Meet Leslie Kelly Shockley

We recently connected with Leslie Kelly Shockley and have shared our conversation below.

Leslie, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My purpose has always been about learning from nature and how to live more in tune with it rather than against it.

How can I make products that help us reduce our everyday waste and most importantly benefit our natural environment? Every decision I make in my business revolves around these questions. Will the materials that I use to make my products at the end of their life cycle end up helping or harming our natural environment? I am always searching for 3rd party certified organic cotton and hemp for my designs, cotton thread instead of polyester, and all-natural materials in my packaging and displays. My goal is to have my designs replace disposables, last a long time and eventually be composted to nourish the soil.

This can be time-consuming because of the lack of transparency in our society. A company can say they are environmentally conscious in their business and product line, but don’t always have the proof to back it up. I feel like it is our duty as consumers and businesses to do the research. The materials and chemicals used in products can not only do harm to the environment but also our health because they end up in our food, water, and soil.

With the internet, we have access to so much information at any time of the day that we need it. This is such an advantage in learning more about what we are buying as consumers. It is also an advantage as a small business because I can more easily source the natural materials I need for my product line and provide the necessary information to be transparent in my mission of designing products that benefit our bodies and the environment.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My native and edible gardens are a source of inspiration in my design process. I like to use the plants from my garden to naturally dye organic fabric. This falls in line with my goal to keep my product line non-toxic. Many of the dyes used in the clothing industry use toxic synthetic chemicals in the process that not only harm the environment but also our bodies. Recently, I dyed a batch of organic hemp knit material with the pomegranate peels from our tree to make a line of organic vests. I’m also inspired by vintage quilts and embroidery pieces. I was gifted a batch of vintage quilt pieces by a friend that must have taken so much time, love, and energy to create. I decided to sew these onto my new vest design, making each piece one of a kind.

I will be showing my latest organic designs, including these vests, at my next event, the Palm Springs Vintage Market on May 7.

 

I recently introduced a new jewelry collection called The Vintage Book & Lounge Collection.
In this collection, I upcycled the wood hammock that we enjoyed in our garden for nearly 20 years. The intricate wood pieces were still in good shape but the rope gave out after many intense desert summers. I decided to sand the wood pieces and seal unique vintage book pages onto them to make one-of-a-kind necklaces. These necklaces are available in the museum stores of the Palm Springs Art Museum and The Architecture & Design Center.

A new collaboration that I’m excited about is creating a new upcycled product for Bokisch Vineyards in Lodi, California. I met the owners, Markus and Liz Bokisch, at one of my events in Palm Springs and they loved my Vintage Book & Wine Collection. In this collection, I upcycle wine corks and vintage book pages to create one-of-a-kind jewelry and wine charms. Liz asked if we could collaborate to make a special collection for their wine-tasting room using their vineyard’s wine corks. The first batch of Vintage Book & Wine Charms will be arriving at their vineyard tucked away in the Clements Hills of Lodi this month. I’m so flattered to be creating a product for Bokisch Vineyards, a pioneer in organic and sustainable farm management.

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?
I feel like I learn best from experience. I like to jump in and try new things, not worrying too much about failure because that is usually part of the learning process. I also try to learn about what is needed by listening to my customers. Their feedback is so important to me. I have changed many of my designs in the past because of constructive criticism and I’m so appreciative of this. The third quality that I’m always trying to be better at is not being too hard on myself. That is easier said than done. I try to remember to keep my daily work schedule feasible by planning my week and not altering it so I don’t get behind on orders and work schedules. This allows me to spend time gardening and exercising which is so essential to keep my mind and body healthy.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
Two books that are my ‘go-to’ resources of inspiration are “Cradle To Cradle” and “The Upcycle” by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. These books provide so much knowledge on how to think about creating products that benefit the environment. The books provide solutions through innovation and use nature’s processes as an example to live sustainably. It is so easy to turn on the news and feel overwhelmed by all of today’s problems. I try to stay optimistic in my life and in my business by reading books like these that offer optimism and show examples of how to succeed in business with innovative products that nurture our environment.

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