Who: "That would be myself, Emmelie Brunetti."
What: "I wanted to create an umbrella brand that could house many different projects, diverse in aesthetics and content, but that would follow the same guidelines in regards to the meticulous choice of ingredients as well as an overall philosophy focusing on holistic, organic, pacific & indigenous themes, hence the acronym HOPI in HOPI Botanicals, the point of origin from where this all started.
There are 4 brands. I first started with the idea of making solid perfumes, because I think it is unique, and also a very nice alternative to alcohol based perfume. This was under the moniker of HOPI Botanicals. As I started experimenting, and creating these perfumes, I stumbled upon recipes for many other "home-made" beauty products that I wanted to try which led to different packaging ideas... I was also approached by a shop in London (A Child Of the Jago) that wanted to carry some HOPI Botanicals product a few months before the official launch that is scheduled for this spring. As I was still in the process of developing scents & packaging and was very inspired by this shop, as well as honored to have been asked to present my products there, I decided to create a collection of custom "amulets" based on these events. An impromptu run-in with my friend Corey Parks, at one of my favorite Los Angeles spots, the Laurel Canyon country store, sealed the faith of this project when she proposed to hand-make one-of-a-kind leather medicine bags to present the solid perfumes in. Corey, a talented musician, 'couturière' & mother to a 5 year old boy, is a staple of the LA rock scene and has plated in several bands over the years, including Nashville Pussy, Die Hunns and presently Chelsea Girls. I liked the idea of adding a 60's/70's rock'n'roll / biker feel to the traditional Native American medicine bag, so we got to work. I (virtually) scoured the Southwest to find as many silver & turquoise Navajo pill boxes as I could to hand pour a custom Amber scented solid perfume blend into, while Corey worked on the amulet bags from her home-atelier on Lookout Mountain. The final product had a such a strong personality that I felt it needed a category of it's own. This is how NOMAD was born. Named after the outlaw biker gang, each NOMAD piece is completely unique and rogue in it's own special way. These are my 'exclusive handmade', or 'couture' pieces. They will retail anywhere from $300 to $360 and will be available only in select shops around the world. The entire collection can be viewed in the NOMAD shop section of my website.
HOPI BOTANICALS houses aromatherapy mists, roll-on & solid perfumes packaged in standard tins with labeling inspired by old trading post & apothecary aesthetic, as well as in vintage snuff boxes & compacts. The line is more affordable and ranges anywhere between $20 (for a mist or standard solid or roll-on perfume) to $40-$100 for a custom scent poured into a vintage container (these containers will be visible in the online shop shortly). All my perfumes are Amber based, this is my signature scent. I then offer to customize the base with a choice of complimentary oils such as Vanilla Bourbon, Vintage Patchouli, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Agarwood, and many more accents that create a totally unique perfume.
NUNA::: I am developing a special scalp & hair serum for a Los Angeles salon called Purple Circle. For this project, I created the brand NUNA, which is directly inspired by the famous sixties London brand BIBA. I use deep purple swiss-made spectrum-blocking glass containers for all NUNA products. With NUNA, I wanted to create a brand that was totally different in aesthetic to NOMAD, HOPI & Hawkweeds, and that did not have the appearance of a "natural" product line as first glance, but a more glamorous, 20's inspired, very sleek look. Of course the relation to the botanical aspect is directly eluded through the use of art deco, which is directly drawn from the organic lines of plant life. Inspiration for NUNA includes stills from Matthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle chapter that takes place in the Chrysler building in NYC, old mob movies, Moonshine & prohibition... But always using natural, organic, high quality raw ingredients. For now the only product in this line is the hair serum, but I am thinking of developing an under-eye cream as well. The idea with NUNA is that great things come in small packages. Little, yet potent. --- This would be the only brand out of the 4 without any apparent Native American element. Retail price range here would be $20 to $60.
Finally, "HAWKWEED'S Free-Spirited Herbal Healing" is the moniker under which I am developing 100% natural, organic, safe & effective skin care. Inspired by folk medicine, Native American Medicine & Ethnobotany, ancient herbal remedies & this fantastic botanical theory from the 70's about the psychic power of plants which I think I just so out-of-this-world that I couldn't help but include it into the mix... this line is DIY, homemade skincare, with absolutely no preservatives. The idea is that the creams are sold refrigerated and have a limited shelf-life, the same way eggs, butter & milk need to be bought fresh and on a regular basis. I am working with a couple of local independent health food stores on stocking these creams. I am still at the developing stage & and am mainly distributing samples to friends and to these stores for them to use & comment on. The reaction is great, as the cream has an exquisite butter like texture and feels nice, fresh & clean - in every sense of the word. Like the milkman delivering fresh dairy product every week, I want to deliver fresh homemade creams, lotions & potions, to these shops once or twice a week. Some of the ingredients I use are: Plum kernel oil, jojoba oil, organic unfiltered beeswax, different scented hydrosols, vitamin E, vitamin B5, squaline, essential oils and other pure & organic ingredients. I also am offering unscented as well as vegan, made with a vegetable based wax instead of beeswax. Another cream I that is in the works in one that will focus on breast health and include botanical extracts, like Frankincense and Lemongrass, that have scientifically been proven to work against cancerous cells. I think it's important to not only raise money & awareness about this subject, but also try to develop natural remedies that can help in the fight against this ailment. If only for the psychological aspect - which is half the battle when faced with this life threatening disease, it's something that I find important and necessary. I want to keep this range as affordable as possible, within the reality of having to purchase organic raw ingredients in non-industrial quantities. I would say anywhere from $6 to $35... $6 would be for beautiful, natural handmade soaps that my brother-in-law produces his home in Louieville KY...a healing salve or lip balm would also retail under the $10 mark. For the creams, it would depend on the size of the container... 2oz, 4oz or 8oz... ranging from $12 to $35."
Where: "Handcrafted in Southern California from pure, certified organic and wildcrafted botanical extracts, without the use or addition of synthetic fragrances, colours or preservatives."
When: "I established this company in September of 2009, so less than a year ago."
Why: "Littlefeather Organics was conceived as a creative outlet from which I could synthesize all of my passions & influences into one gigantic life-long project. From my fascination with fragrance to my obsession with all things organic and my love of design, art, music, food, fashion, books, film, etc... I try to incorporate all of these aspects into each item that I conceive, conveying a sense of whole within every finished product. I would compare my process to a reverse Genie in a Bottle or Pandora's box where an infinite cloud of ideas is captured and condensed into a solid perfume, or an oil, or a cream. I like objects can tell a story, or that seem to have an "old soul" quality to them.
In addition to striving to provide the highest quality of natural & organic homemade goods, my goal with Littlefeather Organics is to share knowledge and offer options.
If I can inspire a healthy, positive, family-oriented, creative lifestyle that allows the luxury of knowing that all human, animal and plant life can survive and flourish cooperatively, I will have reached one of my many goals.
One of those goals is to generate a sense of mysticism and allure around grass root products by establishing a unique, sophisticated yet spellbinding brand identity that highlights the benefits of "green" and handcrafted versus chemically altered, mass-produced goods.
Always taking into consideration, though, that there are many different levels and qualities of "mass-produced" goods, and that a growing number of companies today are truly trying to make a difference by offering products with safer ingredients and truthful labeling. That said, not all mass-produced beauty products are harmful, but a good majority still do contain some questionable ingredients and the only way to be able to make an informed purchase is by being aware and knowing the facts about what exactly goes into these products.
Plans for the future include a line of affordable natural/organic skin/hair care products that will be available nationwide. And no, I don't get any sleep."
How: "I sell through my website and also supply shops. Right now I am working on 2 very interesting custom projects: I am creating a kit for men, specially designed for a store in Sweden called Krig & Fred. I cannot give too many details, but the kit will include a few diverse objects including a solid perfume/hair pomade presented in a manner inspired by American trappers & fur traders of the late 1800's. The second project is for Workshop Chicago, and is another kit, but for women this time, including solid perfume, perfume oil & a soy candle scented with botanicals extracts."
Littlefeather Organics
HOPI Botanical Blog
