Designer's Journal

This Fall we teamed up with or handloom weavers in Andhra Pradesh to bring you beautiful hand woven ikat ponchos. 

What is Ikat Fabric?

Ikat dyeing and weaving is a centuries old tradition. Yarns are stretched out about 10 meters long, an intricate design is drawn onto the threads and rubber bindings are wrapped around the parts of the design that are to resist the dye. The threads are then hand dip dyed. The bindings are removed after dyeing and if a second or third color is used, this process is repeated. Once the threads are completely dyed, the fabric is woven on either a power loom or a hand loom. Read more here.

Layer the ponchos over sweaters or long sleeves for the perfect Fall look.  Or tie it in front for an on trend kimono look.

Click here to shop!

It's still scalding hot in New Orleans, but at Passion Lillie we're already getting excited for cozy fall days.  

We hope you'll be excited too when you see Passion Lillie's newest fall line, complete with versatile wraps, midi skirts, and bolero jackets perfect for layering at the changing of the seasons when the autumnal wind turns chilly...and then suddenly it's hot again.

Trade in your old blazer for this handwoven poncho and add an unexpected elegance to any look.  Tie it in front for a brunch date on a chilly morning, with the option of taking off the belt and wearing it loose post French Toast.  Available in six different eye-catching prints.  

Consider pairing your poncho with these adorable and shades from Shwood's Badlands Collection  that preserves natural materials using resin-casting. 

Or pump up your look with a statement necklace like this one from 31 Bits, a fellow ethical fashion company dedicated to empowering female artisans.  

However you style it, we hope you'll love this new line as much as we do.  Happy accessorizing! 

This month we did a giveaway for a bag and a scarf on Polyvore. Contest rules were simple- create a set that uses Passion Lilie's products. User maggiecakes blew us away with her 100% sustainable colleague. 

This set features amazing pieces from these ethical and organic brands: Smedley, Oliberrte, Hissia and Passion Lilie. Click on the picture to learn more about this colleague and future Passion Lilie giveaways. 

Every product I design begins with an idea in my head that is inspired by something in my world.

Let me take you on a journey of designing the trumpet scarf. One sunny day I was walking in the French Quarter of New Orleans when I saw a trumpet lying on it’s side next to a musician. It looked so beautifully placed that I was inspired to use it in a scarf.

Below is the initial design I created using pencil and paper.

I then transferred this design to Photoshop in order visualize row and after row of the trumpets.

Once I was happy with my concept, I sent a detailed technical drawing with measurements to the block makers in India. They took about a week to hand carve the trumpet design into a teak wood block. For the border, I decided to use an existing border we already had. 

And a few months later, thanks to the skilled block printers in India, the trumpet scarf is now available for purchase!

It's not every day that you get a phone call from Karen Taylor Gist, the editor of Wish, the upscale shopping guide that appears in the New Orleans Times- Picayune newspaper. So when she called me wanting to do a feature on me and Passion Lilie, I was beyond thrilled. I am so grateful for this feature, so... without further ado... go check it out here!

When I introduce myself at parties, event, etc. as the owner and designer of a women's fair trade clothing line, it is not uncommon that I get asked, "What is Fair Trade?" And honestly, I have a hard time boiling the definition down into one sentence. Providing a fair wage is only one out of the many benefits that Passion Lilie's artisans receive. I like to describe fair trade as a trade based system that focuses on creating a positive and uplifting working environment.

This week, I wanted to shed a spotlight on the artisan group in India that does all our block printing in natural (plant and vegetable based) dyes. 

The block printing workshop started in 1969 by a hand loom weaver and now his two sons have taken over. Both brothers are not only dedicated and extremely knowledgeable on this art form, but they are also good, trustworthy people who have created an amazing and uplifting working environment.

The workshop regularly employ about 10 women and men from a variety of religious backgrounds: Muslim, Christian and Hindu. Despite the religious differences, they all work in peace together. Some artisans have been with the workshop for as long as 35 years. 

Thanks to the work that this workshop has provided, the artisans are living above poverty, but many of their neighbors in the small village are struggling and in poverty. Not only does the workshop pay fair wages that are above the national minimum average and above what other workshops are paying, but they also offer many benefits.