Meet Arielle Hoffman And Nicole Pelini

We were lucky to catch up with Arielle Hoffman And Nicole Pelini recently and have shared our conversation below.

Arielle Hoffman and Nicole Pelini, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

When we first started crafting together, it was a fun way to become better friends, feel artistically fulfilled post-pandemic, and make unique gifts for loved ones. We received an abundance of positive feedback and began to consider how we could transition our love for this into a business. As people who care deeply about our planet and its population, we knew we wanted to create a company that would contribute positively to the world around us instead of adding to the already disastrous damage brought upon by the fast fashion industry. For context: clothing production is up 400% in the past two decades alone, and each year the average American generates about 82 pounds of textile waste, the majority of which ends up in landfills (The True Cost). So as we altered and created new pieces we made sure to emphasize the importance of using materials already in existence. The more we talked about our process with those around us, the more important the accessibility of up-cycling became to our vision. While most everyone we meet shares the sentiment that they want to contribute to a more sustainable future, not everyone has the time or energy for up-cycling materials themselves. We finally thought: You know what? We can help facilitate a community of people that lead with genorosity who believe that underconsumption is the future. By focusing on reuse in our own work, we are in a perfect position to bring awareness to this key issue that our planet is facing. It feels like our purpose is to create one of a kind wearable, usable art that leads people to question where their things come from, how they’re made, and what they can do to make their things last longer. Most importantly we want people to know that it is possible to make impactful, meaningful change while having fun.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Forever Soup Co. focuses on upcycling textiles and scrap fabric, we collect and press our own flowers, and repurpose found paper goods. We collect and rely on donated and forgotten clothing, most of which is already destined for the landfill. Items in less than desirable condition get repurposed – larger pieces of fabric are turned into new items like bags and pouches and smaller pieces become patches or stuffing. We carve our own stamps, hand embroider and cyanotype in order to improve pieces that are in good or decent condition but need a little help. The flowers, leaves and paper goods become the base of jewelry, coasters, bolo ties, and wall art pieces. We are both self taught and always finding new ways to upcycle goods that others consider trash; the goal is passing the knowledge along to others as we go. The business is arts and crafts at its core, there is always something to be excited about. We love having art in the park days with friends or in our studio room and believe that everybody can make art. The name Forever Soup was born out of the nickname for Perpetual Stew which is speculated to have been heavily common in the medieval ages and there are some places around the world where pots of stew like this still exist. The pot stays cooking, food gets added back, nothing is wasted and it is essentially self sustaining. The best way to think of our brand is this: like leftovers and scraps put into a stew, we’re giving these items new purpose. With everyone putting in what they can, and taking what they need, the pot will never go empty.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

In a lot of ways we are still at the beginning of our journey! But if we look back at what got us here, the number one most important thing we did was to give ourselves the permission to make whatever we wanted – even if it turned out terrible. 1.MAKE BAD ART! The only way to learn is to DO and not everything will come out perfect the first time you try but if you never start, you’ll never reach perfection. You also never know when someone will love what you think of as “bad”. Another important thing to note is how validating it feels to just do what you love! Taking it from hobby to business was the tricky part. We did not study to be in this business, we did not go to college for it, our other full time jobs have nothing to do with what we’re starting now. But you can start from anywhere, and that is sometimes the hardest thing to do. 2. START! (even if you don’t know where you’re going) By leaning into the things that bring you joy and finding the things that not only you love but what is needed by others the world starts looking different. That’s when learning and evolving happens, taking classes and trying new techniques and playing around with mediums. 3. BE OPEN! There is so much inspiration everywhere you go. There is limitless information from people you might already know, and definitely online in a heartbeat. It sometimes feels like we are learning so quickly that the options for where we go next are endless, and what a beautiful thing.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

We very much believe that being well rounded is the key to success in our life, art and business. By choosing to work with reclaimed objects, we have set ourselves up to always be learning. When we started crafting together we had very different interests and strengths, but as we grew into a business we challenged ourselves to be more innovative. We do not use fabric from fabric stores, we are not always comfortable with the material we are handed, and so we can’t solely rely on the strengths we already have. Being well rounded and open to new techniques is how we thrive. It is possible to continue to strengthen your own skills while being more well rounded, they are not mutually exclusive. We’ve taught each other what our individual strengths and we’ve learned a lot from classes and videos online. It deepens the appreciation we have for the work and in turn helps us price our items with integrity knowing what went into making it. Practicing cyanotype for the first time gave us varying results, so we used it as part of a patchwork bag instead. Taking a risk to try how to do something as simple as a lettuce hem became the easiest way for us to alter clothing and elevate it. We practice stamp carving and have found our style, but it wouldn’t have become that overnight. Embroidering something one of a kind on a bag, patch, or clothing item transforms that item entirely. Because of the emphasis we put on keeping things out of the trash we use the actual pieces that we learn on/practice on in our finished work too; practice fabric gets added to our work without hiding it, and in turn we celebrate the act of learning and improving. By being invested in being well rounded we can teach others who have never made art do exist in our space without the fear of failing. Forever Soup Co. celebrates the imperfections, celebrates the process, and is ultimately the warmth that brings people together.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://foreversoup.co
• Instagram: @foreversoup.co