Conscious Consumer Choice: Dharma Bums

Dharma: Acting in concert with one’s divine purpose in life. When our intentions, thoughts, words, and actions support our life’s purpose, we are in dharma.

Bum: Someone who spends lots of their time doing an activity they love or being in a place they enjoy e.g surf bum, beach bum, yoga bum, you get the idea…

When it comes to being a conscious consumer (or at least trying to navigate through the murky waters of capitalism) deciding what companies align with your own personal values can be tricky. You have to wonder sometimes, where does all this stuff come from and where does it all go? Here's our review of the Dharma Bums brand (which we proudly stock at both studios!).

The yoga clothing industry is unfortunately no exception. There’s some major cool brands out there with some not so cool procedures, materials and working conditions.

Lucky for you, Stretch sort out a company that is high style and high integrity.

Concerned for the gap between what is preached spiritually in yoga practises versus the reality of the garments being worn and their humanitarian/environmental negative impact, Debbie Lawson founded Dharma Bums.

For Debbie, her inspiration was simple; "I have witnessed the long working hours, the poor conditions and the low pay and wanted to create a brand that did not participate in unfair treatment of others, giving people the choice to shop more consciously."  

When it comes to globalisation and a political economy that appears to thrive on efficient manufacturing, often profit swells over the debates of human welfare and safety. To hopefully save you some time, here are the main reasons why we fell in love with Dharma Bums:

• Made In Australia: Dharma Bum garment is made onshore in Australia and has the stamp of approval from Ethical Australia.
• Designed in Australia: Every garment is designed on the sunny Northern Beaches of Sydney. Each new design is tried and tested and tested on yogis worldwide to ensure fit and fabric compliment every asana taken.
• Values and supports small businesses: According to their website, all the partners Dharma Bums works with in manufacturing the garments are small, family run and based in Australia. 
• Eco Friendly: From only using recycled paper for all of their stationary, packaging and promotional material, to making it imperative to avoid harsh chemicals in the dying of our garments.
• ​Animal Love: Absolutely no animal products are used in any procedure. 

And for your convenience, Stretch stocks new arrivals and constant favourites at both our City and Holland Park studios. So next time you're in, definitely check these babies out!

And please feel free to drop a comment below if you know of any other companies that are doing their bit to help move our planet and consumer society in the honest, sustainable direction.