less likely to end up in a landfill.
Shop local. Supporting artists and small businesses helps keep the artistry of New Orleans alive. There are countless shops and vendors with handmade costumes, masks, and jewelry.
Shop vintage/second hand. There are some incredible vintage Mardi Gras costumes for sale this time of year, which can be found at your local vintage shop, as well as various pop-up costume sales around the city. Thrifting is a budget friendly option, and sparks inspiration since you never know what you’ll find.
Invest in a high quality garment. Investment pieces from slow fashion brands are created to be worn time and time again. For example, if you invest in a beautifully made headpiece, you can wear it every Mardi Gras, year after year. Or, you can invest in a piece you can wear as a part of your costume and as an every day staple.
This Mardi Gras, I took my own advice by creating a medieval inspired princess headpiece, mostly using scrap Rat des Champs fabric. I paired it with our Oracle dress, which can be worn for Mardi Gras, renaissance fairs, festivals, or any whimsical occasion. This high quality fabric (55% Hemp, 45% Organic Cotton) is something that can be worn again and again for a variety of occasions, dressed up and down. On another day of carnival, I wore a vintage beaded shirt from Southern Kitsch Vintage, and paired it with a vintage deadstock Mardi Gras mask, which I purchased from an estate sale. The process of gathering and creating these looks has been one of my favorite parts of Mardi Gras this year, and has been SO much more fun than receiving a package in the mail. This process gets me out of the house and into the city, connects me to my community, and extends the carnival spirit into my art and to those around me.
Ruby at the Red Bean parade wearing our Oracle dress and handmade headpiece.
Parades
Parades are undoubtedly one of the most iconic parts of Mardi Gras. There are walking parades, which are generally more sustainable, as well as the more extravagant, traditional parades with floats, some of which are “super-krewes.” I have a few favorites, which are eco-conscious, and in my opinion, the most fashionable…
Krewe ofRed Beans is a walking parade locatedin the Bywater on Lundi Gras (“fat monday”). Known for their artistic and innovative costumes, or “handmade bean suits,” this is a favorite among locals and creatives.
Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc is a walking parade in the French Quarter, which honors the patron saint of France, Joan of Arc. Angels, priests, and female warriors offer a theatrical, visual narration of Joan’s life, and commemorate our city’s French cultural heritage. This inspired portrayal of her story is incredibly moving, making it my favorite parade of the season.
Krewe of Boheme, known for their eccentric inner krewes, represent Mardi Gras in all of its idiosyncrasy: quirky costumes, literary references, and, of course, Krewe of Full Bush. Led by women and ruled by their Supreme Green Fairy, Boheme marches through the Marigny/French Quarter neighborhood.
Krewe of Iris is the largest and oldest all women Krewe in New Orleans. In traditional fashion, Iris rolls down St. Charles in ornate floats greeting a huge turnout of attendees. Riders throw locally sourced, functional throws, which set them apart from other super-krewes.
Krewe of Freret rolls down the Uptown parade route. They’re known for their usable, functional throws, such as socks, coffee, and rice. They pride themselves on being inclusive, and inviting tourists and non-native New Orleaneans to join their krewe.
Throws
Mardi Gras throws materialize the playfulness and spontaneity of the season. Historically, riders threw glass beads, gold coins, Zulu coconuts, and other collectibles. Like many things in our day, quantity has replaced quality. Towards the end of the 20th century, krewes integrated more and more plastic throws into the mix. Now, many krewes throw plastic garbage: plastic cups, foam balls, even plastic bags containing plastic beads. In the past decade or so, there has been a trend among a few krewes of throwing usable and/or handmade items. In addition to eco conscious throws, there are multiple recycling projects across the city.
Grounds Krewe focuses on waste prevention through producing sustainable, usable throws, such as coffee, red beans, wooden toys, recycled paper beads, and more.
Grounds Krewe is a partner to Recycle Dat: a recycling project with bins on parade routes, as well as nearby bars and hotels. They also have “recyclists” in the parades who collect trash from spectators as the parade rolls.
Glass Half Full is another New Orleans based recycling project. They collect glass bottles and recycle them into sand for coastal restoration. Glass Half Full also collects unwanted beads and throws, which are donated to Arc GNO.
Arc GNO provides employment to folks with intellectual disabilities by sorting, packaging, and reselling Mardi Gras beads. Arc GNO Mardi Gras Recycle Center (MGRC) can arrange for delivery and pick-up of recycling bins for schools, businesses, and other organizations.
Seeing these organizations advocate for a more sustainable Mardi Gras has inspired me to be mindful of how I’m consuming over the Mardi Gras season.
Ironically, Mardi Gras is an amazing time to practice quality over quantity. Making sustainable choices, even when it’s inconvenient, is how we affect change. You don’t need to do it all, catch the most throws, or have the most costumes. Shifting our focus from the material leaves more room to appreciate our community, art, music, presence, and the magic of Mardi Gras. We care for the city we love when we use what we have, invest in what will last, and indulge in creativity.
Germaine Caprio’s Case for Plastic-Free Living and Closed-Loop Production
Article By Ruby Zlotkowski – Artwork by Alma Myers
Germaine Caprio, founder of Majamas Earth, is a passionate environmentalist, speaker, and real life ‘planet hero.’ Her eco-friendly brand has transitioned out of clothing production and to lifestyle and self-care products as Caprio further roots into her mother’s wisdom, who profoundly influenced her climate ethos. In our time together, she passed on her own wisdom to Rat des Champs, including small business advice, and how to be truly sustainable in an inherently unsustainable industry.
This interview has been edited for clarity
GC: Hey, Ruby!
RZ: Hey, how’s it going?
GC: It’s going well!
Getting into Garments
RZ: I would love to hear about how Majamas Earth came to be.
GC: Well, I was having a baby, and I had to go back to work four weeks after having my daughter– it was really fast. I was working for a very male-dominated company, and if I didn’t work, I didn’t get paid. I was full commission sales. They’d never had a female sales representative before so they didn’t know how to handle my maternity leave. So, I went back to work, and I found myself waking up at night soaking wet in a puddle of milk, and my daughter would be sound asleep. I decided to rig up one of my running tops as a nursing tank at night, but it didn’t work, so I made a pattern. My grandfather was an Italian designer straight off the boat from Italy– I must have inherited that. I brought a pattern to the woman who did my alterations for my suits, and she made it for me, and that was sort of the start of me jumping into the garment industry. My mom was still alive, and she was a huge environmentalist, and she was like, ‘Oh, honey, you’re getting into the worst business for the planet.’ So she was the one that sort of tipped me off that whatever I do, I should make sure it’s environmentally friendly. I made a tank top three years later, after my mom had passed, and I introduced it to [a] Nordstrom [buyer]. I went to get her advice, and she ended up buying it, which was pretty great. And then I was in the garment world, and I quit my crazy sales job with that company eight months later, and my husband quit his job, and we were in the business! So that got me into clothing. Eventually, I opened at Whole Foods Markets and a bunch of other kinds of weird stores for me to be selling nursing and maternity clothes. We found that [many] women were buying our stuff because I didn’t design stereotypically. I actually think I made one of the world’s most comfortable bras. I hated bras, and I didn’t want to sleep in a bra at night when I was nursing. All of a sudden women were buying my bras, and then I got it into loungewear and I started [creating] really beautiful printed pants, shorts, dresses, and athleisure, and I was just branching out and growing like crazy. The whole time I was very focused on keeping my production here in the States, in Chicago, Philadelphia, getting my fabric from mills in L.A., because they were held to strict environmental standards… I was one of the first companies to start using recycled polyester, which is [unfortunately] still polyester that will eventually end up outliving all of us. I have a real issue with synthetic fabrics, which is one of the reasons I exited out of the clothing world. I’m not really manufacturing clothes anymore.
RZ: First of all, it’s so cool you just had a knack for creating clothing and you don’t come from a design background. That is so interesting.
GC: Well, I think designing is like cutting hair, you’ve either got it or you don’t. I inherited that from my grandfather who was a brilliant Italian designer. He came [to America] in nineteen nineteen, and was known for really beautiful business suits and sold them to the stars. He found a niche, and somehow I inherited that. I can look at a pattern or garment and know what’s wrong with it– I don’t even have to try. You got it or you don’t.
Material Decisions
RZ: Yeah, it’s in your blood. You mentioned recycled polyester. I’m really impressed by all of the information you provide on your website about your fabrics and the sustainable production process. I’m curious about the reuse of dead stock materials and the process of your recycled polyester. How does that work?
GC: Well, the recycled polyester isn’t what you would think it is. It’s not like recycled cotton. I still think recycled cotton is probably one of the most sustainable fabrics out there, but recycled polyester really comes from, they claim, plastic water bottles– plastic bottles that shouldn’t be made anymore anyway. Humans are so stupid. We should really stop using anything in plastic [including] plastic water bottles, because we know microplastics go in our water. [Recycled polyester] doesn’t come from old clothes or dead stock or anything like that. Twenty years ago, when they started using old plastic to make fabric, I thought it was really innovative. It felt amazing, like satin, but it’s hot, like polyester. It wasn’t ideal, and I started moving away from it and moving towards organic cottons. People don’t realize organic cotton may not be sprayed with pesticides, but when you manufacture it and make it into a fiber, it takes a lot of chemicals and water to break it down, so that’s not ideal either. Cotton is not a soft fiber, so you need to really break it down, like bamboo. Bamboo’s another one. Everyone thinks it’s so great, [and] it is great! It grows fast. You can make it without chemicals. Most of it is made in China, which used to be a bad thing, but now I’m not so sure; they’re way ahead of us as far as sustainability goes. But I think you’ve got to be really careful when you’re looking at a particular fiber. So I don’t know if there is one perfect fiber. There is a really great fiber called naya that’s made by, believe it or not, Eastman Chemical Company, who used to make Kodak and did the Polaroid. Now they’re making fabrics that are more plant-based and use less water. Tencel [fabrics] are great fibers because when you use water to break down a particular fiber in modal or lyocell, they recycle that water and use it again– they don’t just dump it after one production [cycle]. So there’s pros and cons to every fiber you look at. I just got so overwhelmed with the waste because it’s more than just your clothes, it’s also all the waste on the cutting room floor. I used to make baby swaddling blankets and baby hats with it. I used to have my cutter cut [the fabric] a certain way so that we had the least amount of waste possible. This was before places like Trashie existed. The thing that [clothing companies] should all be doing, and what I would have started doing, is offer a recycling program on your site, like Stella McCartney, Norma Kamali, and Eileen Fisher. They take stuff back and either recycle it, rework it, or find another use for it. I think the only way clothing companies who claim to be sustainable can truly be sustainable is by offering an option on their site to recycle their garments people want to get rid of. It costs a lot of money and that’s probably why so many companies don’t do it, because margins in the garment world are tiny. Adding another level to your sustainability, getting more expensive fabric that’s made responsibly, or paying your workers [fairly], which we do, means your margins get tinier and tinier because no one’s going to pay two hundred dollars for a pair of lounge pants sold in Whole Foods.
Business
RZ: I was actually going to ask about Majamas Earth from a business standpoint, if you don’t mind. You produce everything in the U.S, you’re an ethically minded business, and a lot of small businesses, including ours, feel that we’re competing with big corporations who are able to operate on a scale that drives their production costs down. They sell internationally and can order hundreds of thousands of pieces per product and get extreme discounts for producing that much. How do you operate from a business standpoint with your fabrics being sustainable and produced in the United States? And do you have any advice for a small business trying to be sustainable but make the prices so they’re not luxury prices?
GC: I think the best way to keep your costs down as a small business is to stay narrow. We stayed very classic. I found ten of my best sellers and I focused on those. It helped my production team work more efficiently because they became really familiar with the garment they were making, and they were able to make it better with a higher quality and more quickly. The bottom line is, the margins in the garment industry are so tiny, so you just have to charge more. You have to find your niche. But I’ve gotten so turned off from fashion. I’ve become a real capsule clothing person. I found a really nicely made sweatshirt after I stopped manufacturing them myself two years ago, and I bought one in every color. And I thought, ‘I’m just going to wear these and wear these and wear these,’ and it worked! Sticking to a capsule collection is the best way we individually can help the planet. And reusing, shopping your own closet and, of course, thrifting and maybe bartering or sharing with your friends. If they’re tired of something, swap. I still think the bottom line is, we all have too many clothes. That was another driver for me to leave the business. You’ve got these huge companies claiming they’re sustainable, and when you’d really look into their practices, they were very non-transparent. Anyone who’s not transparent about how they produce isn’t producing responsibly. I got really tired of hearing, ‘Oh, we’re a sustainable underwear line!’ and then you look at [their practices] and think, ‘No, you’re not.’ To me, it became frustrating to be overlooked. People would find a bigger label, or the trendy label, and claim that they give money back. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but you’re polluting the water and you’re dumping your dyes into a small little village where people are making your denim.’ It made me kind of angry and bitter. But I think the best way to do it is to keep your collection tight and keep it focused on your bestsellers. And then really just to do everything you can to keep your waste as low as possible.
Sustainable Choices
RZ: Yeah. At Rat des Champs, we talk a lot about how we relate to sustainable choices, not only in the material, making sustainable choices is objectively less harmful to the planet and that’s what’s most important, but also the experience of being surrounded by things you’ve carefully considered. Like you just mentioned– a capsule wardrobe. Basically, romanticizing sustainability. I’m wondering, what about the experience of a sustainable lifestyle do you enjoy?
GC: Oh, I think it’s so addictive. I think once you realize that you’re doing something right for the planet, a particular species, or for others, it’s addictive. I remember the first time I tried a shampoo bar– you would have thought I got diamond rings. I sell some on my website, because I think that’s the number one way we can all lower our impact. One shampoo bar replaces two plastic bottles of shampoo. And for my clothing line, when I’d find really beautiful fabric, like when my mill would call me and say, ‘Listen, we’ve got this gorgeous cotton modal we’re making,’ and they’d send me a swatch, it was just like someone gave me a drug. I loved the hand of it. I loved it. And I would do whatever I could to buy that fabric, even if it were twice as much as the polyester I was moving away from. I think if you make a really good product, a really beautiful, high quality product, your customers will pay for it. When I would make something that wasn’t loaded with dyes and it was this beautiful, heavier cotton, and women would call me and write me and say, ‘Oh, my gosh, it is the first time I’ve worn a bra without getting a rash under my boobs!’ or ‘It’s the first time I’ve worn underwear without getting a rash along my backside!’ And I thought, ‘Wow, this is addictive.’ When you can please people and know that you’re making their lives better, it’s a great feeling. I think the sustainability train is a great one to jump on and everything we do is cumulative. It all goes back to help the greater good.
RZ: If somebody feels like their whole life is full of plastic and are overwhelmed by the idea of a sustainable lifestyle, where do you suggest they start? Is there a small habit change that can go a long way such as the shampoo bar?
GC: I think the shampoo bar is a great place to start. There’s so many high quality, beautiful shampoo and conditioner bars out there now. We’ve all been conditioned to, pun intended, think that high priced, swanky labels we’re all familiar with have the best shampoo and conditioner, and as my mom used to say, ‘It’s just going down the drain.’ There are so many, like the ones I offer on my site. We make different variations for different hair types, and they’re rich and they really sud up, and you’ll never know you’re not using shampoo from a plastic bottle, which means you’re not washing your body in plastic. Another thing is, ditch drinking from plastic water bottles. If you go to any conference or concert there’s still plastic water bottles being sold, and there are still plastic cups and plastic utensils. It’s just disgusting to me. Whenever you can, bring your own aluminum water bottle. That’s another way to get out of plastic. And when you’re shopping and going down the aisle, don’t opt for the apples in the plastic bag. Don’t buy avocados in that horrible plastic netting. My husband will still bring those home every so often, and I want to slap him, because as soon as you cut that netting, you’ve got tiny microplastics everywhere, and that’s what’s killing us. So, whatever conscious effort you can make, it might cost you a little more, but it’s usually just pennies and in the long run, it costs us less because it’s better for our future and for future generations.
RZ: Did you have an anti-plastic come-to-Jesus moment, or was it your mom’s influence throughout your childhood and over time that formed your anti-plastic [ethos]?
GC: Definitely my mom. I grew up with a mom that questioned everything. Everything. She was a hippie, but she didn’t look like a hippie. She was really down to earth and a very smart person. She knew things before others. She was talking about plastic pollution in the early seventies when plastics were really getting big. She was talking about how we’re destroying species and building in places we have no business building in, like what they want to do now with building on our wetlands that supply fresh water to the world. It’s just crazy. She was way ahead of her time. And that’s where my influence came from. I sort of tried to ignore it when I was in college and briefly after, but then her teachings, all those years of telling me, ‘Germaine, this isn’t great for us, you ingest [plastic] every time you drink from that water bottle,’ it finally started to sink in. Sadly, it took me a little longer than I think she would have liked.
RZ: That is really inspiring. She sounds like a very cool lady.
GC: She was. Anyone who met my mom loved her. She was really down to earth and a really good person. Again, so wise on so many things.
Climate Responsibility
RZ: Sounds like it. I want to talk about climate responsibility and the discourse surrounding consumer guilt. Some people feel that the responsibility should fall entirely upon big corporations who have made us dependent on convenience, both the lifestyle and the price. These corporations have spent so much money creating a system in which we don’t learn how to do things on our own, and we’re invested in things that are horrible for the planet and that are hard to deviate from. Some consumers feel it’s not their responsibility to make certain sacrifices or even if they did, they feel like it wouldn’t make a difference. And it’s important to note the difference between people who can’t afford to divest in convenience and those who choose not to, whether it’s climate change deniers, consumers who don’t feel like it’s their responsibility, or people who care, but don’t walk the talk. So it’s a nuanced situation, but I’d love to hear your perspective on climate responsibility.
GC: John F. Kennedy said, ‘One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.’ I agree that corporations have definitely made it easier for us to shop and ignore the harm they do to the planet, but we aren’t sheep. We all have our own brains and our own way of thinking, and I think making the effort to skip over the plastic packaged avocados for the single ones is an individual choice. Yes, the individual ones are probably more expensive because you’re not getting the one rotten one in the bag along with the four okay ones. I think the price ends up evening out. Corporations have caused this conundrum, but I believe as individuals, we all have a responsibility to lower our impact. And we all can. I think it’s a cumulative effort. I believe that where we put our money is the most powerful tool we have in the environmental climate fight. You invest your money every time you go shopping. So, if you’re walking through a grocery store or a clothing store, you’re telling that company when you walk up to the register with those polyester pants, ‘I support this. Keep doing it.’ And I think that’s what it comes down to. If everyone made lower impact choices, think of the cumulative effort it would have. It would be huge. But, I agree that it’s cheaper and easier to walk into a [store] and buy anything on those shelves without giving it a single thought. There are marginalized communities that are unable to pay that twenty cents more per apple, but I think it starts with those who can make the choice. Although a shampoo bar is around fourteen bucks, it counts for two bottles of shampoo, so sometimes there’s not a [negative] financial impact when you’re making a choice that favors the climate. Sustainability doesn’t have to be expensive. We all have the power to choose something that is a little bit better for us and the planet. Plus, I like to think of it in the long term: if you’re bringing that plastic into your house, you’re bringing it into your body, and do you really want that plastic in your body? Do you really want that stuff floating around your brain? I think it’s just education, Ruby. I think we have to share this message with more and more people and let them understand and know that just one choice that might have a lower impact on the planet creates this snowball going down the mountain that’ll make a way bigger thud at the bottom than you realize. If you like a product, you tell a friend, and if that friend likes a product, they tell a friend. Before you know it, we’re all starting to shop a little more sustainably. So, yes, corporations definitely got us in this mess, but we let them by buying it. I think that we are all responsible and we all can change it. I know we can. Anyone who says my actions don’t make a difference… I mean, come on, that’s like saying your vote doesn’t make a difference or going to a climate protest doesn’t make a difference. It does! You’re seen, you’re heard, and it counts.
RZ: I commend you for the way you’re spreading the message. It’s really inspiring to me and it’s inspiring to us at Rat des Champs. I think it’s amazing, and I appreciate your perspective.
GC: Thanks! You know, I did a podcast for years that was a lot like what you’re doing. I interviewed other companies who cared about the environment the way I did. It’s called Care What You Wear. I interviewed a woman who made sandals from all the rubber and trash that was being thrown into landfills. There’s a lot of people out there, and I’m inspired every day by people who are trying to make a change. It might start with a whisper, but all of our efforts end in a scream. I think it’s really, really important to keep pursuing it on a personal level and on a business level.
RZ: Yeah, it’s all part of that cumulative effort. Thank you so much for talking with me.
GC: Oh, thanks, it was really my pleasure. Anytime I can support the word about living more sustainably, I’m happy to do it, so feel free to reach out again.
Law student Adele Colson “Sparkles” is not only a speaker and activist, but a multitalented artist pursuing costume design and pole dancing. Known for her social media presence and community engagement, Colson founded social justice advocacy group Art 2 Action. I knocked on the bright pink door of Adele’s New Orleans apartment to ask about these pursuits. We sat down next to her two pet rats and discussed creativity, sustainable fashion, law, Malala, and of course, Laverne and Shirley.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
RZ: Thank you so much, Adele, for welcoming Rat des Champs into your home.
AC: Of course!
RZ: It is so lovely in here … How are you doing?
AC: I’m doing fabulous. We’ve been getting to play dress-up while we’ve been here. It’s the most fun ever. I love the new pieces coming in with the things I already have, and it’s been so fun.
RZ: So, you’re a visual artist, a dancer, you upcycle clothing … How do you differentiate these artistic mediums? Do they come from the same part of you, or do you feel like you’re putting on different hats and these avenues are expressing different parts of you? In other words, does it feel like dancer Adele is also painter Adele is also Fashionista Adele?
AC: Oh, that is such a cool question. I think it all stems from the same part of me. It’s expelling at all times. I feel like our human novelty is the ability to create. I took a metaphysics class at Loyola and there was a unit about human novelty. That’s the one thing that separates people from all other beings. So, if I’m not tapped into that novelty in all aspects of my life, I’m not being human. That’s also why I want to be creating. I don’t want to be using AI; I want things to be new. I want things to be different. So it’s all stemming from a want to create, no matter what facet it is. It’s just expelling. That’s why my house is an explosion of things and art supplies and clothing everywhere and a lot of it. I love that kind of maximalism in my life.
RZ: That’s wonderful. Speaking of Loyola, I first met you when you were an undergraduate student and you worked as a Costume Assistant for Loyola Costume Shop. The Loyola Costume Shop creates all of the costumes for the Theatre Department at Loyola and hosts sustainable fashion fundraisers. There’s also, of course, the iconic Instagram page @loynocostumeshop you created, which went from zero to a thousand followers in its first semester. Every day you’d spotlight students’ outfits on campus. I’d love to hear about your experience on the production end of the costume shop, the Instagram page, and your perspective on the impact.
AC: In Fall 2021 we needed a social media presence so we could have people come to our costume sales … After COVID, there were still only some people back on campus, but the people that were there wanted to express themselves. After months in confinement to being able to finally step out on campus again, people were stepping out! The outfits were so fun and unique … I just went up to someone and said, “Hey, can I take a photo of your outfit?” … And then I started doing it every single day [to more and more people] … It grew very organically … It’s a fashion archive, a moment in time, community, and people uplifting everyone’s truest expression. That’s what clothing does for me. Being able to showcase that was really cool because it wasn’t just random people, these are our people. This is our fashion. This is our voice.
RZ: The Loyola community is so artistic … The Instagram page was such a playful way to represent our community. I also feel that in the abstract, the Instagram page perpetuates an aspect of sustainability that is: being inspired by our day to day life and the people within our community. That’s valuable, as opposed to unattainable luxury items or overly curated fashion. It’s important to be inspired by Jane from psych class; It’s fashion as the present moment.
AC: Yeah and the Loyola costume shop is sustainable fashion … So when I was looking for people’s outfits, I was looking for unique pieces. Usually when I asked them where they were from, they were thrifted. Many were hand-me-downs; They were [passed down] from someone’s mom, someone’s friend … It was very [localized] in the impact because [we were highlighting] sustainable fashion … [Because of our social media reach] people were able to then go to the ‘Boo-Tique’ sales which started doing really well in our first year. We were able to raise enough money to buy new sewing machines for the department and a new mannequin [to expand the size reach]. It was really important that we could continue to do the work of sustainable fashion and because it became known community wide, people donated more items. Someone came in with all of this old military gear we were able to put to use for the department. [Using second hand clothing] allowed students complete creativity with the costumes too. So we would get these old pieces and rework them however we wanted, and then they were sold. We wanted [our fashion] to be sustainable and affordable.
RZ: You have quite the costume collection yourself. How long have you been collecting these pieces and where do they come from?
AC: I have been thrifting since I was a little kid … Both of my parents are actors … I remember going to costume shops and thrift stores in Los Angeles as a little kid and always picking out weird things. My mom would always let us dress ourselves. She never picked out our outfits. There’s all these really young photos of me in the strangest outfits, and it was because she let us have complete creative control. [She told me], ‘I was too busy to figure that out for you guys.’ … My parents were both working artists and educators and we didn’t have a lot of money … In Los Angeles, they have children’s thrift stores that were affordable. I would go in there and I remember finding these little tiny purple Doc Martins. I was obsessed with them and I wore them everywhere … When I studied abroad in Madrid, I thrifted a lot there. I brought an empty suitcase so that I could bring [back] clothes. Wherever I go, the souvenirs are always clothes … Some of these were my mom’s clothes … I don’t buy a lot of retail clothing; I buy things that are really special to me.
RZ: I love that perspective … So, you minored in theater at Loyola and both of your parents are actors. You mentioned to me that you feel a connection between law and acting. I suppose in both positions, you’re drawing upon a narrative and arguing for its truth, whether that be the emotional truth of a character or the perspective of a policy. Is that a parallel you relate to? In what ways do you find those similarities between law and acting?
AC: I love the parallel that you made. That’s a way that I haven’t even thought about it. For me, when I think about trial advocacy and being a lawyer, that’s like acting. When you’re talking about different hats, I feel like creatively it’s all coming from the same space, but academically it’s a little bit different. I’m able to be creative in law because part of it is creating arguments … ‘What role do I need to play depending on the side? What is the truth or what part of this truth is going to be the best argument in this case?’ And that’s the acting. You can’t judge a character, you can’t judge a person. You have to be able to represent that person faithfully, truly.
RZ: That is so interesting … So, you’re also a dancer. The culture surrounding pole dancing and law are different. Art is very emotive, whereas lawyers are sometimes stereotyped as being very by the book. What I love is that you’re demonstrating that you can be fashionable and brilliant, a dancer and an academic. What’s it like to do things in these different fields, and are there any social barriers from either side?
AC: A lot of [dancers] are visual artists and are very expressive people. The creative people won’t judge you based on what you do. There could be some barrier like, ‘Oh, you’re a lawyer, you’re not fully tapping into [creativity].’ But for me, I grew up a little insecure financially, and I wanted to be able to feel that security to be able to create. I want to be able to create for the rest of my life … The starving artist thing isn’t for everyone. I watched my parents do it and they’re okay, they’re doing all right now, but I saw that, I lived it, and that’s maybe not for me. And they are the most incredible people. They’re still in love. They still create. My parents are always acting. They’re in plays. They’re writers. They’re always making something. But I also want to feel secure, and I think that’s also okay. From the opposite end, the lawyer side, there is more judgment, especially as a woman. There’s judgment even [for] the things that I wear … I love to play with color. I love to play with texture. I always look very presentable for law school every single day. I wouldn’t wear the things I would wear in my daily life because I like things cropped, showy, and flashy. But I still pour myself into that because if I’m not expressing myself, then I’m not being true to myself. But there is more judgment from the law side. I know dancers who are also lawyers. Women are doing it and they are paving the way and I will continue to make sure that women feel like they can express themselves in any facet and still pursue whatever they want academically. You can be a doctor and a dancer, you can be a doctor and a painter … You are not just one thing. You are not just the things that you do … You can do it all.
RZ: Right! I love the videos of you going to law school in your fabulous outfits. Do you relate to Elle Woods? How do you feel about Legally Blonde?
AC: Yes! I love Elle Woods so much. I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer since I was a little kid, which maybe means I’m a little bit of an asshole [laughs], but it’s okay … I was just very opinionated. I loved the movie [Legally Blonde] growing up, and I was like, ‘That’s gonna be me.’ … I’m in my outfits every day, making my videos, but I’m still doing the damn thing. Maybe I have to put in more work to show up, and I think that’s something a lot of women face. We’re working harder to be taken seriously. That’s why if I’m going to be who I am, as eccentric as I am, I have to make sure I’m also doing better than men, potentially, or doing better than others to make sure that I can take space for myself.
RZ: I love that you don’t put yourself in a box … Some of these roles that you’ve taken on involve leadership. You told me a little bit about your creative, bold personality as a kid. Are you a natural leader and where do you get your confidence from?
AC: That’s something my mom has always asked me. I had buck teeth [and] stringy hair, wasn’t the cutest, and my mom would say, ‘You know, everyone goes through an ugly duckling phase and it’s okay’ and I[‘d] go, ‘Yeah, but not me though!’ … I have always had this unwavering sense of confidence … I think maybe that has to do with always being able to express myself, always being able to wear whatever I wanted.
RZ: That’s so cool … You founded a business called Art 2 Action to support various causes through hosting events, flea markets, and parties. I’d love to hear about that. What do y’all have coming up?
AC: We have a big show coming up on October third. It’s going to be from eleven to four in the morning. It’s called Midnight Masquerade. Masks required, clothing optional, and the proceeds are being donated to Planned Parenthood. The Planned Parenthood here I’ve worked with in the past. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast is being shut down due to policy in Louisiana, but women can still access reproductive care from out of state through their telehealth, so that’s why we’re continuing to support Planned Parenthood even though our brick and mortar Planned Parenthood is ceasing to exist on September thirtieth. Every single show we donate to a different cause. It’s always different. We’ve done gun violence prevention, and I was just working with the ACLU. I now have these personal connections with local businesses and organizations and nonprofits, which is really incredible because there are people here on the ground doing the work, especially ACLU. They’re going to Angola prison. They’re fighting the fight. So if my knack for party planning can support these causes in some small way, we can help make change happen. It doesn’t have to just be through a donation, through calling a representative. We can create change in so many ways … I’m a party girl. I love to go out, have fun, [and] put on these extravagant parties that have a social impact. There’s a kind of feeling in the air when you attend like, ‘Oh, this means more than just a party.’ But it’s also just a really fun party … I think that an explosion of art to support a social cause is an interesting way to to make a difference.
RZ: Midnight Masquerade. I’m there. Through all of your pursuits, what are you the most excited about right here, right now?
AC: I haven’t busted out my sewing machine in a minute … So that might be on the horizon … I’m excited to make some new things.
RZ: Whether it be in policy making, fashion, visual art, or life, who are your icons?
AC: Malala. She’s incredible. She’s been an icon of mine since I was young because I’ve been a gun violence prevention activist since I was sixteen. I was lobbying in Congress for gun violence prevention, and then two days later the Parkland shooting [occurred]. That put me on a trajectory of gun violence prevention. I got put on national stages in front of thousands of people as a sixteen year old, speaking about gun violence prevention, and that was the same age Malala was when she delivered her UN speech after she was shot when she was fifteen years old. She delivered her UN speech on her sixteenth birthday. She believes in advocating for women’s rights, children’s education, and for a woman’s right to education. And she was never made to feel small because she was a woman [or] because she was Pakistani. She’s always been such an icon to me; She’s everything. Fashion icon wise, my godmother … Her name is Renee Faia, and has a band called The Mazarines. She’s a fashion designer, photographer, and makeup artist. She plays Cher in the movies about Sunny and Cher. She’s so fabulous. She’s also a painter, so she has always been a person for me that [demonstrates] you can do it all.
RZ: You’re a mama to two rats. Please tell me about them. What are their names? What are they like?
AC: Laverne and Shirley, based on the [70s] sitcom … They’re my girls … They’re just little beings and misunderstood creatures. I believe in seeing beauty in all things and I like that they’re these tiny creatures that people think are gross, but they’re actually cleaner than cats. They have little hands they clean themselves with and they’re just really sweet. I take them out every day, and then I do [my] law reading with them, so they have their own blanket and I also have a little rat purse and I take them to The Fly… They love vegetables … They’re really sweet and smart.
RZ: I love to hear it. I’m sure you’re an incredible mama.
AC: They call me the Rat Milf, all my friends do. And they made me t-shirts that say Rat Milf.
RZ: I need that on you right now for these pictures! Thank you so much for sitting down with me … You are excellent!
Creator of Rat des Champs, Alix Davidson, invited me into her double shotgun home here in New Orleans. We discussed nostalgic fabulism, authenticity, and sustainability in fabric production and in the immaterial; romanticizing simple pleasures through a ‘less is more’ mindset. We also shared in our desire to wear vintage nightgowns day in and day out.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
RZ: Thank you for having me. Will you tell me a little bit about your background and when you began creating?
AD: I went to art school, which was probably my most pivotal point as a creative person. That’s where I learned to collaborate with other people and incorporate different materials and elements into the creative process. I was a fine art major, so that gave me some freedom to experiment with all different elements of creativity. It wasn’t just painting and sculpture; we did performance and all different kinds of things… My whole perspective on creativity was kind of rooted in my experience in New York as a young adult… Everybody had a very multidisciplinary kind of process…We were taping and gluing and cutting and tying. There wasn’t any actual sewing going on, which is interesting, but we used duct tape. We used what we had available. Very rough around the edges… I stayed in New York for a little while after school, [then] I moved to Dallas and my friends and I started an upcycling group. This was before the term “slow fashion” even existed or people were even talking about sustainability, really… Our lifestyle was thrifting and antique stuff. Nothing was new. We never would even have thought about a lifestyle that incorporated new things because we couldn’t afford them… I had to move back to Shreveport to have help raising Rowan and that’s where I was for twenty years… During that time, probably about the time when Rowan was five or sixish, I started seriously sewing again. I started making clothing from scratch from vintage sewing patterns and vintage fabrics and I just got obsessed with all of that stuff, and I just got really passionate about clothing construction and loved the whole process of making things myself. And so that’s really when I started to learn about dressmaking and all of those intricate details and taught myself how to do it from there… Making things yourself is an important thing and it’s a skill that could be really necessary for people at any point. We could all be in a situation [where] we need to know how to do these things, but also just to know the value and work that goes into making clothes, because there really isn’t a magic machine that does this. It’s done by people.
RZ: How is using hemp and organic cotton different from polyester and acrylic in their production and the experience of wearing them? Why is it important?
AD: Materials are a complicated and complex issue in sustainability, because obviously if you’re using anything new, it’s not sustainable, it’s wasteful in some way. So there’s that issue. If you’re using any virgin materials, it’s not the best thing for the environment. But at the same time, it’s an industry that employs a lot of people. You don’t want to think about things in a vacuum. As far as when you start to choose sustainable virgin materials, natural fibers are definitely better than using anything that’s produced through the refinement of oil and anything chemical. Those things are really bad for the environment. Not on even just an end of [inaudible] scale, but the production process is very polluting and it’s harmful to people’s health… Regular cotton is not great; It’s very water intensive [and] the refinement processes are not always [great]. Ethical farms can use pesticides, so it could still be covered in chemicals. Organic cotton in particular is better. They don’t use chemical pesticides and things and water usage is usually limited, although it’s not as good as, say, fabric like hemp. Hemp requires much less water and it’s naturally deterrent to pests. It repels a lot of the pests naturally, so it doesn’t require chemical treatment, which is good. Not to say that there are some places that don’t use chemicals, so you do have to be careful no matter what. And it’s hard. A lot of what’s available and affordable to small businesses is also a problem. A lot of my fabric is from China, but it’s not as hard now to find more sustainable options made in China because they’ve had to adapt to the demand for it, which is good. They’re just much better at making, especially woven, fabrics now. For the past 30 years, [they’ve] been building their manufacturing systems while we’ve been relying on them and not building ours. So there’s really no fair competition. If China wants to do something, they can do it a lot faster and for less costs than anybody in the United States. They’re just so far ahead of us in manufacturing, which makes another complex issue that we could talk about… You have to know where your stuff is coming from as much as possible. It’s not easy, especially for small businesses, to find out all the information, but I work with suppliers. I don’t purchase directly from mills because I’m not purchasing that much fabric right now, so most of what I purchase is in stock with my suppliers and they have gotten all of their certifications and information from the mills… As imperfect as it is, the fact is that most, especially larger luxury and fast fashion, don’t even try. And so here we are. It’s a lot of work and it’s costly to do, but if you’re doing it, there’s something to be said for that. Interestingly enough, it costs you more if you wanted to, say, buy a bunch of vintage fabric and send it to a manufacturer. The cost of doing that is a lot more too. I started off the business wanting to do that and trying to work with manufacturers. [I’d] send them my vintage fabric to make things. I have yet to find somebody who will do that for a price that is not going to make it a luxury item. I would love to be able to set up my own production. I tried to do that, but it’s really hard to find people with the skills to create. It’s just to create to cover all of the size ranges and all of the details and do it in a way that would be affordable. It’s very hard to set up that kind of a production. But it can be done and that’s one thing I would love to one day be able to do is just a small in-house production for certain things.
RZ: Yeah, that would be so cool. Rat des Champs has a lot of layers, so I’d love to get into that a little bit. Could you paraphrase The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse fable and [explain] why you named the brand after it?
AD: I wanted [the brand] to have a very childlike, love of life imagination, and that feeling of childlike whim and exploration, and so I knew that the essence of my brand was something in my core from my childhood that I loved, [such as] the little ditzy florals that remind me of a time that was good and joyful. And so that was really the essence of everything that I was putting into the brand. I really wanted the name of the brand to have the essence of childhood in it. That’s why I started looking into fables and children’s stories. I had a small child at the time when I started. That might have affected it. But I think I’ve always been very into children’s books and fables and stories and fairy tales, even as an adult. I think artistic type people tend to live in a fantasy world and never fully grow up. I think maybe that is a goal that we have, to not lose that, because in order to be creative, you have to be free, and what’s more free than the mind of a child? You’re always trying to find that core. Then I started thinking, are there any fables that relate to slow fashion or sustainability?… So, The Townmouse [Fable]: The city mouse invites his little country cousin to come for a visit so he can show him all the fancy stuff and have this really luxurious experience. When they’re running around they get stalked by a city cat and that cat tries to get [eat] them while they’re having this luxurious meal and the country mouse is like, ‘I don’t need this. I would rather be in my little country house, [in] my safety, even if I’m just eating little beans.’ I like that. I want that. I want that peace of mind, and that story just simplifies and encapsulates [that] sometimes less is better, but also, more comfortable.
RZ: Absolutely. You want that peace of mind– will you elaborate on that?
AD: The world we live in [is] fast paced. We don’t really have the time to stop and think about our consumption and the things that go into making what we’re buying and the dangers that are created by our lifestyles, whether it’s environmental or working conditions. But it’s also down to you knowing what a seam looks like on the inside of your clothes and knowing how to fix a button and knowing how to hem your own pants, or things like that. [Being] secure in your own ability to care for your garments and yourself and also just appreciate and see things as a whole– not fleeting, not disposable.
RZ: Well said. How do your designs emulate nostalgic fabulism? What does that mean to you?
AD: I feel like in so many ways, it’s dress up. It all goes back to wanting to create your own story, wanting to live in another story, wanting to pretend and wanting to imagine what you could be and where you could be, whatever that would be; whether it’s a maiden frolicking in a field or it’s a dancer in a club. I think people have all different kinds of things that they want to experience in their lives at different stages or on different days even. So, I want to offer clothes that people can play with, that aren’t too serious, that are more about setting a stage [that] you can create your story with. It has an element of fantasy, and all of my fantasies are like fairy tales or fables. If I imagined who would be wearing Rat des Champs, it would be an anthropomorphic little mouse woman. That is my imagination. I want to live in a world where my neighbor is a little mouse, you know?
RZ: Yes! In terms of your personal style, what story are you telling these days? Is it the same one that you’re expressing through Rat des Champs or is it a different one?
AD: Well, according to Rowan, my son, it would be Rosemary’s Baby, the way I dress around the house. It’s like a little nightgown… my little lacey ruffley nighty. I’m in my Rosemary’s Baby era. She wears these little robes and nightgowns because she’s sick and at home all the time… So I think pajamas are definitely an aesthetic. Anything with eyelets and a little floral stripe.
RZ: Yes! I’ve acquired a bit of a vintage nightgown collection and it makes my nights magical.
AD: It does. It really makes the difference… I would love to be making [nightgowns], which are on the list of things that I want to produce with Rat des Champs. Little housecoats and things like that are good for when people come over, but still as comfortable as when you got up.
RZ: Oh my gosh, there’s a Rat des Champs nightgown in the future?
AD: There’s definitely a Rat des Champs nightgown. I’ve actually created all of the sketches for those already. If we could be in this world all day every day, I would. I don’t have all of the sizing for myself to even live a one hundred percent Rat des Champs life, but it’s coming. That is the goal. If I could spend every moment and every situation in something that has that vibe to it, I would. I feel like we would all be a lot happier if we had choices that we could make that really reflected our innermost imaginative worlds. If we could live in that state like it’s not dress up, it’s our actual life, that would be so centering.
RZ: Absolutely. The time and energy and that type of freedom is a privilege.
AD: It is a privilege… I would like to eventually have the elements of that in my business so that I could provide as much and as close to that lifestyle to myself and everybody else that might want to participate in it as possible. And I think that it’s just aligning your desire with your reality. It’s not one hundred percent possible for any of us, but yeah, that would be my goal.
RZ: Some of your garments feature gingham and denim. What story is being told through this choice or what cultural or personal associations do you have with them?
AD: I think those materials just remind me of that country mouse aesthetic that I started with. Eyelets, trims, whether they’re chunky trims or delicate trims, I think anything that has that connotation to it that reminds me of this little country mouse character. That’s what I’m drawn to.
RZ: So, we’re talking a lot about childhood and nostalgia. How would you describe the aesthetics of your childhood? What did your childhood look like?
AD: My early childhood home was in an older neighborhood and was built in the twenties. We had a lot of Laura Ashley, a lot of Ralph Lauren, country aesthetics, Julia Child cookbooks. My mom was just kind of like that. I’m probably one hundred percent my mom plus fifty percent me adding on my own crazy spinoff to it. It’s really how I was raised.
RZ: What is your favorite phase or moment of the creative process?
AD: My favorite thing is definitely the fabrics and the design process. I just really like the buttons, the trims, and the artwork. I would say that all of that coming together for me is the most exciting thing. I love imagining this world. This is the world that I’m trying to create, that I want to live in, and so building that from all of the inspiration I have is the most fun part. And then it quickly becomes unfun.
RZ: What part of the creative process do you find frustrating or get stuck in?
AD: I think that wherever my ability starts to require me to work with people that are technical is where I start to immediately feel drained. As much as I love sewing and wish that I could do that one hundred percent of the time, because I am not able to produce here myself means that I have to work with manufacturers and other people and some of them are really creative and interesting, but the whole process of doing it as a business means I have to be the eyes and the ears and the person that makes sure that things are working correctly. I don’t really enjoy being that person, and I don’t really enjoy being a boss to be honest with you.
RZ: How do you re-energize?
AD: I’m not really good at that right now. I really do need to reset… It’s really difficult to be a one-person business. So I honestly don’t have the full answer to that, but I do know that I drink a lot of hot tea. That is like the thing that really calms me and centers me…
RZ: Me too! I think you can relate [that being] in a vintage nightgown with a cup of hot tea is peace.
AD: Yeah. If I ever have an aesthetic moment, that’s very pleasing to me. So I try to live in an environment where I can look up and see something that makes me happy. It’s really important to me to surround myself [with] things that are old and things that have stories. If I’m stressed, I can zone into something in my environment that brings me happiness. Those things are really important to me. I love listening to jazz on the radio on my old speaker that crackles. Things like that. I’m a homebody, so pretty much everything that I enjoy doing revolves around my house: cooking, listening to the stereo, watching one of my favorite shows, whatever that may be at the time. Things that are very comforting to me are usually in my house.
RZ: Why is authenticity important?
AD: There’s something to be said about someone’s perspective and what drives them, and one thing that has always driven me is being authentic and telling the truth and not trying to hide behind somebody else’s story. Accept yourself [and] love your story because you’re unique. It’s kind of cathartic to try and accept yourself and not care about what other people think, because you’re never going to be the most interesting. You’re never going to be the smartest, the coolest, but like all of the little things that make you you are different. I feel like it’s an ongoing conversation that everybody has with themselves: Who am I? How do I fit into the world and what is my story and how am I going to tell it? How am I going to present it? How is that presentation going to be the truth and how do I stay on the truthful path? I think we all have aspirations and we want to be at a place where we’re not quite there, and I think that there’s a push and pull between those things and it’s really interesting to find a way to authentically be in that push and pull. Trying to keep yourself centered and aware in your fantasy, in your hopefulness, in your drive to change– that’s what authenticity means to me. It also comes down to working with people and giving people credit for the influence that they have over you, because I work with a lot of other creative people and it’s a collaborative venture. So, I think coming from a place of the importance of being yourself really helps you to be a collaborative person… People give a lot of creative energy back to me. I hope as the business grows that those things will bloom and keep growing. I just get so much from those partnerships and working with other creative people, and I don’t think you can create a symbiotic relationship with another creative person unless you are aware, authentic, and know what that person is giving to you.
RZ: Thank you so much! I really enjoyed this.
AD: Me too! It was great.
Alix Davidson and Ruby Zlotkowski in Davidson’s New Orleans home All photography by Kayla Mendiola
