Jesse Beardslee has always believed there is deep importance to the feminine energy behind fashion and beauty.
“I get sad when people consider [fashion and beauty] frivolous because they are part of self-expression, identity, and self-care,” she said recently via an Instagram video for @ThemisandThread, the profile for her sustainable and ethical clothing company.
Making clothing became a way for Jesse to express this passion. And she doesn’t make just any clothing.
“I work with materials from as close to my Hector studios as possible that are also organic cotton, hemp, recycled, or upcycled,” Jesse explained.
She sources the cotton from multigenerational Organic Cotton farmers in Lubbock, Texas. She also uses materials that would typically become trash and pollution, including inner tubes and bottle caps.
Jesse has additionally developed skills in using dyes that don’t pollute water sources like in most “fast fashion." Rose petals, onion skins, and marigolds are just some of the natural dye sources she uses.
Fast fashion is basically a term for making and marketing clothes fast to make the latest trends quick and easy for consumers to buy (Merriam-Webster). However, since speed and selling are often the main goals, the around 80 billion clothing items produced each year through "fast fashion" have caused major social and ecological concerns (CITIES Foundation).
Jesse uses her outgoing, bubbly, and driven personality to help folks find products that align with their values.
When Jesse’s not making everything from adorable baby clothes to stunning custom wedding dresses for Themis and Thread, she can be found helping customers at a gift shop and gallery, Hector Handmade, which she founded with her best friend, or using her incredible teaching skills to help others learn how to make their own ethical fashion and beauty products.
Today we are going to dive deeper into Jesse’s remarkable work and the reasons she’s so compelled to promote fashion and beauty products that are safer and cleaner for the environment.
The Turning Point
When Jesse went to study Fashion Design and Marketing at The International Academy of Design and Technology in Tampa, Florida, she had an idea she didn’t want to work for someone else.
But, she wasn't sure where her life was headed. She developed her custom clothing making abilities while she lived in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina, then worked managing a kitchen before ultimately leaving to return to The Finger Lakes in New York State where she grew up.
In 2013, Jesse was shocked and saddened to learn about the collapse of a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh that killed more than 1,000 workers (BBC). She described this as a pivotal moment for her. It brought into clear view the cost fast fashion can have on humanity.
“You know thousands of innocent people have died so we can have cheap clothing,” she said. “And that felt like a problem without a solution.”
But Jesse was determined to make a difference in any way she could.
“That’s when I started thinking about the importance of something like Themis and Thread,” she said.
Jesse got to work quickly. The garment factory collapse happened on April 24, 2013. On May 13, 2013, she launched Themis and Thread to combat the unsafe and unethical treatment of garment workers around the globe, and the unsustainable use of resources to support the “fast fashion” industry.
While cheap clothes may seem convenient and a great way to save a buck, they can come with a huge price tag for the natural environment. The fashion industry is the world’s 2nd largest consumer of the world’s freshwater supplies, it is polluting oceans with microplastics, and it produces 10 percent of the planet’s human carbon emissions (Business Insider).
In fact, cotton production for the fashion industry has been linked to the world’s 4th largest lake drying up—the Central Asian inland sea (The Guardian).
While there’s a major cost of resources to producing clothes, around 85 percent end up getting thrown away. (Business Insider)
Jesse also promotes buying secondhand style. She uses items such as 100 percent recycled tee-shirts that skip the toxic dyeing process by color sorting the waste cotton and plastic they’re made of!
The Life of a Sustainable, Ethical Fashion Designer
While Themis and Thread started with Jesse as the “solopreneur” doing all of the work herself, over the years it has grown to become something much bigger.
Today, Jesse works with many independent makers and contractors to coordinate the pattern drafting, sample making, construction, and selling of ethical apparel and accessories.
Her efforts have been recognized with a prestigious award that she says is one of the highlights of growing Themis and Thread.
“The single biggest moment of growth was winning Green America’s People and Planet Award in 2016 which gave us a huge boost,” she said.
Jesse has also worked to commit Themis and Thread to be Certified Carbon Neutral and Wind Powered through offsets.
She says commitments like this set her apart from other fashion designers and it’s important to her to continue sharing what she learns about the world of ecological and ethical fashion.
“Continuing to learn about the evolving landscape of Sustainable Style while sharing what I learn is what makes me as a designer also an advocate,” she said.
One of a kind dresses are Jesse’s favorite to make. And she has made a name for herself making what many women consider the most special dress of their lifetime.
“Custom dressed like wedding dresses are super special because I spend about a year working with a bride from consultation to the big day,” she said. “And we usually do a final fitting photoshoot that’s so fun!”
Jesse also enjoys making clothing for events that showcase the possibilities of sustainable and recycled fashion, such as ReCouture, a fundraiser for The Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes. That particular event, held at Corning Museum of Glass, focuses on showcasing clothing and accessories made from repurposed materials that include everything from old Happy Meal toys to deer fencing.
Inspiring Others to Make an Impact
Jesse not only focuses on using social media and other channels to grow her Themis and Thread brand, but also the importance of promoting moral business practices that extend beyond sustainable fashion and beauty.
After the unjust murder of George Floyd, Jesse said her businesses stood in solidarity with many across the country in recognizing the Black Lives Matter movement.
She expanded the commitments of Themis and Thread after this moment of pause to include diversifying business partners and models for her handmade clothing.
However, Jesse also continues to stay focused on her efforts behind growing the following of eco-friendly style, with everything from workshops at her local artisan shop Hector Handmade to YouTube tutorials such as those she made in partnership with the Southeast Steuben County Library.
While the problems of “fast fashion” can often seem overwhelming and incredibly wide-reaching, Jesse doesn’t let this stop her from doing what she can to make a difference. She says what helps her keep going is knowing that something as simple as engaging with someone else in meaningful discourse can have a major impact.
“As an activist, I sometimes get caught up in the idea that I have to be working on something huge to help affect change with these huge problems, but advocacy can be as simple as a meaningful conversation,” she said. “Helping other people feel that is my idea of success.”
And while the world reels from one major event to the next that seems to make 2020 feel like a roller coaster, one thing is certain: Jesse will continue using her keen eye and altruism to help consumers realize that making a difference can be as simple as what they wear.
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