Harmony Art: Organic design from California
Harmony Susalla is a woman with a mission: to inspire environmental and social change through creative, sustainable fabrics. In 2004, Harmony walked away from a successful career designing textiles and products marketed by some of the world’s largest companies to start her own company. Already her designs may have made their way into your bedroom, kitchen or bathroom.
But why has Harmony chosen to go completely organic? She explains that conventional cotton farming is not good for people (or the planet) as it’s the most heavily sprayed crop in the world, and uses some of the most toxic chemicals. Whereas organic agriculture uses 50% less energy and reduces water pollution by three quarters, taking carbon out of our atmosphere and putting it back into the soil – leaving the land healthier and reducing global warming. She is fervently committed to help expanding the use of organic cotton globally and believes that it is time to realize the true cost of the purchases we all make.
On the design side, part of what makes Harmony Art prints unique is the creative process she uses to produce her patterns. For example she spends a lot of time exploring and hiking the northern California coast, looking for inspiration.
All of her base fabrics are grown and certified organic: US fabrics are certified by the Texas Department of Agriculture to the USDA Organic standards and her organic fabrics from India are certified organic by SKAL. She is also in the processes of transitioning her wide-width fabrics to a fully third party certified printer and hopes to have all her fabrics certified to the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards) in 2008.
At her site you can view some of her latest prints, which we’re sure will impress you. Or checkout the fuller organic and solids range of products she has on offer.
There is an excellent reference page at her site that clearly explains the differences between conventional and organic fabrics. We highly recommend it if you want some background on eco-friendly and organic materials.
