Once upon a time, I owned & operated a skincare line. It was doing pretty well. My products had rave reviews and most of my customers became repeat customers. The ethos were similar to the ethos of Danu — above and beyond. I picked many of the plants that went into the skincare bottles myself and sourced the others from local, organic small farms.
Shortly after I launched my skincare line, my health crashed suddenly and I self-diagnosed, which was later confirmed by doctors, with an autoimmune condition. Many of my symptoms showed up on my skin. I began to get hives from exercising or sudden temperature changes. My skin started thinning and became painful. I've been symptom free for one year now but this is a big reason I got into healthy clothes.
As you probably know from all the skincare marketing campaigns, our skin is our largest organ! This is pretty amazing to consider. Our skin helps regulate our temperature, remove toxins and protects us from toxic substances in our environment.
Our clothing is on our skin even more often than skincare products. Most clothes are made from toxic substances. During the years of my mysterious autoimmune condition, I had an experience that really drove this home for me. I'd bought an 100% organic cotton red sports bra. I went on a little jog wearing it before washing. I broke out in hives, as I did every time I tried to exercise, and much to my surprise, I found that after my run my skin had been imprinted red in the shape of my new undergarment! It didn't come off in the shower but faded a couple days later. That was terrifying to me and the moment I began to question everything about the healthy & safety of our clothing.
This is just one reason that I create for Danu Organic. I am also very interested in reconnecting clothing to the farms where it is grown, reducing plastic fabric and microplastics that enter our waterways (and respiratory systems!), sewing clothing in ethical, fair-pay environments and simply being adorned in clothing constructed with the beautiful natural plants of our world.