NORTHBAY BOHEMIAN ARTICLE
Wear It for Life
Wear It for Life combines art and activism
By Suzanne Daly
Recycled clothing is nothing new for Emily Chavez, but turning it into wearable artwork is. Chavez, a 26-year-old Graton native and owner of Por Vida Art and Clothing for Life, describes herself as "a fashion merchandiser who works with local artists and uses their work to support social justice." Por Vida was conceived as a grass-roots movement that would help bridge communities through the arts, using fair and sustainable business practices.
Chavez prints colorful designs by local artists on cards and second-hand and new clothing for men, women and children. She sells them at local stores, music festivals and community functions throughout California, and then uses the proceeds to fund the artist's cause of choice. "The company logo, the ankh, is the Egyptian sign for eternal life," Chavez says. "Symbolically, I feel really good about attaching art and activism to the statement 'for life.' It's a universal statement. It's ironic that my first artist happens to be a prisoner on death row."
The artist in question is Dennis Brewer, a death-row inmate at San Quentin whose African-flavored designs depict sleek, spidery dancers, drummers and nudes in a vibrant palette of colors. He has contributed his art to support the cause Ubuntu, a youth group in Soweto, South Africa, dedicated to teaching sustainability and spreading the green movement to local youth. Chavez had never met him personally, but when he asked through a mutual friend how he could use his talent to help people, she agreed to create a product to merchandise his art. "I wanted to design," she says enthusiastically. "I have the business mind and model. He had the art. We met in the middle."
The result is a line of clothing that includes one-of-a-kind recycled pieces, from sweatshirts to slip dresses, that range in price from $25 to $50. "I choose whatever strikes my fancy," Chavez laughs. "That's the fun part of the business." New T-shirts ($20) are also available for those who prefer not to wear preworn clothing.
Chavez is descended from a family of Sonoma County social reformers who taught her the values of green living before the term was invented. "I grew up in used clothing," Chavez says with pride. "My grandma, Mary Moore, is a prominent activist in Sonoma County. She started the first used clothing stores in the area in the '80s. I grew up going to flea markets, and respect the business of used and recycled goods. The used clothing business is conscious in its origin. We don't need to import any more stuff from other countries."
In 1997, three years after the fall of apartheid, Chavez and her grandmother attended the International Black Women's Studies Cross-Cultural Institute conference in Soweto. There they met Dimpho Siphoro, a young activist who wanted to help her community by creating a center which would teach business and sustainability skills to empower Soweto youth. Ubuntu was born from Siphoro's vision, coupled with Chavez's passions for design and business. Siphoro subsequently was able to come to the United States and attended workshops at Real Goods in Hopland. She learned gardening techniques and the use of solar power, skills she has passed on to the youth in Ubuntu.
Chavez, a Sonoma State University graduate with a liberal arts degree, wears many hats. In addition to substitute teaching, she works at Pine Grove Consignment Store, which provides much of the clothing for Por Vida. She also cares for her 12-year-old sister since their mother passed away in 2005. Her newest venture is the signing of Por Vida's next artist, socially conscious musician Blane Lyon. "I find artists who want to donate their art to a cause through word of mouth and I like it that way," Chavez says. "It keeps it on a community or grass-roots level. You can help people on an everyday level without having to use the corporate system. You can keep it all in the family and, in turn, the communal family.
"People need a voice," she says, "and that's what Por Vida provides."
POR VIDA's Details
Status:
Single
Hometown:
EARTH
Zodiac Sign:
Pisces
Occupation:
Soul Sister
POR VIDA's Networking
Fashion -
Design -
Designer
SHOP POR VIDA
* SHIKI MONEY 236 S. Main St. Sebastopol, Ca. 95472
* Juke Joint (local artist nites)
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About me: *POR VIDA* - art and clothing for life- POR VIDA has a strong purpose and was born out of the need to bridge communities together. POR VIDA creates support for "at risk" youth locally and abroad. The sale of POR VIDA "Rhythm Revolution" Gear supports UBUNTU, a youth group in Soweto, South Africa. Started by a local there, Dimpho Siphoro, UBUNTU teaches sustainability and business skills to South African communities of youth. POR VIDA recognizes the struggle of dis enfranchised communities and we are dedicated to supporting and advocating for our people. We support grass roots movements for change by establishing dialogue, inspiration and financial support. From South Africa to the inner cities of the United States, our struggles unite behind the vision of POR VIDA: to keep youth out of gangs and prison, to create alternatives to a system based on power over others and to help end the death penalty--to GIVE LIFE. The artwork of our first and honorary artist Dennis Brewer is compiled into a line of clotyhing and greeting cards titled "Rhythm Revolution." It speaks to a revolution of the mind that can create united, educated and healthy communities. YOUR DOLLAR IS YOUR VOTE and by supporting POR VIDA's vision you are supporting social change. Power to the people! Check out our latest line of Rhythm Revolution Gear in our slideshow below! A shopping cart will be coming to porvida4life.com soon!!
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$ 20.00 plus shipping and tax in U.S. gets u a POR VIDA Shirt
(order sent upon clearance of payment/check/money order)
*SHOP* BUY* SUPPORT* RYTHUM REVOLUTION*
The shirts in the slideshow above are available for sale.
Poly/cotton mix (lightweight and stretchy) Womens tops are slim fit style
* 2 ways to purchase are:
1. Message us with your request and POR VIDA will get right back to you with an invoice to confirm your order. (Some sizes not available through Paypal method, message us for availability of other sizes)*****
2. PAYPAL option:
Which Shirt would you like?***************
Magenta Drummers-Womens- Small or Large (slim fit)>
Blue Drummers-Womens XSmall (slim fit)>
"Embrace" Black T-shirt, Womens Med.>
"Soul Sister" White shirt, Womens Med.>
MENS Green Drummers XL >
After receiving over 50,000 views in a few hours and on its way to shoot to the top of the most viewed chart, You Tube brazenly pulled a popular video from their rankings system Friday in an act of wanton censorship.
"Question Your Reality," a stirring and well put together video montage featuring talk show host Alex Jones was rocketing up the charts, already having reached number 2 most viewed on News and Politics and soaring up the general most discussed and most viewed categories.
A moment later, it was nowhere to be seen as You Tube cleared the slate and prevented the clip from going completely viral.
You Tube is owned by Google, who have pulled this trick many times before, but by spreading the video far and wide you can help offset their censorship and wake people up.
*POR VIDA* will be kicking of their full selection of images on clothing and in print. We have collaborated with Deathrow inmate Dennis Brewer in order to put his art to work. We help support the struggles of families torn apart due to our alarming incarceration rate which are the affects of the prison state we currently live in. Your purchase of our moving art on clothing and in print go to fund a scholarship for the youth of incarcerated peoples. We also supprot UBUNTU (Freedom), a South African youth group aimed at helping youth learn political and business skills. Blane Lyon and The Real will be propelling the movement of combining Art and Justice forward with a full set of their tasty groovin' beats for our colllective enjoyment. DJ Jacques (wblk) will join in the movement with his righteous selections. You are invited to join in the celebration and vision of POR VIDA. Comin' to groove with the movement enters you to win "one of a kind," special addition POR VIDA goodies!
Thanks for checkin us out.
Take a minute or so to find out about
Eric Volz(he's on our top friends)
He's a good friend of ours who's been unjustly imprisoned in nicaragua for crimes he didn't commit. Five minutes is all it takes, and you could be helping more then you know.
Peace,
THB-The Homegrown Band
RYTHUM and LOVE!! Come celebrate Emily's 25th Birthday Friday night before Apple Blossom festival... Boogie on into the weekend with friends!! See you on the 27th!
