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Yoga Inspired Life Style

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Yogue Style Files: Deux fm

Dec. 03, 2009

Can we change the world through our clothing?  Yogue chats with Anna Gilkerson of deux fm.

Originally from small town Nova Scotia, Anna Gilkerson left the rural landscape of her youth to study fashion at FIT in New York City and at Polimoda in Italy.  This lovely lady is on a mission to create beautiful, wearable clothing and contribute to her local Nova Scotian economy.  She brings with her not only passion for the sustainable lifestyle but also experience – she was previously a designer at eco-favourite, Matt + Nat and founded Deux FM in 2006.

The line, which is pronounced deux femmes – implies two women or the dual woman.  In Gikerson’s words, “Deux fm is for the woman who broadcasts both fashion and ethics.”  For Fall 2009, Gilkerson continues to hones her trademark clean-lined, yet feminine styles at affordable prices.

Adding another notch in her eco-fashion belt, Gilkerson will be participating in Eco Chic Geneva in in January 2010, a conference in conjunction with the United Nations Trade Development to promote and educate the world about the sustainable clothing industry, as well as the GreenShows in NYC on Feb.17th, 2010.

Here are some excerpts from our chat.  Scroll below to see some of our favourites from Deux FM’s 2009 fall/winter collection.

————————————————————————————————-

Y. Have you always wanted to design?  And was it always clothing?
A.G. I was always into art and design. I studied art in New York before I went to F.I.T. I took painting, sketching and sculpting- all before I decided to get serious about fashion design.  As a kid I loved to make costumes and fashion drawings but I was never overly serious about it. It was one of my joys, simple as that.

Now I can’t believe I am so lucky I get to do what have loved since I was a child and I get to be involved in an important industrial movement that is doing good for the world.

Y. How has growing up in Nova Scotia influenced you and your philosophy with respect to design?
A.G. Nova Scotia is a very eco minded place. Our provincial recycling system is stellar and we are also very community oriented and locally focused here.  It is a very natural place and it’s quiet, the air smells good here.

Y.  What was your experience in NYC like and Florence?

A.G. The experiences were amazing! Coming from a small town and taking up digs in NYC was an intense adventure. I learned a great deal about hard work and dedication in New York and a lot about living life from the Italians. The Italians have such natural style and I love their attitude to life. I rode a bicycle there and took the subway in NYC. Both very green methods of transport whereas in NS we drive a lot because it is the country and there is nothing here. That is what I do miss about the city, the energy and the passion and the eco transportation! Montreal was huge for me as well, I worked in the fashion industry there and I learned so much about collection development and production. Having my own business has taught me how to run a business, so there has been lots of trial and errors. I am content with the path I have taken thus far.

Y. Do you think we can change the world through our clothing?
A.G.
I think that the green fashion industry is one facet of a global scale movement. It is equally important as all the others but I think it takes more than just clothing.
Fashion can help because it speaks to a young generation. There are so many brands now that provide green fashion equal to or better than the non-green.
It is hard to tell the difference these days and this is what helps change.

Y. What inspires you?
A.G.
True style, not following trends, honesty, humor, luxurious comfort, beautiful colors and imperfect textures, whole fashion eras and tiny details.

Y. What else are you passionate about?
A.G.
My family, music, travel, food, books, movies, the ocean.

Y. Where can we find deux fm (on the west coast)?
A.G.
Nowhere as of yet! Alberta and online are the closest you will find. I am hoping to secure some west coast retailers but the competition is crazy over there. BC is a mecca for organic clothing + lifestyle.

Y. Can you speak about any initiatives you are involved in to promote eco fashion in Canada?
A.G.
For Fall 2010 we will be launching our new organic-intimates collection that is produced locally by an established century old underwear manufacturer. Recently we provided work to local sewers by making bikinis out of reclaimed fabric ends and we have also worked with a women’s knitting co-op in Peru. We also have begun to provide internships to students and graduates that want to learn more about local and eco fashion business opportunities. We continually donate to charities such as the David Suzuki Foundation and Clean Nova Scotia.

Y. What can we look forward to for your new collection.
A.G.
Our Spring 2010 capsule collection is inspired by the old world of wooden sailboats. In coastal Nova Scotia, despite job loss due to factory displacement and over-fishing, there remains a thriving boatbuilding community. The deep blues of the North Atlantic play against the washed out sky and the soft antique whites and taupe of deck, rope and sail. Loosely tailored menswear combine with feminine silhouettes to create a look that is both function and fashion. Fabrics include hemp, soy, lyocell and organic cotton jersey blends, bamboo denim, OEKO-TEK certified organic cotton shirting, linen jersey manufactured in Canada and GOTS certified organic cotton denim from India.

*We also have a capsule summer collection also coming out at a later delivery. New swimwear styles, gorgeous dresses and soft summery sweaters in bold jungle hues.

To learn more about the line and to find a list of retailers who carry deux fm, please visit www.deuxfm.com.
Online, you can find deux fm at www.beklina.com and www.greenisblack.com

Freya Dress
An eco-ensemble
Eliza Dress
Lois Coat
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Category: Eco Style, Blog Tags: deux fm, eco style, eco-chic, sustainable style

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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

My internal world has been full of questioning lat My internal world has been full of questioning lately… the ones that keep coming up are: who am I? What do I want to do - with this re-birth into life? Where am I going? What is my purpose? What do I want to create? The questions that emerge when everything under our feet seems like quicksand, when life has seemed contracting and you finally begin to see new openings and light.

I’m allowing space for those answers to emerge, supporting myself w a mindful art course with @bccancer and a weekly women’s circle. BecUse I need to. The emotional whorl is here and real; and while I know it has been a lot I don’t actually realize it until things come up and I feel all the feels.

The body I am in feels different, it is and it will take time to regain my strength and movement ability. And yet life continues and I feel its press: the pull of many roles I bear as a woman, a mother, a daughter, a wife, a teacher, an entrepreneur… and it can feel like a lot!!! 

But then, there is a walk w the sunshine or moonlight on the horizon a meal that celebrates our senses and I remember that I have to stay on my path and begin again…

Photo sprinkles L to R:
1, 2: holiday sparkles w mum and dad 
3. The most delicious lunch ever @belovevictoria 
4. Turmeric, ginger, coriander and fennel: what I made to help me move through a sticky cold this last week.
5. Making herbal salves w @andreapenagos.wellness and @iye.herstories 💖🌱
6. This branch was so beautiful 
7. Lion made a tiramisu (I halved the sugar it was still v sweet)!
8. An appt at BC cancer - I’ll have check ups every 3 months. Each time I see my oncologist I remember how far I have come
9. Today: a walk in the sunshine w my little guy. 

Always counting my roses every day. Have not been writing much recently and need to commit to writing everything down about this last 15 months before I forget… still receiving messages from others encountering cancer and so happy that my story can help give inspiration and hope. Thanks for being here. 
💖💫🙏🏼

#family #growth #exhale #breathe #yogateacher #healcancer #healinsiya #insiyafinn
The roots of where I come from ie. India have alwa The roots of where I come from ie. India have always been an integral part of my practice and study of yoga and Ayurveda, even though my family is Muslim - yoga has always been both and integral and secular practice for me - yet connected deeply to Hindu philosophy - as is Ayurveda. Also so much of what I have learned I also owe to committed teachers and lineage in the west. As someone who has experienced this sort of transnational identity - of space, place, race and more - from living and moving and being in so many countries - i cherish and hold the threads that connect me to meaning and illumination. And I am committed to sharing those threads with lightness of heart and depth of experience.

Super honored to announce that I will be sharing Ayurveda and more @sedonayogafestival this March 2024. If you are considering it say yes. It will be a weekend to cherish. @theblissologist will also be there bringing his incredible Blissology yoga teachings.

And a host of amazing teachers.

Hope to see you there. Ticket prices on a super sale until tonight. Head over to @sedonayogafestival for more. 💖🙏🏼💫

#yogafestivals #yogateacher #growth #ayurveda #modernayurveda #healing #health #india 

Happy Saturday!!!
It’s cold and I awoke this morning feeling like It’s cold and I awoke this morning feeling like I was coming down w a flu. But going outside is always my medicine and the sunshine put on its A game tonight…

One thing I am focusing on right now is how to heal myself by tuning into the rhythms of nature / to our circadian rhythms… this is at the heart of Ayurveda. Happily a lovely yogi sent me a book called “the rhythms of wellness” by Alberta teacher Jaki Daniels, which offers a Chinese medicine perspective on bio rhythms. 🙌

Here’s what is helping me these days:
👇🏽
🌞Getting sunshine when it’s strongest - these days I walk our dog at around 3:30 or 4 pm and soak up whatever light I can.
🥣making lunch my main meal and dinner lighter - this helps our digestive fire to work harder when it can (ie during the afternoon) 
Winding down before 10 pm (trying)!!! But I notice how much better I sleep before getting that second wind of energy.

Lots more about this on my blog if you are interested. Look up « Dinacharya » @ yogue.ça and it will honestly transform your days. 

Saw my surgeon today which was a reminder again of where I was a year ago and where I am today. 

Grateful for a little space of light and sending out as much peace and love as I possibly can. The world needs it. We all do! 💫🙏🏼💖
Loss and grief: it feels both personal (in my body Loss and grief: it feels both personal (in my body and mind after all the surgeries and treatment) and planetary right now with wars that keep on going. 😢

This week I had the opportunity to join a circle of courageous women led by a wise woman who held space for us all to speak out loud the grief we hold. 

We spoke our losses holding onto a stone - their weight in our hands an anchor point - I found my stones earlier that day… walking to a beach w my son and his friend… I chose each one because it felt a certain way in my hands, because I felt their shape and beauty. 

As we moved around the circle, time stopped. 

Words don’t always allow us to fully feel what we are trying to express, but they try their best. And it can be simple words that sometimes express big, unspeakable things…

Tears were shed. The lights were dim and as I held my stone and spoke and then placed it into the vessel of water; I realized that it was only in walking through the curtain of pain that I felt whole once again. 

There is a lot of suffering in life. And most often we cause suffering through our perception of what happened or is happening. What a relief to speak it out and make space for a new way of seeing and feeling.

I don’t have any solutions to the suffering around us. But I do know that it begins with each one of us. And the seed of healing lies in being more kind and more clear and making space for light and love to illuminate our shadows. 

Grief is the other side of bliss. But we have to move through it to get there.

#womenscircles #grief #griefritual #suffering #war #peace #ceasewar #growth #blissology @blissology #healinsiya #healcancer
Happy Diwali!!! May we be reminded of our illumi Happy Diwali!!! 

May we be reminded of our illumination especially at a time when we need all the light we can and cannot see… 🙏🏼❤️‍🩹💖💫🪔

#diwali2023 #insiyafinn #blissedandblessed #family @theblissologist
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