It’s rare to hear of someone, let alone a group of people, who consider their jobs more of a lifestyle with a long term goal.
This is the reality for Page MacPhee and the rest of the staff at Light and Soul Creations (L&S).
After MacPhee, who graduated from SAIT’s EMT program in 2008, realized his chosen profession didn’t fit with the lifestyle he wanted, he decided to take another avenue.
A local clothing and artist collective, Light and Soul, was established in 2007 when a group of friends began with an idea to fulfill their passions.
Together, they aim for a lifestyle committed to elevating culture, human relationships and themselves through exploring different mediums from clothing to film and food.
For MacPhee it is all about “good vibes” and building relationships with people within the community in a career that opens doors of opportunity for local artists and designers.
“We created something that catered to all our talents,” says MacPhee, 22. “And this is something that we have the ability to spread across limitless boundaries and spreading the thought process of caring and sharing.”
Currently L&S Creations is sold in local stores in Calgary, Cochrane, Airdrie, Lethbridge, Shushwap and Vancouver Island.
The L&S group keeps things simple by relying on the hard-working people around them.
“It’s a community of people working together to fulfill a dream of working, living, following their passions and doing what feels right,” says Cody Thompson, 22, an artist with L&S.
With each collection they unveil, L&S sales improve 20-30 per cent depending on the time of year.
“It is a very natural growth,” says Dave Carlton, 22, one of the core people in L&S. “When we sell in shops we are looking for natural collaborations between us rather than another place to ‘sell our stuff.”
Their profits are reinvested back into the company to make it better and keep the ball rolling.
“While a lot of other companies have a message of positive thought, we really, really push that,” says MacPhee. “We want to build a community everywhere we go.”
Now, three years into their experience with L&S, the group finds themselves expanding their horizons to new and different ventures and rethinking their production method.
Currently L&S purchase their clothing from apparel companies before they add their own signature flair, but that will soon change.
Over the next year they plan to create their own custom fit with local designers. This move gives them freedom to choose everything from sizes to materials they use, as well as aim for environmental friendliness.
“(We want) to use hemps, bamboos, more organic friendly stuff,” says Carlton. “We are starting to realize the impact our actions have in production.
“(We want) to see the whole cycle of how the shirts are made and be more responsible that way and bring awareness to that.”
For the 2011 fall and winter season, L&S plans to venture to new items rather than upping the demand on their T-shirts. “We will be cutting our line by more than half and focusing on local hand-cut and sewn sweaters and hoodies,” says Carlton.
“The line is going to be quality not quantity.”
Although it may seem L&S’ main focus is on clothing, it remains a way of life. “There is so much more behind the fabric,” says Katie Green, 21, another L&S member.
“Light and soul to me means family, sustainability, creativity, and most importantly thinking beyond normality.”