string magazine spotlight

hello!! last friday, our line was featured at the string magazine spotlight at Metropole!! we had so much fun working with the beautiful models, and making friends with other amazing local designers, morena, drew william, nixxi, and chapel couture!!

happy birthday and many thanks to string magazine for featuring flora&fauna at their big bash!! xo

here's a little review of the even on stylefinds!!

rosa







thanks to stanley lau for photos!! and models amrit, natalie, rosa, pamela, chantelle, cecilia, carmen, and camille!!

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park bench at whey ah wichen (cates park) in north vancouver

find peace beauty love skip jump laugh play today
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it's late but...

it's late but i couldn't help posting this cute photo...


and now that i'm already here, i would like to announce:

On September 13th, I will be joined by my dog Bitta, along with many of our friends
(including JK Model's very own Jennifer and her doggie Nakia!!) for the "Paws for a Cause" Campaign, to raise funds and awareness in support of BC animal welfare.

We would be so grateful if you would help us help animals by sponsoring us! There no amount too small to give. And you will get a tax receipt for your donation. Please follow link for more information: http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?Lang=en-CA&TSID=236603

click on "donate to pack" button to donate, or "join pack" button if you would like to join us in raising funds, and on the day of the walk!! ^_^

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me+claire+epic=string magazine ♡

hey! there's a photo of me and claire (of the fabulous gastown boutique planet claire ) from Epic Expo last month, in string magazine!! cool!!

check it out here.

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business time... sorta...


so... after a couple days of being super sick with this killer cold/flu thing - i am finally back in the studio!! got all caught up on all the admin stuff (i.e. emails... facebook, twitter... but not bookkeeping) and am ready to hit the drawing board... and there she was, my kitty sleeping on my sketchpad.

guess i could have lunch first, and check back with the fuzzy boss later to see when nap time is over?...

btw, in case you were worried, bitta is doing just fine after her surgery ^_^

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more from shoot with yvonne chew, the lovely kimiko, and awesome design+conquer jewelry!!


here's more from yvonne chew's back to nature shoot!!

photos - yvonne chew
model - kimiko yoshida
hair - kimiko yoshida
make up - tomomi sakagawa
jewerly - design+conquer
clothing - flora&fauna

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shopping for contractors/suppliers...

(kittens love shopping too..!)

early on the f&f blog, i started a mini-series called "shopping for..." which documents the eco-criteria of some suppliers and contractors i was sourcing. the series was short-lived, or rather, forgotten when we got into the real work of designing and producing the clothing.

chatting with vanessa of next door style about eco-friendly screen printing today, reminded me of the little series, and i decided to pick up where i left off.

first off, here's my checklist when looking for a contractor or supplier, screen printing or otherwise...

1. public transit accessible, and not too far from my studio (the less carbon, the better)

2. committed to maintaining environmentally responsible practices: using recycled paper, must have recycling program, etc.

3. happy employees: this is very important to me. even if employees are paid well, but treated like sh*t, it's not worth it. chat with the employees, do they get vacation time? are they overworked? do you get emails from them at 2am?

4. happy work environment, and general good vibe: here i trust my instinct - it's hard to miss if a place feels sketchy. sometimes i'll look for signs - i know a workplace is more relax and lenient towards it's employees when there is lots of little personal effects around: music playing, maybe a guitar laying around, or some photos and artwork, and neat cultural stuff around?

5. owner involvement: i like to see that the owner is still very much involved in the business, driven to succeed, and passionate in their craft. god knows that few people work in the fashion industry to become wealthy - so it takes someone who LOVES their job to do it, and do it well.

6. it's a special bonus when they love animals. (my screenprinter has an office rescue dog! sure it means an occasional dog hair on the garments, but they also take super extra precautions to vacuum and clean to keep it minimal - so far i have honestly only found ONE dog hair, and it was likely my fault for playing with the dog and then looking through my garments).

7. pricing is also important - if they seem cheap, it's probably because they are cutting corners - which almost always mean all of the above criteria are not met. (though high prices does not mean they are using the best practices either - do your research!!)

8. size of the business: the size of their business should be a good match for yours. are they willing to accept a small order from a small designer like me? is there room to grow together as my business grows? (personally, i like to support local indie businesses, so i'll shy away from bigger chains whenever possible.)

9. a reference: if you know anyone who is using the same contractor/supplier, ask them what they think. they can often give you insights on the quality of work/products the contractor/supplier provides.

10. an open mind and healthy attitude towards sustainability.


as for screenprinting specifics, i look for the below...
1. lead free inks
2. phthalate free inks
3. recycled inks and solvents
4. eco-friendly cleaners and filters

love to hear any feedback and suggestions!!

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epic raffle results... finally!!


epic raffle results
are finally here!! thanks to everyone who entered our draw for $100 gift certificate to the flora&fauna online boutique!! and congratulations to catrin hughes!!

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summer news!!

(miss bitta looking rather surly upon news of her vet appointment)

summer is officially here!! and at flora&fauna, our department of fun has lots of plans!!

tomorrow, our resident puppy is going to the hospital for to be spayed!! eek!! it's sad to know that little bitta's perfect genetics won't be passed onto future generations, but we are happy to be responsible dog and cats parents, and also know what happens to puppies and kittens that are without homes T_T... and hey, speaking of homeless dogs and cats - there are many waiting for their forever homes, visit them at your local shelters and get ready to snuggle!! (we ♥ dog bless, petfinder.com, vancouver orphan kitten rescue, and BCSPCA)

for our friends at the vancouver aquarium, we have donated a men's glow-in-the-dark jellyfish tee shirt (the men's version of the infamous jellyfish tube) to the vancouver aquarium's volunteers raffle, which is a part of June 12th's night at the aquarium gala!! we hope they'll like it!! ...and many thanks to the volunteers for their hard work and dedication.

we have a few parties coming up, and you are all invited!! join us at:

*string magazine anniversary party, where flora&fauna is featured in a spectacular fashion show!!
june 26 - metropole @ 320 abbot street, vancouver - 7pm til late!!

*fraser valley young professionals fashion show featuring flora&fauna with local designers kulus and innergypsy!! proceeds to benefit bc cancer foundation.
june 27th - location and details TBA

*don't miss a wonderful opportunity to meet the animals and amazing staff at critter care's open house!
july 11&12 - critter care wildlife society @ 481-216th street, langley - 11am-4pm

wishing everyone a wonderful summer!!
love,flora&fauna
xoxo
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vancouver, british columbia
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