InFocus Canada is a Canadian-based company specialized in creating fashion scarves that display images from renowned photographers in order to spread understanding about the interconnections between
We interviewed the InFocus Canada's co-founder Clare Hodgetts to find out more about their projects.
How did the idea for InFocus Canada come about?
The InFocus Canada idea was conceived in 2016 by me and Kemp Edwards, the co-founders. My work as a photographer and Kemp’s work in the field of ethically-produced sustainable goods was a natural combination that led to the idea of ‘wearable art’, where photography would be shown in a new way, on a sustainably and ethically produced medium, and at the same time give back to charity.
What is your mission?
Our mission at InFocus Canada is to raise money for important charities through sustainable fashion and to spread awareness of the exceptional and beautiful work being done by professional photographers. We strive to raise awareness about sustainable fashion, environmental conservation, charities and photographers all through ethically made scarves showcasing the work of the photographers.
What do fashion, photography and environment have in common?
Fashion, photography and the environment in my mind are inextricably linked. Everything comes from the environment and everything goes back to the environment – fashion and photography are part of this. They are especially linked by the common factors of beauty and creativity.
Fashion is, and always has been, at the forefront of culture and is brought to the consumer in large part through photography. The two go hand in hand. Using this relationship, our goal is to tell important stories and spark conversations by using powerful photographs from professional photographers through fashion (our scarves). At the same time, we support important causes by donating 10% of the sale price to charities chosen by the photographers. In environmental terms, these beautiful fashion scarves are ethically produced, being made entirely from recycled material (recycled plastic bottles). A quality material made from recycled plastic bottles may sound surprising, but the material itself is very luxurious and is soft and flowy. It’s part of the story of these scarves.
Many of our photographers are avid voices for the environment, nature and wildlife. Their work brings awareness to the causes they photograph, and their images not only educate but edify the world through their beauty. In our project, fashion, the environment, and photography come together to create a powerful story. One that we hope helps bring awareness to many different issues and causes, and ultimately helps people become better stewards of the natural world, and at the same time see how we are all interconnected.
In our latest collection, the Athena Collection, all of our donations go to environmental and conservation charities.
Why the idea of associating sustainable fashion to professional photography?
The idea to combine fashion and photography to raise money for charity was the inspiration for the project right from the start. The whole idea was to showcase art in a unique way – to make ‘wearable art’. Scarves are the perfect vehicle to show off photography – they are not only an ideal size, but make a beautiful and versatile fashion piece: they were a natural choice for us.
From a business and fashion perspective, we have a unique product with a multi-faceted story behind it; stunning photography and the work the photographers do, the charities and the causes they champion, and sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing. Our goal is to provide a beautiful and unique fashion piece that has a story, so that when someone wears a scarf it goes beyond just being a gorgeous piece in your wardrobe. You know that your purchase is not only supporting the work being done by charity but is also supporting sustainable fashion – you’re doing a world of good with every scarf purchased – which is something to feel really good about!
What distinguishes the ‘Athena Collection’?
The Athena Collection is a very special collection. It brings together stunning photographs from a group of powerhouse women photographers who are all change makers working to make our world a better place – Ami Vitale, Michelle Valberg, Deanne Fitzmaurice, Kristi Odom, Viktoria Haack and Melissa Groo.
They are visual story tellers, inspirational leaders and educators who, through their beautiful and powerful images, focus our collective attention on important issues facing the world today. Their photography is an important part of contemporary culture – providing a snapshot in time of wildlife, landscape and cultural matters.
There are so many stories in the Athena Collection. There is the continued story (from our previous lines) that the scarves themselves are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles and that they are sustainably made in facilities that are third-party audited for their environmental and social compliance. We ensure our commitment to this by working with our dedicated production partner, Ethical Profiling, a Canadian company whose mandate is sustainable manufacturing (and which is run by our co-founder Kemp Edwards).
In addition, each photographer brings to the table an amazing collection of work. For example, Ami Vitale. She is a National Geographic photographer, a Nikon USA Ambassador, a powerful storyteller and a beautiful human. She uses her photos to illuminate some of the most compelling conservation stories of our time. One focus of her work right now is the story of the last living Northern White Rhinos on the planet. She documented the passing of the very last male and is now sharing the story with us of the last two living females and the efforts being done to save the species from extinction. While daunting, her message is one of hope. Ami chose to support BioRescue – an international organization that is developing advanced reproduction technologies for saving Northern White Rhinos and other critically endangered mammals from extinction. We donate 10% of the sales of Ami’s scarf to BioRescue to help support their mission.
At InFocus, we want to be a conduit to bring important stories to people through the medium of wearable art, and at the same time raise money through sales of the scarves for charities working to improve the state of our world.
How do you choose charity organizations to collaborate with?
The photographers choose the charity they would like to support. For the Athena Collection we are focusing on the environment and environmental conservation, so all of the charities in this collection are environmental in nature. Our support, however, extends beyond the environment - for our first two collections, we had many different charities – environmental, health, mental health, and youth services. We research and evaluate each charity to ensure they are responsible and effective. To date we have 30 different charities that we have donated to or will be donating to in the next payout phase.
Charitable donations are a very important component of our entire project and they tie everything together – the artists, the subject matter and the stories we are sharing. Giving to charity is something we feel strongly about, as it can help make the world a better place.
What are your goals for the future?
Our goals for the future are to raise more money for charity, to continue to promote and work with inspiring professional photographers, and to continue our environmental conservation focus. And doing all of this through sustainable fashion and the creation of beautiful ‘wearable art’.
In addition, we intend to uplift and empower as many people as possible, so we are committed to providing beautiful fashion pieces of the highest quality. We know when you look good, you feel good, and we want to be part of that narrative for people.
We are also excited to continue to build our community and expand our reach, and have the scarves act as a platform to share and spark conversations about key issues. We see each scarf as a way of telling an important story, so that when people wear a scarf, they are able to share that story. The hope is for this to build awareness and ultimately make us more informed of our impact on this planet and recognize that we are all interconnected. By looking after and protecting nature and the environment we are in turn looking after ourselves.