Today we’d like to introduce you to Taryn Larock.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Taryn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I had worked in the fashion industry as a model for quite some time, and when I was getting out of this, I knew I wanted to study textile & fashion design. I have always had a strong interest in environmental, human & animal rights, so when I was looking to find a job in fashion design, I had a bit of a difficult time reconciling my desire to work as a designer with my principles when confronted with facts about human rights abuses and the environmental pollution that is sadly an industry standard in garment production.
This experience really inspired me to move forward with the idea of creating a sustainable luxury brand. I started the line with the idea that it is possible to create sustainable, ethically & locally produced clothing that is also good quality & stylish at a reasonable price. With this idea in mind, I set out with the intention to create something as ‘good’ as possible – something that was made in a good way and that hopefully makes women feel good about their purchases, and about themselves too. The label was launched in 2015 with a few handmade and plant dyed hemp & organic cotton dresses, and we have now expanded into swimwear and activewear, and hopefully soon with be doing undergarments and pieces for men too!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Absolutely not! Like a lot of new entrepreneurs or creative people, I had a very clear vision of what I wanted to do, but not a very clear idea of specifically how to get there. Because of this, I initially made a lot of mistakes, which I am now in hindsight incredibly grateful for, as they allowed me to really grown as a designer and a business person, to connect with amazing & talented people, and to learn so much in the process. Let’s just say the first year involved quite a bit of trial and error.
Also, sourcing the most sustainable and ethical production and materials possible, and having a very high bar set for this, required a few years of research and testing – and struggling – before the 1st collection was even launched.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Sage Larock story. Tell us more about the business.
Sage Larock is a sustainable clothing line that is ethically produced in downtown Los Angeles. We create clothing and swimwear using organic and sustainable materials such as organic cotton, hemp, and for our swimwear we use fabric that is made from upcycled marine plastic debris and fishing lines.
We are most proud of our commitment to use only ethical manufacturing, sustainable and natural materials and dyes, and also our partnerships with key non-profits who are definitely working to make the world a better place and who we work with in an effort to raise awareness about global issues through fashion. As we use only forrest-friendly clothing fabrics we have partnered with the non-profit Canopy Planet to advance creative solutions for the fashion industry that protect nature. Canopy is a fabulous organization that is working to save the world’s ancient old growth forests, of which only about 1% globally still remain. It was shocking and so saddening for me to learn that forest and endangered species habitat destruction is in part caused because of the fashion industry’s desire to make cheap cellulose based fabric, which is rayon, tencel, viscose and modal. It is also sad that these are some of the most common fabrics used in fashion, not only because forests are often literally bulldozed to create them, but because they are really chemically intensive to produce.
We also recently partnered with the fantastic organization Get Dressed Change the World, who shot one of our hemp dressed with the last remaining male Northern White Rhinoceros left alive on the planet to raise awareness about the poaching crisis in Africa.
As our swimwear is created out of marine plastic debris and upcycled fishing lines – we support marine non-profits such as Healthy Seas & Ghost Fishing, who are amazing groups who work to protect our oceans by actually sending teams of divers to recover trash and deadly ghost nets out of the ocean, which is then used to create our Econyl swimwear fabric.
When I learned that based on current plastic pollution facts that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, being someone who really loves the sea I knew that we had to use this fabric for our swimwear instead of the standard polyester swimwear fabric which is made from the same plastic that is used to make plastic bottles, that never biodegrades. Our upcycled fabric itself is pretty amazing, as beyond helping address the crisis level plastic pollution we are facing, it is sun oil and chlorine resistant, has an SPF of 50, it is also made with non-toxic dyes – so all around pretty incredible!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think, personally, I have been both extremely lucky and unlucky, so both have probably played roles. It’s hard to say what role though, as I know we have been a lot more lucky that others but not as lucky as some, so hard to weight that.
One of my very favorite sayings that I try to live by is La Vida Es Una Perspectiva – or life is a perspective. I have learned through the many high and low periods of life that often the only thing that separates those who succeed and those who don’t in the long run is a positive perspective and determination. I know this sounds cliche but it really is true – if you can get through the crappy, really hard times with a focus on creating solutions rather than focusing on how rotten something may be, this will keep you in the game when others quit. And I think entrepreneurship (and maybe life too) is really an endurance race, not a sprint. So even when I have wanted to quit, for me knowing I have at very least had the very good luck to do something I love that might have made someone else’s life better, or inspired someone, is I think as lucky as it gets, as most people never have the chance to do something that they really believe in.
Contact Info:
- Address: Los Angeles – CA
- Website: www.sagelarock.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: sage_larock
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SAGELAROCKCLOTHING/
- Other: https://healthyseas.org/sage-larock-supports-healthy-seas-with-1-of-sales/
Image Credit:
Taryn Larock
Rodney Ray
Chantelle Melzner
Get Dressed Change the World
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