With the start of NYC Fashion Week on us, it is exciting to see fashion brands who have social causes on the brain and clothing! When fashion makes environmentalism trendy you can have a movement that spreads like wildfires, but wildfires of good. The Wild Soul Project is trying to do just that. They wish to communicate the importance of our planet in an easy approachable way that can become sexy, not just terrifying. And they are doing that with slow fashion, sustainable fabrics, and giving back! Please read their exclusive interview below.

Where are you Based?
We are a Company based in Costa Rica.

How long has Wild Soul Project been around and what inspired you to get started?
We began this journey one year ago. We are a Fashion Designer and a Wildlife Conservationist that joined efforts, driven mainly by two concerns. 1. Fashion is one of the most polluting industries on earth, and we are all part of the problem. Even the most environmentalist person in Costa Rica wears the cheapest fast fashion they can find. Thus, we felt we needed to get into a project that would increase consciousness. 2. There is a big gap between the technical knowledge of researchers and the population. Scientists are sometimes not the best at communicating problematics. Thus, people don't listen. It is very easy to feel annoyed when somebody tells you you’re doing wrong. It is more appealing to turn these environmental concerns into fashion! So that we did. We started creating communication campaigns through design so that it would start to become a trend!

Please tell us where the name Wild Soul Project comes from.
It just came to us! Because we all have a Wild Soul within us… and we want to encourage those wild souls to come out and be conscious of their everyday actions.

Why do you believe that sustainable and slow fashion is so important?
Fast fashion is one of the most polluting industries worldwide, but most of the time it is overlooked. Sustainable and slow fashion are the way to solve the problem.

Jejune loves that 40% of your profits go towards the Nai Conservation. Can you please tell us a little bit about the Nai Conservation, and why you decided to support it?
We love this question! We partnered with a young, thinking outside-the-box NGO that is creating true changes in conservation. We intentionally partnered with them because we trust the work they are doing and share many goals. We knew how the NGO worked and the amazing things they are reaching in little time, and we wanted to be part of it. Currently the 40% of profits we give are dedicated to enforce the employment of women in conservation related-tasks.

How do you feel your fashion is helping to preserve nature?
We believe our most important impact is with the partnership with Nai. This partnership allows us not just to increase consciousness, but to help people get involved in true actions by donating to them.

What made you decide to make your clothing in Costa Rica?
We are building up a model of sustainable development, which means we want to have a positive impact in society and nature. Since we are from Costa Rica, the best way to enforce the economy of those who produce our products is by training them and giving them tools to develop new and quality products. Local productions are extremely important for the impact we want to have!

What made you decide to make your shirts out of bamboo?
We are in a process of becoming more sustainable all the time. We started producing cotton T-Shirts sourcing cotton from the USA. We changed to bamboo and locally made cotton, and currently we are starting to use hemp! Bamboo grows fast and easy without pesticides and additives. Thus, it has a low impact in deforestation. However, hemp is an even more sustainable textile and we are working to shift in the upcoming months.

We love all the slogans on your shirts! Do you have a favorite?
All of them!

We love your “I DON’T SUCK” shirts! What do you think of Trump’s new plastic straws that he is selling to promote his campaign?
I Dont Suck” was one that popped in my head in the former question. I believe Trump's campaign is a reaction to a world movement! If the plastic pollution movement wasn't strong enough, Trump wouldn't have released that type of campaign. So, it is one more reason to keep pushing our societies’ limits into sustainability! However, the thousands he is making out of denial and angry people is very frustrating.

Have you had any celebrities wear your shirts yet?
Yes we have! This year we have had a lot of support from role models. The first lady of Costa Rica, world leading sustainability blogger Valeria Hinojosa (@waterthruskin), model Leonora Jimenez, former executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres, and other national bloggers. We have been incredibly moved by the support of these people!! Their support has given us a lot of strength to keep growing our project!

Where can we find your designs?
You can find it normally on our website and Instagram! We are currently making some website changes, but our designs will be available for shipping worldwide in a few weeks! We also work in retail inside Costa Rica and Perú.

To learn more about the Wild Soul Project, please follow them on the below platforms:
www.wildsoulprojectcr.com
Instagram: wildsoulproject