Sustainability begins with simplicity
Bohemian Folk believes that true sustainability begins with simplicity. It is the core value that guides all aspects of our business, from the natural fibers and dyes we use, to our artisan-made method of production and the designs themselves.
Hand-dyed
Hand-made
Unlike big box companies that simply drop-ship apparel from overseas, every stitch of our clothing is made in our studio located in the Heartland of the USA. We are proud to be part of the slow fashion movement-a movement that stands against fast fashion and is defined by the use of eco-conscious materials as well as a slow process taken to design, source, and produce garments.
We are not in the business of shipping loads of identical items. Each item is hand-cut, carefully sewn, and hand-dyed by our artisans; which means that each piece is as unique as you. Our clothing is our art and craft and each and every garment is infused with the love of the hands that created it.
Meet the team
Born in the true spirit of DIY tinkering, founder Leslie Navia first set up shop in 2012 with nothing more than a far-fetched dream, an old dye tub and a trusty sewing machine. Slow and steady, things have grown since the early days, but each and every piece is still sewed and dyed locally in our studio by a small handful of skilled artisans. When you wear Bohemian Folk Clothing, you join the legions around the world who value slow fashion and handmade apparel. Each and every purchase supports a healthier planet, honest work, and our artisans' fair wages.
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Leslie
Founder/Head of Design
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Glendy
Studio Manager/Master Dyer
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Alberto
Pattern Designer/Head of Production/Cutter
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Teresa
Production seamstress
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Yesenia
Production seamstress
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Andy
Assistant Cutter
Design rooted in
the elements of earth, sun, and rain
Bohemian Folk is a line of hand-made clothing devoted to simplicity and to feeling natural and beautiful in our own authentic skin. Founder and designer, Leslie Navia, creates designs rooted in a whimsical alchemy of color and texture, and inspired by the elements of earth, sun, and rain.
How we make our garments
All our clothing is hand-made with love in the Heartland, by a small team of artisanal sewers. This means we don't make our clothing in a factory, but instead in a small and intimate studio setting. We create our clothing both in small runs, in which we cut, sew and dye a limited number of pieces of a certain style, as well as made to order, in which the garment is made specifically for a customer once it had been ordered.
All of our garments are created using natural fabrics and then dyed in small batches in out studio by hand using eco-friendly low-impact dyes, as well as botanical plant dyes.
OUR FIBERS and DYES
OUR FIBERS and DYES
We create our garments with a very select and limited number of ethically-sourced, fair-trade, natural and organic fibers. The fibers we currently use include hemp, organic cotton, and linen. All of our fabric is purchased in its natural, un-dyed state and the color is added by our team, in the dye studio, once the garment has been sewn. We dye all of our clothing using eco-friendly dyes. The majority of our clothing is dyed using low-impact fiber reactive dyes, and from time to time we offer one of a kind pieces using natural botanical dyes.
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Low impact dyes
Low-impact dyes bond directly with garment fibers and contain no heavy metals. They don’t contain toxic chemicals or mordents, have a high absorption rate, and require significantly less water during the run off process than conventional dyes.
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Botanical dyes
We offer a range of botanical dyes that have minimal environmental impact, are biodegradable, and are obtained from renewable resources that can be harnessed from nature without imposing harm to the environment.
It is important to note that the process of hand-dyeing garments yields different hues and tones from batch to batch. Dye variation is part of the beauty of the garment and is considered normal and not a flaw. We use specific recipes for our fiber reactive dye colors and results are relatively predictable, although still vary from dye bath to dye bath. Botanical dyes produce soft and soothing shades, yet are far more inconsistent than low-impact dyes due to the dyeing process. We often overlap and combine botanical colors to achieve unique hues. All colors on our palette, both for low-impact as well as botanical dyes, are considered approximate (especially natural dye which have a huge color spectrum) due to the artisanal process used to achieve them.
