vital ones,
From the fog of the beach to the sun of the mountain, April has brought such a range of experiences, emotions, challenges and triumphs!
Here in LA, we took part in Ciclavia, a day where the city agreed to close off miles and miles of major streets from Boyle Heights (east of LA) through downtown, all the way to East Hollywood, opening them up to bicyclists, skaters, boarders, walkers and any other non-motorized modes of transportation. I skateboarded behind Eden in her Bob stroller, making slalom turns down a hill on the backside of the 4th St. bridge, and felt like a pretty cool dad.
-A glorious day for all, exemplifying the possiblity of a healthier future for so many of us! I say "Ciclavia every day!"
On the note of 'every day,' we celebrated Earth Day up in Topanga Canyon last weekend, honoring our Earth, the "old ones" who surrounded us on our grassy meadow, the new ones who played and bellydanced and hoola-hooped, and everyone else who ate good food, listened to inspired live music and felt the grass underneath our bare feet.
For a glimpse, here's a little video I shot on Sunday, ambling out of the vital hemp booth for a stroll about the grounds...
Earth Day 2003 happens to be the day I officially started vital hemp, with a booth on the first day on the 3rd St. Promenade. So this past Earth Day marked our ninth anniversary!
Meanwhile, back in the shop, we just received the first of our 100% hemp linen Men's Anywhere Pants, a favorite style that we've been making for about six years now and keep improving. We're now making it from the finest fabric we can find, with American-made thread (from a company that's been in business here for more than 100 years!), with YKK zippers and the best cut ever. We call these Anywhere Pants, because you can wear them to a wedding, or for an impromptu yoga session (see pic above, of a guy trying out last season's model about a month ago...). You can actually do every pose in them. So come to the store, or find them online soon, or at one of our retail partners around the country.
We just received over a hundred rolls of fabric (almost two tons), which means that vital hemp is responsible for growing tons of hemp a year. If we grew it here in the USA of today, that would make us criminals, but we know that hemp growers are heroes, because they're growing the most versatile crop on the planet, one that sequesters lots of bad CO2 and repleneshes the soil--a crop that is used for paper, buiding materials, bio-plastics and the most comfortable, durable, breathable natural clothing you'll ever wear.
Very soon, we'll be turning this fabric into the new vital hemp line, and we're looking forward to sharing it with you and yours. As ever, if you know a store or shop or yoga studio in your area that might want to look at the new styles and colors, feel free to let them know about us; we're happy to send them a line sheet and reward you for the referral. Our aim is to spread the love of hemp far and wide, leading to a national tipping point where our leaders will finally agree to let our farmers grow this phenomenally useful crop (rather than forcing industries to import finished goods from Canada or overseas).
Thanks for supporting our mission. We wish you a hempy Spring and look forward to seeing you soon.
Stay vital,
