WE ASK

So, what's the story behind YTC?

CARMENA

We met at an Ashtanga yoga intensive in Byron Bay, Australia in 2002. I was a clothing designer living in Melbourne and James, a film director and painter was visiting from the States. We found a shared passion for yoga, art and fashion and realised that there was nothing out there that for us showed how cool yoga was. We started hand-printing our own shirts in the backyard and gave them away to our teachers and friends. We probably sold about 12 shirts in our first year.

JAMES

Yoga is an exciting practice with boring clothes. We wanted to see something in the yoga world as exciting and vital that skate, music and surf culture took for granted in their graphics.

WE ASK

How is YTC a unique label?

JAMES

We believe YTC fuses spirituality with a street-wise vibe. It’s taking on the challenge of being cool and positive about the world. There is so much negativity and darkness in a lot of ‘cool’ graphics

CARMENA

We not only strive to provide cool and uplifting graphics but we’re committed to only using eco-sustainable fibers, manufacturing and printing processes. For a company of our size, it makes it much more expensive to do business but for us it is worth it.

WE ASK

Why is this so important to you?

JAMES

Humanity needs to make a great shift as we’re now on a collision course with nature. Buy sustainably-made goods! In terms of graphics, there is too much ‘un-thought out’ graphics worn by the people who are completely unaware of the effect these have on the world at large.

CARMENA

It is absolutely critical now more than ever before that people need to be aware of what they are buying and where it is sourced and how it is made. We only have a limited amount of resources on this little planet, and once they are gone, that’s it. The consumer has tremendous power, so choose wisely!

WE ASK

What advice do you give to consumers

JAMES

Go vegetarian. Buy green and be strong in these times – let your money walk your talk.

CARMENA

I would suggest buying less and buy better quality. Recycle and re-use. And support companies like ours – the ones who can make a big difference, if we all band together to create positive change.

WE ASK

Any projects/plans for the future you can share with us?

JAMES

We are looking to do a Yoga, Tribe and Culture event in 2009, bringing together yogis and nascent yogis from all over to create a cutting edge musical event – more like a dance party with kirtan afterwards. There are different charities we work with so it will be to benefit and highlight our friends and the causes we all believe in.

CARMENA

We’re also working on limited edition posters and collectibles. Also we’re looking to develop new ecologically sustainable fabrications and to expand the line. We really see YTC as a lifestyle brand, exemplifying a way of life.

WE ASK

What have been the biggest hurdles you've been faced with?

JAMES

Competing for market share against large corporations.

CARMENA

It sounds crazy since there are so many eco-brands now on the market but when we first wanted to find good organic cotton a few years ago, it was so hard to find that we ended up developing our own. Sourcing the yarn was very difficult.

WE ASK

Where do you see Ethical Fashion going?

JAMES

I think we are waking up to the fact that the throwaway mentality of a lot of shopping is detrimental to the planet. People will be prepared to pay more for quality and the level of consciousness behind the creation of something.

CARMENA

We see it going to the forefront – it will soon be outdated for any brand to not have a sustainable/eco-logical line or items in their line.

WE ASK

Any funny stories to tell?

JAMES

When we first started, we had absolutely no experience of manufacturing in the US, or any contacts. I remember traipsing around downtown Los Angeles trying to find a place that looked half decent to make a run of pants. Relationships are everything in the garment business – when we visited owners of a different factory about doing the run, they looked at us as if we were aliens from another planet.

CARMENA

Buying our first couple of dozen or so shirts to screen ourselves in our backyard and then after a couple of hours, both of us covered in plastisol ink and having to get rid of a sizeable number of shirts as we made so many mistakes. Actually that wasn’t funny; it was tragic.

WE ASK

What are your backgrounds and your biggest passions now?

JAMES

I was a commercial director, became a yoga teacher, became the creative director of Yoga, Tribe and Culture and now I’m producing and directing for our production company YTC Films. My passions right now include Japanese modern art, yoga, tattoos and my wife/partner, Carmena.

CARMENA

I was born and bred in a small town in New Zealand. I remember feeling really impatient to go and see the world, so I left for good at the age of 21 to live in London for 4 years. I had always loved fashion so that was a perfect place for me to be. After London, I moved to Melbourne, Australia and started my first ready-to-wear line. I also discovered Ashtanga yoga, which I became passionate about. At that point, I really wanted to bring yoga and fashion together in a way that it hadn’t seen before. My biggest passions then as they are now are yoga, fashion and using these together to positively impact popular culture, to uplift and heal.

WE ASK

What are your top tips for saving the planet?

JAMES

Go vegetarian, don’t buy anything with an ingredient you can’t pronounce, walk/cycle/ride public transport, buy local and organically grown food and do everything you can to enjoy yourself while doing those things.

CARMENA

Be really aware of where you’re spending your money at the supermarket. Better yet, go to a farmer’s market and support local farmers. Create a compost heap if possible and start growing a small garden. Reduce waste, buy less, create community locally and try not to drive whenever possible. Or carpool.

WE ASK

Which famous people do you admire?

JAMES

U2, Michael Franti and the great hope in the coming US election Barack Obama’

CARMENA

I’ve always loved Katherine Hamnett – she was political in the fashion world long before it was fashionable. I also admire yoga teachers David Life and Sharon Gannon of Jivamukti Yoga and Seane Corn for being fearless spiritual activists.