Yo-ga! Yo-ga! Yo-ga! That is us shouting from the rooftops our excitement about the newest Sudara collection: the softest, stretchiest, most comfortable yoga clothes we’ve ever worn. Even better? Every piece is ethically made and empowers women in India and Nepal to create a life of their own choosing. Today we’re interviewing Sudara’s lead designer, Tessie Blake, about the new yoga collection and why we are so excited for you to wear it too! Our e-news subscribers will get early access to it on May 31st with our offical launch happening on June 1!
The Sudara team practices yoga together twice a week, so we are always in search of awesome yoga gear! What was your inspiration when designing this collection?
First and foremost, I was inspired by everything that Sudara stands for: freedom, beauty and comfort. I want someone to feel confident and comfortable when they wear our clothes. We made the pants with a higher waistline so that you can feel secure in every pose — no pants falling or sliding down in the middle of class. (because that is the worst!!) We also designed the pants with the option to extend the fabric over your foot or scrunch them at the ankle. I love that they can easily transition from street to studio.
What is your favorite item in the yoga collection?
It’s hard to choose a favorite! The pant fabric, though, is simply magical. It’s super thick and more like compression tights. We wanted to have the snug feeling of a normal yoga pant, but the security of knowing that they are not see through. I hate when I wear yoga pants or athletic clothing and later realize that people could see through them!
The tank top (coming in July!) is also a favorite. We made it wide across the chest for appropriate coverage, but open enough in the armpit to allow for movement. The fabric is an organic bamboo jersey knit, so it is all the good things you want when working out: naturally bacteria and odor resistant, breathable, lightweight and it moves with you. I plan to wear the tank for yoga, of course, but the design is flowy enough that I am also going to pair it with jeans. It’s more than just an athletic tank.
The sweatshirt is super cozy and features Punjammies fabric. Tell us a little more about it!
The sweatshirt is perfect for wearing to and from yoga class, especially if you live in a climate where the weather can quickly change throughout the day. The sweatshirt is also perfect to wear out and about. You can pair it with your favorite denim for a casual, but pulled-together look. My favorite part of the sweatshirt is the 3/4 length button up; we trimmed the placket with Sudara’s Kaveri-print fabric.
All of Sudara’s products, including the yoga collection, invest in job creation and resources to empower women to live in freedom. Tell us a little more about the creation of the yoga collection.
When we first started planning for the yoga line, we knew that it could be difficult to find a company that is mission aligned and has the capacity to create the quality and quantity of items we need. So we were really excited when we found another social enterprise that met all of our requirements! They have a social mission to empower those most marginalized by society to fresh starts and fulfilled lives. They are also passionate about paying fair wages to their employees, environmental sustainability and job and life-skills training. Amazing, right?!
The only downside was that they didn’t have a sewing machine that allowed them to make the stretchy, thick fabric yoga pants that we really wanted to create. We loved their mission so much, though, and really wanted to work with them. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. We were able to utilize donations made through Sudara Freedom Fund to purchase a specialized sewing machine for their center. This means that we get to have the beautiful yoga collection we had in mind. And, most importantly, even more women are being empowered to live in freedom through their organization.
Tessie Blake is the Lead Designer for Sudara and lives in Bend, OR. Her favorite winter activity is skate skiing. Whenever she practices yoga, she secretly hopes the whole class is Shavasana.