FOLLOW US TO OAHU, HAWAII
10 days spent on the coast line of Oahu Island,
Featuring Honeymoon.nyc & TulipWax
WITH LOTS OF LOVE,
REO,
BLOG DIARY
Our contribution to the Sumba Foundation.
After spending our time in the rural areas of Sumba, connecting with the people and the land. We knew we had a responsibility to do something here, we felt our week enjoying the life of Sumba was worth so much in our hearts that we had to continue our relationship to the people and the land.
We were introduced to The Sumba foundation, who has been doing amazing work for the communities of Sumba. By empowering the people of Sumba while preserving and respecting their cultural traditions.
Through The Sumba Foundation we are able to support and give back to the people there. As we cant be there physically enough.
With our donation, we managed to provide education to children, implement a water systems for a large families and help with basic medical needs.
Thank you to all of you! We are honoured by all of your endless support. On behalf of you, we are able to regularly donate and provide help for these wonderful people.
Lets make this a year to slow down on our consumption and give back.
Read more information and follow their amazing work via @Sumbafoundation - You can also make direct donations through their website link. All help is very appreciated.
Here are some of our most joyful moments, connecting with the Sumba Villages.
Join us on our Earth celebration.. Honouring natural dyes.
Imagine opening your closet and finding your entire wardrobe devoid of any color. No more vibrant socks or bright, white shirts. We often take for granted the pigments that allow us to have that lucky red sweater or go-to jacket. It’s hard to imagine how our ancestors got by without synthetic dyes, but you might be surprised to learn how colorful the ancient world was. As far back as 2600 BCE, dyes were made with water, oil, and natural pigments derived from local resources, including exotic plants, insects, and sea life. Some fabric dyes, such as purple made from shells of crushed mollusks, were literally worth their weight in gold.
Today, 90% of clothing is dyed synthetically, so it’s sometimes fun to take a look back to our roots and go the natural route. Whether you’re hoping to revive an old t-shirt or make use of some leftover greens, here’s how to make natural dyes work for you.
What You’ll Need:
- Small saucepans
- Knife
- Strainer
- Large mixing bowl
- Measuring cup
- Funnel
- Glass jars
- Wash buckets (or old pot)
- Rubber bands (optional, for tie-dye)
- Gloves
- Water
- Salt
- Vinegar
- Plant ingredients (see below)
Pick a color, any color:
Depending on the color you’d like to create, your ingredients will vary and experimentation is always key. Always use ripe, fresh, and mature plant material — never dried.
- Red / Pink: Pomegranates, beets, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, red and pink roses, avocado skins and seeds (weird, but true!), lavender
- Orange: Carrots and carrot roots, orange peels, yellow onion skins
- Yellow: Lemon peels, celery leaves, turmeric, paprika, marigolds, sunflowers
- Green: Spinach, parsley, peppermint leaves, artichokes
- Blue / Purple: Blackberries, red cabbage, grapes, blueberries, red mulberries, hibiscus
- Brown: Dandelion roots, oak bark, walnut hulls, tea, coffee, acorns
- Gray / Black: Blackberries, walnut hulls, iris root
Time to Prep:
Cover your work area with newspaper or plastic sheeting to prevent dyeing counter tops. To avoid dyeing your hands, be sure to wear gloves.
Chop your chosen plant material into small portions to increase surface area. If the plant is tough, smash the root with a hammer to make it fibrous.
Now, you’ll want to get your fabric ready. When dyeing with natural ingredients, using natural fabrics such as muslin, silk, cotton, and wool produces the best results. The lighter the original fabric color, the brighter your dyed fabric will be.
Wash your fabric, but don’t dry it! The fabric needs to be wet for the dye to stick. Prepare a fixative or “mordant” — from the Latin mordere meaning “to bite” — to help the dye stick and avoid fading over time. For fruit dyes, simmer the fabric in ¼ cup salt and 4 cups of cold water. For vegetable dyes, simmer in 1 cup vinegar and 4 cups water. Boil for one hour and then rinse with cool water.
Now Let’s Get Started:
Add your chopped plant ingredients into a small saucepan and cover with twice as much water as fruit or vegetable. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer for one hour.
Turn off the heat and let the water return to room temperature. Pour the cooled dye through a strainer and into a mixing bowl. Then funnel the dye into a glass jar or directly into wash buckets.
Soak cloth in a wash bucket with dye until it reaches your desired color. Next, place the fabric in a microwave-safe plastic bag and seal. Heat in the microwave for two minutes on high on top of paper towels or a microwave-safe plate. Remove the bag from the microwave carefully and allow to completely cool overnight.
The next day, rinse under cool water and hang to air dry. To further heat-set the dye, run the item through a drier on high for about one hour.
Launder only by hand in a very mild detergent and separate from other items of clothing to avoid staining.
Sources:
Juliette Donatelli, “The History of Fabric Dye,” ZADY, https://zady.com/features/the-history-of-fabric-dye.
Amy Grant, “Fruit and Vegetable Plant Dyes: How To Make Natural Dyes From Food,” Gardening Know How, https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/fruit-vegetable-plant-dyes.htm.
Debra Maslowski, “How To Dye Fabrics Using Natural Materials,” DIY Natural, https://www.diynatural.com/natural-fabric-dyes/.
“Natural Dyes From Plants and Vegetables,” Martha Stewart, https://www.marthastewart.com/1518254/natural-dyes-from-vegetables-and-plants.
“Wednes-DIY: Making Natural Dyes,” Bldg 25 Blog, https://blog.freepeople.com/2011/08/diy-natural-dyes/.
Exploring the root of Akoia in India
Leaving with my heart full of so much gratitude for being able to embark on this journey to mother India. A place of deep spirituality to open my heart more and be inspired by the amazing women that work day by day with their hands to create art and connect with there land.
We came to India, to find the source of organic Cotton, which is the root of all of our creations here at Akoia. We wanted to build that connection with it. To understand the growth process, the harvest process and how it is transformed into yarn. Cotton is an amazing plant that is native to India, it has culturally very appreciated, and holds a special tradition in the communities of South India. We wanted to see for our selves, how the cotton is grown, how many women that takes, how much land space, how much water space, what kind of connection Indian locals have with there cotton, how does cotton have a role in there culture and how does organic cotton work in India.
This Exploration deepened my connection with the Akoia, and my appreciation for the hand work of growing cotton that goes into each Akoia piece it really is a special journey from how it gets from the farm as a baby crop then spinning into cotton yarn, to then our hand made crochet clothing.
This is such a distinctive opportunity for people who work with cotton ( 80% of the fashion world) to make that connection with the source of there clothing, to really understand what you are working with on every aspect, and to see, and feel every transparent process. from Seedling to garment. This is what the Akoia journey is about, going back to the roots and displaying that journey for every one to understand.
Much Love,
Reo
JIJI Editorial featuring the Humba collection
All photos by www.reopfilm.com
Muses @jijihatesyou @angelacsari
BTS Humba Campaign
The BTS of the Humba campaign, Shot down the West Coast of Sumba Island
Featuring the small Akoia team, Inka Williams, My Mum, Gina Palmer & my self Reo Palmer.
6 days spent, between the white sandy long beaches and discovering water oasis's where we shot the collection. We shared so many laughs, we taught kids English, and went on big adventures. See a few captures of our daily life in Sumba.
The beaches of the island were filled with buffalos. During the morning sun the farmer brings his dozen of buffalos to the ocean edge, to wash them, walk them down the river to feed and bathe. It is refreshing to see farmers so connected to their animals.
Inka found a mamma crab washed up on shore. So much raw marine life by the sea on this island.
The endless white sand & coconut tree beaches.
These little boys would see us from miles away on the beach and ask us if we wanted to buy a fresh coconut for 10,000 which is only 1$. They would find the highest coconut tree and climb coco trees as tall as 20 mtrs , then coming down with a bunch of fresh coconuts. So impressed with these local kids, how talented!
Education is very limited in Sumba, so we got the chance to teach the little kids English. These kids taught us how remote life is in these villages. They would walk miles every early morning to collect water for their homes.
We asked the kids, what would you like as presents from us when we return next year? They said "we would just love to learn from you again". It really goes to show, these kids really value education rather then material things.
This is one of the Traditional villages. The houses are designed like this, and they are famous to Sumba. The theory is, they have 3 layers of living, one for animal at the bottom, one for human in the middle and one for the spirit at the top.
At these villages, women would spend their days weaving natural yarns into their traditional wear. Using natural dyes and natural materials. Weaving ikat is a tradition that has been passed down from generations. We learnt a lot from these empowering women.
We found an oasis, Sumba has very dry land. While our adventure through the tropical desert like land, we came across this.
The sunrise wake up picking seaweed to then cook for our lunch. They mums of the villages taught us how to pick the correct seaweed and how to turn it into the yummiest meal.
This was Pak Musa, he was the head of the village and owned a few bamboo bungalows on the beach where we stayed. What a legend!
With Sumba so close to our hearts, and creating such deep connections to the people, we teamed up with the Sumba foundation, to donate proceeds from this collection directly to support Families in Sumba with health, education and water.
Thank you so much, Sumba, for your beauty, and hospitably.
Thank you to all the people involved in the processes of this collection.
Love,
Reo & Inka, and Gina.
Meet Frances Elliot, a Bali Princess.
I really want all of you to meet my best friend, Frances.
Frances, Inka and I started akoia all together actually. Franny was their to design the first ever collection of Akoia. She loved being the designer while me and Inka mostly took care of photo stuff. Fran was working so hard for Akoia and had many big visions for us. She is a beach girl at heart, a wild surfer, and part time model, and was the perfect designer.
Because we were all so young, trying to manage high school and Akoia. She eventually wanted to go her separate ways after to focus on high school and her own studies. She will still always be apart of Akoia to me, we all birthed it together, but i am happy to see her growing in her ways and finding her own path following her dreams.
These photos were taken on a day out in Bali, buying fruits, swimming in my pool and posing at the front of my house. I admire her beauty, A mix of Indonesian and Canadian. 21 years of age and glowing! She has been my best friend since we were 8.
Enjoy these photos i took of her recently in the Hydra collection.
Wearing the Esme Dress in Coconut matched with the Delphine bag.
The Lilou pants and Monte bikini in Wild Rose
& The Arete Onepiece in Coconut.
Alll photos by www.reopfilm.com
Shot on portra 160
NYC lovelies shot by Natalie Lin
Hydra collection shot at Rockaway Beach NYC
A getaway from NYC chaos, to Rockaway beach featuring the Hydra Collection and my 3 beautiful girl friends from NY. They embrace they're beauty so much; their hairs, they'e raw natural self. Make up free, individual styles and all hands on creatives!
I feel that living in NYC with such a wide range of individuals, the best way to strive is to be YOURSELF. and staying true to you! meaning expressing the real you, the hairy you, the beautiful tattoos, the free spirit.
There have no time to get caught up in trying to be other people in this big city. so embrace what you have, and make it individual.
So happy i got to share my Akoia pieces with these girls, and they get to spread the hydra collection to the streets of New York, Which has been a dream of mine, to get this small little label to a magical big city.
Also a special thank you too Natalie, for including her Honeymoon Beads, she is crafting her self from home. ~ @honeymoon.nyc ~
All images by https://www.natalielin.co/
Paris with Marguerite and Emma.
Paris with Marg and Emma.
Paris born and raised, girls with a love for fashion, Marguerite and Emma take us around Paris. Long days in the sun spent at Le Jardin Du Luxembourg, and the streets of Paris.
The girls looked so beautiful in the Hydra Collection, collaborating with their own Parisian fashion style. I was so thankful to see, the crochet beach ware we make, in the beautiful city of Paris.
~ Dreaming about Summer days, and Eclair's ~
Meet Marija, Shot in London.
MEET MARIJA .
Our London Muse ~ Shot in her home in East London. Featuring the Hydra collection.
"The Arete one piece is perfect for me, i can wear it in London with my baby blu jeans. The fit complements my body and i love low back cut."
"The Clio bikini, is just to cute, the tie on the sides with the very small Brazilian cut is my dream bikini. And this colour way compliments my skin so nicely."
Marija has been in fashion for 4 years, she loves street fashion and 90's style vintage. She always supports only independent designers, small labels and vintage. She had been following Akoia for a while and loved us for our 90's style bikinis and our fashion ethos. She says "Its so lovely to have a connection to the source of what you are buying, now i have met the Akoia team, i will always support them"
Marija's art inspiration is from her studies of so many books, you can only see a few of her collection in these images. They are big coffee table books from all over the world, all random bits of global art. Her fascination for world classical art is so inspiring, she studies so much important information and art with history and therefor has so much knowledge to share.
She has such a cozy, style and she doesn't have to take it to seriously, her grunge look and her hair gives her such a style. She is a tall beautiful model from Lithuania, with so much sass.
She is currently freelancing her graphic design work which is so cool! she is to talented ~ You can preview her work here!
It was such a pleasure to shoot Marija, Hear her stories and chat about fashion, style and creativity.
Here, In a few of these images i am using my friend Sarah Ellens Polaroid camera which was cool to try out and produce some different content. All images by www.reopfilm.com
@marijamarc