A Portrait of The Artist: Anny May

Today, I would like to present to you Anny - a fashion designer who is fascinated by handmade articles. In her home studio she creates clothes and accessories of all kinds but what she most likes to work with is eco friendly, recycled and organic fibers. Anny's goal is to create comfortable clothes that are respectful of the body and the environment. Each item in her inspiring shop AnnyMay is an original design created by hand, one stitch at a time, in small quantities. You will find dresses, sweaters, tops, tunics, t-shirt, tanks and hats. But Anny also has a knitting collection, which includes luxurious shawls, ponchos, scarves, fingerless gloves and boleros. 

But what I most appreciate in eco artists is when they walk the talk, which is the case with Anny:

"I strive to live my life in a simple, peaceful, and environmentally conscious way, and my craft reflects that way of life."

What attracted you to becoming a fashion designer?

I like to draw and then create the finished product. I like to be involved in the hole creative process of a garment. And what is more pleasant than dressing up people.

Tell us a bit more about Ethical Fashion. What ideas do you put into that term?

Ethical Fashion is an umbrella term to describe ethical fashion design, production, retail, and purchasing. It covers a range of issues such as working conditions, exploitation, fair trade, sustainable production, the environment, and animal welfare. 

I like to promote the use of eco-friendly materials through my work and trough my small scale production.

Floral Fabric cuff

Where do you find eco-friendly fibers to work with? Which are your favorites?

This is the most difficult part of my work. Eco-friendly materials are hard to find, but through the years I found interesting suppliers both in Canada and the US. I also like to recycle all kinds of materials that strikes me. My favorite fibers is organic cotton and Tencel.

We were impressed with your desire not to over-exploit our planet. Does this mean that you are a minimalist in fashion and in your lifestyle?

Most definitely, we live a very simple life surrounded by our children. We love nature and we are surrounded with trees and benefit from a healthy environment. We are reasonable consumers and we are happy with our minimal way of living. I believe that it shows in my creations and I try to come up with comfortable and quality garments, that will outgrow fashion and that people will enjoy for a long time.

Bamboo Poncho | Eco-Friendly Scarf | Pomegranate Shawl

How do you use your creativity to show respect for the environment?

You do have to be very creative to live outside standard ways of living. Society values money and image, creativity helps us find other alternative solutions. I read a lot, observe nature and try my best to limit my impact on our environment.

What do you do whenever you are not designing clothes and accessories?

I like to walk everyday and read. I am involved in many movements promoting handmade products such as: frenchhandmade.org, createursdici.com and my blog.

Wood Leaf Post earrings

Where do you see yourself creatively in 5 years?

In five years from now my kids will be older I’ll have more time to promote my ideas and my creations. I would also like to give conferences and educative workshops... who knows?

What is your current favorite item by another etsy seller?

So much wonderful creations on etsy! It is difficult to choose only one!! I'll give you one of my latest favorite... This wool knitted dress from Muza. I choose it because it represents for me the comfort, the heat, the handmade, the purity and the beauty of the nature. All that a garment has to have as qualities!

Make sure to click and see more of Anny May:

Blog: http://annymay.com/en/categorie/blog/
Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/annymay
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/annymayeco

You can read more editions of A Portrait of The Artist here.