The Genesis of Trish P and ‘Let Me Bee’
By Helen Siwak of KitsilanoKittysCloset.com, West Coast Correspondent
Photo Credits: RDL Images / Taste Makers
Disappearing and dying honeybees is a worldwide catastrophe and one that requires a world of champions to create awareness and results. Burt’s Bees has been selling beeswax products and supporting sustainability projects since 1991. European fashion is rallied by Katharine Hamnett and Vivienne Westwood through their petitioning of British parliament for tougher pesticide laws. The US has J Crew and their conservation charity Buglife handing out customized seed packs to customers with encouragement to grow change, and now Vancouver has Taste Makers and the ‘Let Me Bee’ collection of lifestyle wear.
Taste Makers creative director Trish P was inspired last summer by bees swarming the lavender bush in her backyard. There was something about frenetic imagery and sounds that captivated her senses and led to her seeking out professional beekeepers with the idea of photographing the internal chaos of the beehive. The Honey Bee Centre in Surrey, BC, Canada provided her with access, gear, bees and the ability to create a Bee Bra with a model with nerves of steel!
Photo Credits: Taste Makers.
The photographs turned to fabric and into the collection ‘Let Me Bee’. True to her streamlined body hugging style, this collection is image heavy, symmetrical and mesmerizing. Taste Makers is donating partial proceeds to The World Bee Project – just one of dozens that are currently educating the masses.
The World Bee Project works together with Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and villages. Their mission is to strengthen livelihoods and enhance a village community through bringing efficiencies to the indigenous practice of beekeeping.
Collecting honey from wild bee colonies is an ancient human activity still practiced by many aboriginal communities in parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America. Today, many developing nations are embracing domesticated beekeeping as a sustainable means of improving the livelihoods of the world’s poorest populations. As beekeeping is a low tech agricultural enterprise, it provides valuable opportunities for villages. Not to mention that an increased supply of honey will provide nutritional and medicinal benefits to the regions.
Photo Credits: Ehsan Mahdizadeh.
Not so long ago it was 2013 and Trish P’s first collection was debuting at Vancouver Fashion Week F/W 2013. Aptly titled ‘Give Me Space’ for the women and ‘Give Him Space’ for the men, the collection was inspired by immersion into hours of space podcasts and soon Trish found herself experimenting with print design to be able to capture the whole escaping into to space feeling.
“I felt like I needed to leave the planet for a little while. I think that’s something everyone can relate to. Sometimes you need an escape from reality and entropy. Sometimes you need to explore life and try new things. I feel clothing is part of that experience.”
Photo Credits: Taste Makers
This past April, when one of her mentors was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Trish P jumped into action and created a line of neck ties called Tied Up For Charity using the tailings of the space fabric. She not only sold these cosmic accessories in Vancouver but on Etsy spreading the message worldwide.
Photo Credits: Taste Makers
The first sweet sensation that Taste Makers fans were treated to was a custom-made jacket for Iggy Azalea, Australian hip hop phenom who is currently touring North America. Layers of fabric, bee imagery, 3D bees, clear vinyl and hundred hours of painstaking placement results in this one-of-a-kind piece that no doubt thrilled Iggy when she received it.
Photo Credits Taste Makers.
When we speak about honeybees and the astronomical rates of death reported worldwide what most of us do not realize is that bees do more than make honey and provide ‘hungry bears eating honey videos’ on YouTube. The USDA estimates that about one in every three bites of food is either directly or indirectly made possible because of bee pollination and if you enjoy blueberries and cherries know that these fruits are 90% dependent on honeybees for pollination. Almonds, which are enjoying a huge surge in popularity due to mass marketing of almond milk products, are entirely dependent on honeybee pollination during bloom time.
Trish P’s fascination with bees is very timely as the EU has, as of December 2013, banned pesticides called neonictonoids for the next three years to gage involvement in honeybee deaths and the USDA is investigating agricultural options. Combining hip fashion with current environmental issues is smart and especially savvy for an emerging designer. Today’s fashion consumers are increasing aware of the production issues surrounding the manufacturing of fashion and its effect on the environment and are being vocal through online petitions and Indiegogo campaigns.
Photo Credits: RDL Images
Taste Makers recently launched the ‘Let Me Bee’ line at the newly opened Fashion Lounge Cafe in Vancouver, BC, to an enthusiastic crew of supporters, bloggers, models and industry insiders.
On August 24th, the first official trunk show for shoppers and buyers is happening at Alfie Italia, a luxury European fashion boutique known for their impeccable taste and great soirees.
Stay Conscious & Chic!
About Helen Siwak She is all about food, fashion and furry friends. She is the president and co-founder of eco-friendly local luxury fashion re-seller KitsilanoKittysCloset.com (offering shoppers classic designers like Armani, Versace, Dior to modern trendsetters such as Jeremy Scott, Kate Spade and Stella McCartney) and a plant-based healthy food advocate with VitVitVegan.com food service. She and her partner Vlassis have three rescue pets, four interns, a fridge full of veggies and a shiny motorcycle. Life is good.