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Eco-Tonic

Oct. 02, 2010

Will Vancouver continue to grow as a Yoga hub?

The answer when put to Aleksa Havelar of Tonic clothing is a resounding yes.  I caught up Aleksa last week and got the inside scoop on a local company that still designs and manufactures their yoga-lifestyle apparel in Vancouver, Canada.   And yes, though they are compared to that “other” yoga company, the one that put Vancouver on the yoga apparel map, Tonic’s clothing does look different, not a spin-off to lululemon.

I also  like Tonic’s continued focus on eco-fabrics – something I consider quintessential to a yoga brand – after all shouldn’t Yoga be synonymous with Sustainability?  Sustainability to me = the interconnection we often give lip service to in yoga practice and philosophy, while forgetting how it relates to “real life” or as US based yogini Seane Corne often refers to, the now cliched statement, “our yoga practice off the mat.”

While still a small company, Tonic’s reputation is on the up and up.  Tennis star Martina Hingis recently wore Tonic at the US Open this past summer, leading to some high profile and free advertising for Tonic on the world stage.  Said Havelar smiling, “we didn’t have to pay to be there. As for our future plans, maybe we’ll be designing more tennis gear…”

Martina Hingis wears Tonic (on right) at the Sept 2010 US Open

Here’s some Q + A with Aleksa and Carol, Tonic’s lead designer:

What sets Tonic apart from other yoga clothing/ apparel lines?

Our look is clean and simple, but it’s not boring. If you’re thinking, “pffft, clean and simple, I can do that” just try cranking out 6 collections per year, with entirely brand new styles every season. Clean and simple starts to get a bit more challenging. What I hear other people say about Tonic the most is that the designs are sophisticated and elegant. For activewear, I think that’s a huge achievement.  Whenever we design, we try to think in terms of building or adding on to a wardrobe, instead of designing for trends. We also think more along the lines of how the collections will complement what we’ve done in the past… It’s about creating “modern classics” (I borrowed this term from a designer friend who used it to describe her collection and think it’s so appropriate for Tonic)..

Tonic: Eco yoga wear

Why eco?  What have been some of the challenges working with eco fabrics?

It’s something that’s always been in the back of our minds but we didn’t really know where to fit it in. We were this fledgling company trying to make really high quality activewear that wouldn’t pill and wear out or smell like a hockey bag after a few hot, sweaty Bikram classes. First and foremost, we wanted to make garments that lasted and it was important for us to be working with Canadian fabrics. So we started our brand with the supplex that will still use today, which we’ve dubbed Libra. As we started to grow we began to talk about what it means for us to use this fabric and in what direction we wanted the company to go.

Everyone at Tonic was aware of the garment industry’s impact on the environment and we thought about how there is this huge gap in the activewear market where sustainability is concerned. We wanted to start a collection that people could get more mileage out of.  Instead of having one outfit to wear to the the studio, one outfit for practice and one outfit to wear when you’re going out for drinks with your friends, we wanted to combine all aspects of daily life. In Spring 2009, we launched our first Eco collection, using a bamboo and organic cotton blend that had more of a street wear feel to it, but was still ideal for practice. The bamboo blend had better technical properties than organic cotton on its own and it had a really luxurious hand.

That first collection was 6 pieces and less than 5% of our overall sales but we felt it was worth hanging onto. By the time we shipped our second eco collection, sales had grown by 25%. We’re now five collections in and have added new fabrications, like TENCEL to the mix and we started a men’s line of tees and hoodies.

I’d have to say that the biggest challenge is that we’re used to working with this fabric that does it all: breathes, dries quickly, doesn’t pill, keeps its shape, doesn’t fade, Canadian made and we keep on trying to find that perfect sustainable alternative.

Tonic Clothing

What exactly is Eco?  How do you define it?

I find it challenging to determine what eco is exactly. With so many varying perspectives and agendas, there’s a lot of conflicting information out there. You have to weigh the pros and the cons every step of the way from raw material to final product.

On a high note, the coolest thing about our collections is being part of this larger movement towards ‘slow fashion.’ People are starting to look more at where their clothing comes from, how it got here and how long it’s going to be around.

What’s the Tonic Collective and who makes it up?

By collective, I mean how everyone in the company collectively drives the vision and makes things happen on every level. We’re all involved in the design process and in the branding; so the vision doesn’t come from one person in particular.   The Tonic collective is made up of all of the Tonic employees and the brand representatives we call Spirits. The feedback that we get from our Spirits is vital to our R&D and I don’t think our brand would be as strong without them. As far as the workplace goes, there are no complicated hierarchies and our roles are fluid. We always joke about how the owner of Tonic signs our checks and sweeps our floors. We really all take turns at jobs and pitch in to help wherever it’s needed. It makes us a strong team and we’re able to understand each other’s perspectives better. Everyone from sales to accounting to shipping to production sits in on design meetings and gives their input. It sounds like a logistical nightmare, but we have a clear vision so it’s relatively easy to stay focused.

Tonic: street/ lifestyle active wear

How does being a Vancouver based company impact your work?

Vancouver is such a vibrant city with so many cultural and environmental inspirations to draw from. I think, because we’re primarily an active wear company, we work a lot with that west coast sensibility. It’s that need for our clothes to be comfortable and doing double duty, but we always add a little hint of European style, paying attention to fine details and fit, sculpting garments to hug the body just right. We’ve been really lucky to have the opportunity to be involved in the yoga community here for the last 6 years and we’re always so honoured to participate in local events like the annual Camp Moomba Yogathon, which raises money to send kids who have been impacted by HIV/AIDS to camp. Of course, we’ve also gotten used to being compared to that other Vancouver based-yoga company. All joking aside, they’ve done a really good job of putting Vancouver on the map in terms of activewear and I think it helps to add credibility to the city’s fashion industry when there are so many strong brands coming out of the city.

What are some of the ideas inspiring you / informing your next collection.  (From Carol, Tonic designer)

I just finished Spring/Summer 2011 and I was inspired by heritage, lace, ruffles, shirring and peacocks, juxtaposed with clear, bright, intense, happy colours.

 

How do you reconcile working in the fashion industry with your eco- sensibilities? Are you involved in any eco-initiatives in the fashion industry? If so, what?

I haven’t reconciled working in the fashion industry with my eco-sensibilities.  In fact I have considered leaving the industry on a number of occasions, but running away will not change anything.  I work with companies who are eco conscious and work with them to improve their footprint.

Thanks Aleksa + Carol.

Look for Tonic retailers at www.mytonic.ca

Please email your feedback or post comments here!  I’d love to know what you think of this post.
namaste,

Insiya

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Category: People, Blog Tags: Lifestyle, eco fashion week, eco-chic, eco-fashion, sustainability, tonic, vancouver, yoga

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ABOUT YOGUE  Hi, I'm Insiya. Journey with me as we live slow, scatter beauty and tread lightly on the planet.

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insiyafinn

Yesterday was so life affirming and heart filling! Yesterday was so life affirming and heart filling!!! 

We got out on a hike in sooke and I’m so proud of my mama for traversing some steep climbs and even more steep and rocky downhill paths. I felt energized and so happy to be outside in a forest that smelled cool and fresh and pine-resin-y… @theblissologist and lion even got into the icy cold glacial streams and then we picked up grandma @carolefinnartist and enjoyed some delicious pizza on the deck @stokedpizzeria near sombrio…

My family kept cautioning me to not push myself - but honestly and truly I think I was just high on feeling alive and being amidst the waterfalls and green of what has turned into a very hot spring (climate change is real friends…)…

Yesterday was such an affirmation of how much we all need to be outside to reconnect within to what really matters…

Thanks ananda lion for making me a mama 12 years ago and thanks to my mom @sararasiwala for your love always… also it made me so happy that eoin got to see his mama too! Life is short. Keep those you love close and fill it with beauty and kindness.

Ps. I did wear a dress hiking (just because) and I am very tired today but was it worth it? YES ❤️

#yogue #mothersday #family #familymatters #healing #healinsiya #healcancer #cancerthriver
Photo sprinkles… Stepping out into spring. L- Photo sprinkles… 

Stepping out into spring.

L-R: A Saturday picnic w @yogalink + Carole + dingo the bali dog and my mom. Thanks for the chai @sararasiwala 😁 and the pic @theblissologist ✨
Blossoms on the hill.
Blossoms inside :)
Homemade spinach and mushroom quiche.. so good 💫
Pakoras by mom… aka delish chickpea fritters 
Daisies :)
And
Apricot nectar and strawberries yesterday… 
/ shadows and sunshine :) 
Heart shaped flowers…

Feeling all this golden light and springtime goodness. :) 

🌺💕☀️

#healingjourney #wholefoods #growth #changes #shift #insiyafinn #healinsiya #healcancer
So I decided to share this picture here because fi So I decided to share this picture here because firstly today was so special. I got to see a dear dear friend who I haven’t seen since before the pandemic and we got to finally connect a few steps away from home. Yes this is currently Victoria (or it was this morning when the sun was bright and warm)…

And yet this morning was hard won. Yesterday after weeks of things going relatively well I had what is called a partical blockage with my ileostomy. I think it was caused by my not chewing my lunch as slowly as I normally do…(I will blame this on both being v hungry and that my dear mom’s cooking is dangerously delicious) 😁 when my girlfriend came to see me yesterday, I had low energy and a strange cramping sensation in the stomach and lower rib area. This progressively got worse and worse until my body with all its wisdom tried to push my lunch out of me. In other words I threw up. Consistently and continuously.

Meanwhile life at home continued on. My son arrived home after a canoeing weekend. I needed back rubs w tiger balm or whatever would help in the moment; and tried to help organize dinner. And my friend later that evening shared how she felt the privilege of being here to help and to witness the rough stuff. Which just felt so dear and real and loving.

And this is why I want to share this story today. It feels scary to put all of this out into the world but I have been thinking that when we hide the hard things behind walls of fear or worry about what others will think, I think we curtail our capacity to be loving, compassionate humans. After all at our core we want the same things. To live and love well. I feel like I share a lot here but I have found it hard to write about the really gnarly moments. There have been so many. What I will say I am so thankful for however is that because I have experienced so much with the ileostomy, I knew I had to ride the waves of pain out until they stopped. And they did and I finally slept last night and stayed out of emerg at the hospital.

And awoke to a new day. And a new opportunity to make the most of this precious moment.

Thanks for being here!

#healcancer #healinsiya #viclife #oakbay #friendship
It’s three weeks post my big surgery. The last f It’s three weeks post my big surgery. The last fortnight has been a wave of highs and lows. It felt like every time I felt a little better something new would happen again that I needed to understand and navigate. 

Meanwhile my inner mind has been a whirling w so so much. I have so many thoughts and so many ideas every day. And having to still be quite still has forced me to pay attention to them. 

The word that keeps coming up is reclamation - reclaiming who I am and how I want to live my life moving forward… life seems a little less like I’m on the edge of a precipice - except in the middle of the night - but things still feel urgent - like I will run out of time before I get to do all the things I would like to. And I have been trying to stay true and listen to the emotions that come up as I continue to navigate the journey beyond - which as yet is a big unknown! 

Today was an easy day to reclaim how much living in harmony with our seasons means to me. How much I love being outside. This afternoon mom and I went for a glorious walk in the sunshine and then lion, our pup and I had some weeding fun in the garden. 

A friend asked me how I am feeling earlier today. I guess the answer today is so happy and grateful to be here and to live in such a beautiful place to call home close to the ocean and sea lions and the meadows and flowers and forests. I am cherishing these little moments. They feel big these days.

Thanks for being here. Xo 

#healing #gratitude #gardening #healinsiya #healcancer #coloncancercanada

📷 @sararasiwala 💖
Today is a reminder for myself and possibly you as Today is a reminder for myself and possibly you as well to not get discouraged… 

Recovery takes time.

there are moments of feeling on top of the world and there are others where I feel flat and tired. 

There is my mind trying to propel me forward beyond the constraints of my body; and my body then signaling with a sharp outcry - you cannot do X, please rest. 

There is life with all its chaos and wants and needs coming at you, because you don’t live in a bubble, the ones you are in relationship with also have needs… 

And so you remind yourself that all you can do is keep showing up now, in this moment, in the best way possible… don’t do more, it’s not necessary- especially right now…

Be gentle today. Happy Sunday.

🙏🏼❤️✨

#journal #healing #recovery #cancer #healcancer #healinsiya #slowlife #yogalife #mentalhealth
Home again. Short - very short and slow - walks do Home again.
Short - very short and slow - walks down our street.
Strawberries at breakfast.
So many Hugs from my son.
Back rubs from my husband
My mom’s continuous kindnesses that keep the day humming.
Friends saying hello and bringing food and tinctures.
And flowers that I cut from our wild garden tonight which is coming alive with all sorts of surprises.

I had tulips in my hospital room the entire 11 days and I can tell you how much they inspired me. As their petals opened up slowly I grew stronger and more able every day after surgery. I saw the colors shining against the dull hues of the room when I awoke each morning and in the sunshine they glistened.

Flowers have healing powers say researchers, apparently patients who can see trees and flowers from their hospital windows vs those who cannot, take less pain medication and have shorter hospital stays… and yes they both relax and uplift us. 

I’ve always loved flowers. Only now I understand why.

Happy weekend!
#grateful #flowers #healingpowerofflowers #healcancer #healinsiya #natureheals #holisticwellness
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