BRAND WE LOVE
Daria Drake
From a young age, Daria Drake realized her passion for the Earth, and into adulthood has continued to ask — “why do we do things we know are harmful to the planet?” Striving to undo this narrative in her own life, Drake created The Durham Originals — a lifestyle brand that helps people be kinder to the planet and do more to protect it, everyday.
What is your background? How did it inform the creation of The Durham Originals?
Reflecting on my life’s path, I realize it was preparing me for my work before I even knew what it was. I graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from UNCG, studying subjects like rhetoric, public relations, public speaking, and organizational communication. But with no clear direction post-graduation, I decided I’d wait on finding a ‘real job,’ so I wouldn’t waste my time doing something I didn’t like.
It wasn’t until I turned 27 that a light went off and I decided to return to school for an AA in Advertising and Graphic Design. I had been working in the restaurant industry since I was old enough to and was ready to think about being done. I thought, ‘I can draw. I will go get this degree, get an amazing job as a graphic designer somewhere and that will be that.’
Fast forward to 2013. I had manifested my vision and made a (much desired) move from Greensboro to Winston-Salem, but the job experience wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was only a few months into it when I got fired. With other life changing moments happening simultaneously, I suddenly wanted more than ever to come home to Durham to start over again. When my lease was up, I came back to my birthplace to find myself and begin anew.
In Durham, I began immersing myself in documentary films — about climate, food, glaciers, animals, farming, plastic, oceans and people. I watched a lot and it started to stir me in a way that called deeply to the deepest part of my belly. What I was learning, more than any one subject, was that all these things that harmed our earth, people, plants and creatures, could be reversed, just by modifying our behaviors. I saw opportunity and a vision for the future.
I was also witnessing my hometown in a new way. Downtown Durham was OPEN, even bustling at times, a far cry from the boarded up windows I grew up with. There was real energy to feed off of — GOOD energy. People were making change and carving out unique spaces for themselves. It filled me to the brim to see how enthusiastic the entrepreneurial and creative scene was here and how our community supported those businesses and makers.
I realized what was missing from my first design experience was purpose. I didn’t want an amazing graphic design job anymore. I wanted to find my voice and I wanted to make a difference in my community and this world using my gifts and passion. So my path continued and I designed something that I wasn’t quite sure of what it was yet. Ready to learn, ready to evolve, ready to do something that mattered, I created The Durham Originals.
What makes The Durham Originals a sustainable brand?
Sustainability is at the heart of all that we do. We work to bring awareness and consciousness to action through the products we make and sell, our blog and in the actions we take. Since Black Lives Matter swept over our country and globe a few weeks ago, we are newly committed to bringing to light the common, colonial standards that have negatively impacted our environment, Black People and People of Color.
Our zero waste shop has practical, everyday items that help people reduce their reliance on plastics, and are made using remnant fabrics. So we get to capture textiles before they hit the landfill and prevent unnecessary personal trash accumulation — it’s a win win situation!
In A Life Aligned, we talk mostly about fashion, food, and plastic consumption. We believe these categories can have the biggest impact when trying to reduce your footprint, and they are full of creative ways to make change, both big and small. We also have started bringing yoga, meditation and inner work into the conversation to help people make change at a cellular level. Because in order to love all beings and our Earth fully, we must love ourselves completely.
Lastly, we host the Eco-Life Challenge for our community every spring which is a fun way to take action, spread good eco-conscious vibes and brush up on Eco-Life skills. It’s a free, 12 day challenge with lots of opportunities to win prizes! You can check out 2020’s challenge at EcoLifeChallenge.com.
What inspires your choice of materials? How do you create your products?
We are all about impact when deciding what to make and how to make it. Our products are simple solutions that empower people to reduce their waste in everyday living, such as our to-go utensil kits and reusable food bags.
We use as little new raw materials as possible, sourcing our fabrics and notions from reuse art supply shops such as The Scrap Exchange and Reconsidered Goods. Doing it this way gives us a really unique design prompt and finished product — I love the creativity that arises out of each new batch we create!
We are partnered with Spoonflower for a steady supply of white remnant fabric for our reusable food bags and use their fabric for specialty indigo dye projects. These are great for refusing single use plastic in the grocery store, at the farmer’s market and are swell for storing veggies in the crisper.
Our apparel line is a collection of upcycled tops, dipped in indigo for new life, and USA made, organic and recycled tees. All new tees we carry have been sourced with the highest standards of production and supply chain transparency from Groceries Apparel. Their tees are made to order (creating less waste, right off the top) with fabric that is grown, spun, knitted and sewn in the USA with natural dyes. Workers are paid living wages to seal the deal.
Where can people shop to find your products?
Right now, we have merchandise for sale in our online shop and sell wholesale to organizations and businesses. Typically we pop up at markets and events, but all that has shifted with the current pandemic.
Any tips for people who want to become more ethical and responsible shoppers?
Take your time! By not caving to impulse purchases, we give ourselves the opportunity to contemplate if we really need a thing, if we can afford it and what the environmental and humanitarian impact is. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably bought something in the past that you ended up wearing either just once, or sadly, not at all. Since I started this practice I’ve significantly reduced the amount of clothes hanging in my closet and have saved a lot of cash.
I like to use my rule of retail hierarchy when I do decide I need a thing. First, I look to see if it’s something I can borrow, get second hand from a friend, or if it’s something I can make out of what I already have. If there’s no luck, I’ll check out second hand and consignment shops. If still nothing turns up, I start doing research to look for a company that checks all my sustainability boxes. I look for eco-friendly fabrics, USA made, living and fair wages (all along the supply chain), and packaging information.
Take the time to learn about slow fashion and define what it means to you. The beautiful thing about it is that it can mean so many things, making it accessible to everyone. What values are most important to you? What is your own hierarchy of attributes / characteristics in a garment?
Any other responsible brands inspiring you right now?
Of course! I’m always on the lookout for cool design paired with conscious materials. Since joining the Black Lives Matter movement, I’ve been looking outside of my usual resources to find Black owned brands, and one that I’m currently stoked about is Natasha Tonic.* She makes swim and activewear with hemp fabric, a much better choice for our bodies and planet, and ultra cool design and prints.
Reprise Activewear is also convinced that we shouldn’t be putting plastics on our skin (the largest organ of our body) while we’re moving. Reprise uses Lyocell Tencell, another plant based fabric of the highest standard, to make their leggings. These two brands have inspired me to start my own journey to find new, sustainable raw materials for another line of kits, to add alongside the upcycled line we currently carry.
I absolutely love to use natural indigo in my upcycling projects. So I would say that Botanical Colors is another non-traditional ‘brand’ that is inspiring me right now. They are a great resource for discovering proper dying techniques and learning straight from the experts about not just dying processes but about the culture and traditions behind them as well. As much as I want to create, I want to share stories about the why to honor and give reverence to those who cultivated the practices.
* Editorial Correction: While Natasha Tonic is a sustainable & organic hemp swimwear brand, they are not Black-owned.