Heart and Soul of SoulSong
Rebecca Jamieson Dwyer chats to Donna Thordarson from slow fashion brand SoulSong about how her commitment to natural fibres, hand block-printed patterns, natural dyes and ethical production ensures each and every garment has been infused with heart and soul.
Name
Donna Thordarson
Business
SoulSong
How and when was your business born?
SoulSong took shape in early 2000 with the creation of our Australian-made yoga cushions, bolsters and yogawear range, followed closely by a cotton batik clothing collection. For the past 12 years I’ve been producing a hand block-printed slow fashion range in India using 100% cotton.
What do you love most about your brand?
That it’s sustainable fashion and I get to have lots of fun creating the designs. I love that we’re supporting an incredible community of artisans with traditional hand block-printing, indigo dying and many other creative talents. Having an incredible team of women in our Noosa store is essential; I couldn’t do it without them! They do all the beautiful shop merchandising and are wonderful with our customers.
Why are ethics and sustainability so important to you?
I intrinsically seek an awareness and appreciation of natural textiles and traditional practices, which means I get to meet and make genuine connections with real people. I see their workplaces and their pride in what they do, and there’s no pressure with unrealistic time restrictions and deadlines. Aiming for quality over quantity is essential when creating beautiful timeless fashion that’s made mindfully and with LOVE. This is slow fashion.
How would you describe your style?
Unique and timeless with a touch of boho; we definitely have a vintage, eclectic feel at SoulSong. As we’re mostly 100% cotton, our styles are created to be an effortlessly comfortable fit. Each hand block-printed garment is exclusively individual and full of life. Our clothing collections are not limited to being the latest fashion, and we don’t have mass-produced flawless prints – in fact, there will be slight imperfections that are inherent to handcrafted products.
What inspires your designs?
Ooh! Many things, but mostly feeling joyful in what we wear. Cool, breathable 100% cotton is a must for our Sunshine Coast location and Queensland climate. Nature is a BIG inspiration for colours and prints. Women’s ever-changing body shapes and sizes certainly influences many of our designs, as everyone loves 100% cotton in our gorgeous prints.
What can we find IN store?
Come in and browse our eclectic range of clothing, quilts, homewares and more. The vintage textile collection is truly tempting, especially the vintage kantha jackets – if you’re a textile connoisseur, beware! Our interesting collection of vintage Indian furniture and other treasures will entice extended in-store browsing.
What do you love most about working IN Noosa?
The lifestyle! We have great supportive locals plus lots of happy, friendly holidaymakers.
What advice can you share with other fashion start-ups and retailers?
Believe in yourself and ensure your product is something you’re passionate about. Being a sole trader and running your own show takes courage and commitment and is hard work, however the joys of being the creator, navigator and global explorer are entirely worth it.
What can we expect to see this season?
The cooler seasons get interesting for us. We boost our cotton hand block-print collection with gorgeous knits, weaves and vintage textile jackets for layering up. We’re all about mixing flavours, so blending colours, prints and textiles is our specialty.
What’s the one item you can’t live without?
There are several. Our Jhali, Erika and Nazima dresses are my go-tos.
FAVE FIVE:
Fave Drink: Fresh coconut water, straight from the green coconut.
Fave Food: The Sweet Potato Paleo Muffins from VanillaFood.
Fave Colours: Green and indigo blue (of course).
Fave Saying: Oh f*ck!
Fave Accessory: My sandlewood and pearl mala beads.
