The Gaia Story
2003 – 2007
Gaia Conceptions was founded by clothing designer Andrea in 2003. Her focus was hand sewing and hand dyeing clothing made with organic fabrics, earth friendly dyes, and simple designs. She was still completing her degree so Gaia Conceptions remained small and festival based. She spent 2006 experimenting with natural dyes in Hyderabad, India and studying environmental policy and sustainable design in Amsterdam, Netherlands. She returned to North Carolina with a renewed focus on local organic materials and a head full of nomadic designs. Launching an ETSY shop in 2007 helped Gaia Conceptions designs reach the world and has catapulted the company to where it is today. They are now a team of 7, and thanks to you, are sure to grow a little more each year.
2007 – 2012
Team Gaia has spent the last 6 years nurturing and refining their ethos as they grow. Andrea has created an extensive collection of designs that are rooted in comfort, nomadic style, and multifunctional utilitarianism. Staying true to the handmade foundation of their start, each Gaia garment is still hand sewn and hand dyed at the studio in Greensboro, NC.
Many friendships where made with fellow natural dye artisans during Andrea’s studies and travel throughout India in 2006. Returning to India in the summer of 2011, she teamed up with a Master Natural Dye Artisan to design a collection of hand blockprinted fabrics.
Growing and harvesting the first North Carolina Organic Cotton crop was another amazing next step to localizing one of their materials. Bringing more green jobs to their home state and sourcing their organic materials within a 30 mile radius is a key step in making Gaia Conceptions as sustainable as possible.
2013
Building an Organic Fiber Farm – Incorporating rainwater catchment systems, solar and wind energy, and green waste management systems into the production cycle is a natural next step. Team Gaia will be building a new studio that will begin incorporating all these elements in 2013. They will also begin growing some of their natural dyes and organic cotton material on site.
A continued collaboration with the Natural Dye Blockprinting team in India is sure to bring new and beautiful designs each year.
2014
New Studio, Boutique, and Natural Dye Demo garden is complete. The Gaia Tribe started working at new studio space in Jan and NOMAD the Gaia Conceptions Boutique opened March 20th.