We spent some time with Marc Laws II- one of our early supporters, Starseeds’ constant inspiration and a true personalisation of the brand, our values and ethics. Marc talked to us about how he wears what we design, and how to combine Starseeds pieces with other pieces from his wardrobe to create that effortless look of the ‘urban warrior’. We talked life, connection, sustainability and yoga.
Marc proudly wears Starseeds pieces on a daily basis, because he shares our belief that conscious clothing is more 'sexy' than fast fashion. He tries to carefully eliminate anything that causes harm to the environment from his daily life.
Marc, a true yogi, is using every spare moment to teach his friends how to stay balanced, release all the stress blocks and have some fun with yogasanas. I get to ask him a few questions whilst he gets me 'heels over head' (he loves a good inversion), shows me some card tricks and prepares the smoothest matcha blend to share.
S: Your most favourite Starseeds piece would be…?
M: I'd say the sweaters are my favourites. You can tell there was a lot of thought put into the design and the intention to perfect each corner of the sweater. I like the way it's a little bit longer at the back and I like how it's curved and…the thumb detail by the wrist and even this little 'v' in the front. With the black jumper I like the subtle contrasts of the textures of the materials. And with this chest panel it fits nice on the body.
We exchange the design ideas for the new models, as he’s blending his matcha powder in a big bowl for two.
M: I'm using a sustainable bamboo whisk to get the perfect texture.
I have this weird infinity with Asia… it throws me in. Japan for instance is very intriguing, the culture is ancient and it has all these pristine things, the nature, the clothing, the craft. Coming back to matcha and how it's grown, it' s like a medicine to them and the way they whisk it, it takes thought, it takes time, the whole process is like a ritual.
S: Talking about rituals… What is your favourite ritual?
M: the ritual of a good hug… it feeds the soul (smiles)
S: What is a typical day of an urban yogi?
M: Yogasana, run or walk to start the morning, teach a class or help organise the Yoga Connects festival (www.yogaconnects.co.uk) To lift me up in the afternoon… acro or handstands. Pretty much go upside down or listen to a good tune. Otherwise a good hug. (a grin)
S: Why choose London as your current home?
M: I could say it chose me as well. Currently my love and passions are based in London. This city is beautiful - from the parks, the people, the creativity, the activities, the yoga, a cocktail of cultures… the list goes on!
S: It’s a very busy city, not so easy to live slowly and consciously. How do you recharge if there’s a lot on your plate?
M: Take a conscious breath, and then look at my perception of ‘a lot on my plate‘. From there I offer myself different perceptions and choose one that serves me and makes me feel lighter.
Next stop: a coffee shop in East London. Marc hugs a few people on the way to the bar.
S: How do you like your coffee? Chilli chocolate flavour? ( I laugh, as at the last meeting he treated me with a fantastic raw chilli chocolate blend)
M: Actually it's not a bad idea:) A spicy chocolaty topping; black coffee with dark chocolate topping and a hint of chilli in it - that would be my favourite coffee. Otherwise black coffee with coconut oil. I used to be all about the latte but now it’s black coffee only… leaving out the milk makes me feel lighter.
S: And you’re wearing the 'coffee top’ sample from our new collection today. How does it make you feel?
M: It makes me feel good in so many different ways, because it's sustainable and it has all the other properties of high performance textile. It is lightweight and it feels cool on the skin and it's moisture wicking. When I first heard of it, I was actually amazed. We're looking to find ways where we can actually be in tune with the planet. We have these by-products and other things like that, and to transfer it to a fabric that I can wear with all the properties to become a technical fabric that we can use in practices like our yoga practice for instance makes me feel hot. Hahaha!
He shows me a card trick.
M: It's my favourite card trick. I like things that pause the mind, be it to the present and I like to watch how the mind works to figure out the maths behind it. You choose your favourite card, you don't even touch it and I'll tell you which one it was. And the cards are beautiful; the illustrations are actually hand crafted by a very talented artist (Connie Lim). I'm always inspired by creative minds.
As I get my coffee I become more talkative:
S: Having tested lots of our samples, Which Starseeds fabrics you like to wear the most and how do they make you feel?
How do they make me feel? They're all sustainably sourced which makes me feel good. My favourite would be the bamboo. It makes me feel… almost naked. It has this silky feeling as it touches the skin. It's like a pleasure to the senses. I think a lot of people would like it.
Number two would be the coffee. When people do perfume testing, they clean the palate by smelling a coffee bean. So to transfer this quality into a high performance textile makes it the perfect sweat protection endeavour.
And then the organic cotton. It is very soft and high quality cotton, it makes me feel light, especially knowing that it's made without causing harm. And having something 100% natural against the skin is always a good thing – our skin is an organ that needs to breathe.
S: What do you value about Starseeds?
M: The story behind how Starseeds was founded, you founders and your beautiful vision, the fact that it’s conscious clothing - using natural fibres and the fair-trade you stand for, and your passion for people and using clothing to make a difference.
S: What does sustainability mean to you?
M: It means everything! Sustainability is the inevitable future. It means a lot to me to think about what we leave for future generations - how can we be our best possible selves and connect to this planet. If something is not sustainable you're using too much. It's like a relationship: it's about giving back, it has to be balanced, and we’re part of the circle rather than disrupting the circle. If something is sustainable, if it doesn't overload the people and the planet, I would support it 100%
S: What does slow fashion mean to you?
M: To me it means conscious clothing
S: So if you had two t-shirts to choose from, one of them would be a bit more expensive, but made in a sustainable way, the other one would be just as cool, but cheaper, which one would you go for?
M: If I liked both and I could afford to, I would go for the sustainable one. Otherwise I wouldn't buy either. Every time I have moved from different cities to different flats, I've noticed I've been over consuming. If you had asked me at a younger age, when I wasn't even aware how things are made, I would have probably made the choice based on my personal style preferences. Today: if it goes against sustainability I wouldn't buy it. I don't care if it's fashion or any other product. In the end I think it's better to pay a little more to support the consciously made products so eventually it becomes the norm and the prices will decrease.
S: How has yoga influenced your life?
M: It’s offered some great tools to find balance for the body, mind and soul… and it’s fun. Bonus!
S: What makes you smile?
M: Other people being happy, a child, wheel pose/Urdhva Dhanurasana, a smile, LOVE.