Bohemian & Multi-Cultural Brand, Vagamundo, Embraces An Eco-Friendly Line

**Bohemian & Multi-Cultural Brand, Vagamundo, Embraces An Eco-Friendly Line**

Designed by Brandy Faling & Sebastian Goya

I met Brandy on a photo shoot, and soon after the shoot ended we met for coffee, and I learned more about her. I was instantly drawn to her "Gypsy" lifestyle. She is inspired by the textiles and fabrics she discovers on her visits to Chile, France, and India. Through her partnership with Seb she translated her passion into an art: a clothing line.

One of my favorite songs is Fleetwood Mac’s "Gypsy." By moving to various places through my life, I identify with the song, and can better remember those places. Brandy and I work in a freelance world, which makes every day different.

I got to know her clothing line, Vagamundo, and love the fabrics, which are special, one of a kind, and are on point with the trend coming out this Fall, "Heartland," a mixture of local textiles that conjure a folklore vibe. When I went to her trunk show event recently, I was mesmerized by the patterns and literally wanted everything as they are well priced. Check out Vagamundo in Jejune.

Foreword by Alison Hernon, Fashion Director, Jejune Magazine

Silk Pajama Blazer is made from repurposed saris, photographed by Fumie Hoppe

1. Designer/Owner Name:

Brandy Faling & Sebastian Goya

2. Location of Business:

Brooklyn, NewYork

3. How long has Vagamundo been around?

Vagamundo has been around for approximately seven years. However, we originally started the business in Chile and have only had a presence in the USA for approximately two years.

4. Please tell us about Vagamundo, what’s the style of clothing?

The Vagamundo brand is all about bohemian-inspired clothing and accessories that fit the modern lifestyle of a free-spirited but sophisticated woman who juggles it all, travels, dreams, seeks adventure and romance, and does it all beautifully while showing the world her own individual style.

We take a lot of inspiration from our travels, exploring other cultures, and by the unique fashion sense of our friends around the world and the people we meet on our journeys. This not only affects the overall vibe of our brand, but the actual apparel. Our clothes are designed for travel, made from lightweight materials that are easily hand-washed and air-dried. We also have many items that can be worn in multiple ways, with the idea that you can throw one item in your bag and have many unique outfits.

We focus on versatility, most of our pieces can be dressed down or up, easily going from casual to elegant, from beach to office, from errands to date night! We strive to be size-inclusive with a great selection of one-size-fits-most items that are flattering on all shapes and can accommodate sizes 2-16. Creative and stylish solutions for busy women and life on the go!

*From Left To Right: Go With The Flow Pants, Lorelei Dress, and Georgina Dress, all photographed by Fumie Hoppe

5. How did you develop the business?

Vagamundo began as a mutual desire of Sebastian and I to bring back and share the exotic fabrics, textiles, handcrafts, and other treasures that we would come across during our travels. In the beginning, we searched for existing clothes, trinkets, and accessories that caught our eye, and we set up shop in a summer market on a surf beach in Chile, where Sebastian is from. Our collection was immediately well-received, and each year we found ourselves making extensive changes to improve the clothing designs, altering the patterns, fine-tuning the fit and proportions, sourcing better fabrics, until gradually we evolved into creating our own original designs, and our line was truly born.

6. Please tell us about using vintage textiles, and preserving an eco-friendly line?

We strive to be as eco-friendly as possible by upcycling existing materials in several of our collections, which reduces the environmental impact of each garment by diverting those textiles from ending up in landfills, avoiding the use of valuable resources to create new materials, and keeping costs down, which allows us to offer luxurious fabrics at affordable prices. Our entire silk collection is sustainable made from repurposed saris. We sort through enormous amounts of fabric to hand-pick each sari that will become part of our silk collection, choosing the highest quality materials and the best colors and patterns to fit our designs, resulting in beautiful one of a kind pieces.

*From Left To Right: Summer Solstice Dress, Lorelei Dress and Silk Magic Top are all made from repurposed saris, all images are photographed by Anne Menke

7. Why do you feel it’s important to have sustainable brands out there?

The fashion and textile industry uses many precious resources and is a large contributor to the amount of pollution in the world. Every choice we make as creators and consumers affect the health of the environment, and the more responsible and resourceful we can be, the better for everyone.

8. I love your “Inspiration” section, are these locations that you source materials and fabrics for?

Every place we visit offers a special experience of colors, shapes, textures, and style, as well as unique materials and craftsmanship. This is a great source of inspiration for us artistically and culturally, but also influences our actual product design.

For example, luxurious silk and other fabrics from India, beautiful Peruvian wool and weaving, printing techniques from Thailand, and even a jewelry collection we designed based on inspiration taken from pre-Colombian work of Mapuche Indians in Chile.

*Infinity Dress is the multi-use dress, photographed by Fumie Hoppe

9. What countries inspire you the most?

Although we find inspiration from so many different places that we have traveled too and lived in, if I were to choose one, it would be India. We do most of our production in India, primarily due to our silk sourcing, so we spend a lot of time there, and we are constantly in awe of the beauty to be found everywhere with the people, architecture, colors, textures, adornment. It’s a truly incredible place.

10. Do you love to travel, tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sebastian and I both come from creative backgrounds in the visual arts, which has a huge influence on how Vagamundo was started, and how we design our clothing and choose our fabrics. I started my career as a photographer, which eventually led me to production, and I’ve been working as a photography & video producer for top fashion and retail brands for many years.

Sebastian is an artist whose background is in painting, illustration, and industrial and graphic design. We combine our individual strengths and talents and apply them to every aspect of the business, from early sketches, perfecting patterns, sourcing fabrics and textiles, product production, photography & video direction, to full design and execution of our products, website, and branding.

We have a bit of a bohemian lifestyle ourselves, living part-time between several countries and traveling extensively. We have lived and experienced many different cultures and industries over the years, from the street-art scene in Paris, European artisan markets, South American surf beaches, ancient villages in India, to the fashion photography world of NYC.

We love to travel, and are naturally drawn to the ideas of adventure, freedom, and individual expression.

11. Please describe your current Summer collection?

The Summer 18 collection features a mix of our existing styles in fresh fabrics, and entirely new designs. We round out our loose and flowy classics and gorgeous patterns with some more streamlined and contemporary silhouettes, adding in more monochromatic prints and solid color options. All items are created to be comfortable, easy, and make a statement.

Some of our new favorites include a short slip dress, long strappy sexy silk dresses, pants and skirts with pockets that are so comfortable you feel like you are in PJs, silk & chiffon kimonos that you can throw on over everything, and my personal favorite, a pajama style silk blazer – the perfect light layering pieces. We have also perfected our multi-use dress that can be used in many different forms!