Natural Connections: Rescue, Reuse,Write

At the beginning of each month, healers, wellness enthusiasts, and local businesses and vendors gather in a park off the intracoastal in Delray, FL for Coco Market. The market was started by Corey Heyman “Cocoyogi”, a yoga teacher with the mission “to bring local businesses together to support one another and the larger wellness community.”

While strolling around the vendor’s tents we came across the Rescue Collection: a collection of unique clothing items from dresses to shorts that are all thoughtfully made by the hands of Taylor Bloom  from “rescued fabric.” Whether it be from existing clothes or even things like pillowcases, Taylor is saving the textiles that would mostly likely be ending up in a landfill. Her best seller is the “Fuck Plastic” t-shirt. Taylor says wearing the shirt really holds her accountable to live up to the non-plastic lifestyle she preaches about. How can you be wearing that shirt and walk around with a plastic coffee cup  or plastic grocery bag in hand? 

This interaction got me thinking of other interesting ways of reusing items that go beyond reusing a bag or jar for example. I thought about the day before when I dropped by a surf swap hosted by the Surfrider Foundation at Grandview Public Market in West Palm. Rows of boards of all sizes and styles were laid out to shop and swap. Instead of buying a brand new board, locals were still finding the excitement of a board new to them.  

There is a beauty in breathing new life and continuing the story of existing  elements in the world. The Rescue Collection made a completely new item unrecognizable from the original form: a chic dress from a pillowcase that can now be worn around town. The surfboard from the swap with all its marks from the previous owner gets to be carried onward to ride hundreds of more waves and in waters it may have never reached with its original rider. The more we can reuse and repurpose, we charge the materials that surround us with a charm and history, we reframe how we value materials, and we help declutter the planet.

Your Natural Connection

I recently moved into an apartment and most of the furnishings and kitchenware I’ve collected  are formerly used by friends and family. These items did not serve them much anymore, but added high value to my life and prevented ordering all new everything. The reclaimed wood table in my kitchen is used daily to share meals, conversations, and even write this article. I’m still on the hunt for a coffee table and media cabinet to reuse or refinish. The choice to buy used has always been economical, but we now recognize it to be a large part of sustainable living.

How will you reuse and continue writing the story of an object? Instead of impulsively buying a new product,  buy a pre-loved item and give new life to it. You may simply reuse it or maybe you’ll completely transform it.

Taylor Bloom From The Rescue Collection