Is it just me, or does coffee taste better out of a handmade mug? I’m not sure of the science behind it, but it just feels like there is a noticeable difference when food is consumed from a local potter’s plate or bowl.
I’ve also recently decided that life is too short not to swing by the bakery for fresh bread each week. No disrespect to the bagged loaves that can stay in my pack without mildewing on a five-day backpacking trip, but when I’m at home, I just want something fresh, crusty, and baked without a shelf-life in mind.
In a lot of ways, I guess it’s the same trend for clothes. Polyester makes me feel like I am working, conforming, and either suffocating under a work blazer or turning into a multi-day synthetic stench-sponge on the trail. Over the past few years, I’ve made a conscientious choice to start replacing and upgrading clothes made with the same DNA as plastic bottles, opting instead for natural alternatives like linen, wool, silk, cotton, and hemp. And the result? I feel like I can breathe.
Why Natural Fibers
My nine-year-old son wants nothing more than to be the next Steve Irwin. Thankfully, in southern Appalachia, our search for “crocs” is replaced by hunting for salamanders in mountain streams. Every time we find a new species—or want to carefully engage with a two-lined, smoky, red, or spotted salamander—my son knows he has to get his hands dripping wet. One of the salamander’s superpowers is that it breathes through its skin, and in order for this process to work, its body has to stay damp.
And while we, two-legged creatures, don’t consume the oxygen necessary for organ function through our skin, we are still living in porous bodies that release and absorb water, minerals, and nutrients—as well as not-so-good things, like chemicals and heavy metals.
Over the years, I have shifted my athleisure attire from synthetic materials to natural fibers. In a lot of ways, this has mirrored my transition from a hardcore trail hiker and endurance athlete to a mom whose recreation is a bit more “chill” and less intense.
I can still get after it—and often do! But the majority of my forays into the mountains these days are to look at wildflowers, gaze at synchronous fireflies in the Smokies, or just take a casual walk in the woods with the kids to see what salamanders we can find.
There are a lot of reasons why I’ve shifted my clothing options. For one, the hemp shirts, shorts, pants, and hoodies that Astral makes are the most comfortable clothes I’ve ever worn. I wear them around the house, around town, in the mountains, and on the trails. I often go days without taking them off, and I’m not ashamed to admit it—because with all that wear they don’t smell bad, either!
But I think the deeper reason I’ve moved to natural fibers is that it puts me, quite literally, closer to nature. When I’m staring at my laptop in our home office, cooking dinner for the kids, or schlepping them around to basketball games and violin lessons—when I’m farther removed from the woods—wearing hemp makes me feel just a little bit closer to the outdoors.
It’s a small thing, but having natural fibers touch my skin makes me feel more natural by association. Not to mention, they are better for the environment on the front end during the manufacturing process!!
Wearing Wildflowers
In late winter and early spring, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Along with it came layers of questions, anxiety, stress, and grief. Amid the larger health, family, work, and life feelings, one of the losses that came to the forefront of my mind was that I would miss time outside. I would miss wildflower season—and wildflowers are my favorite. I had no clue when I would be able to venture back outdoors, or how far I would be able to go.
My husband is a local musician, and when the wife of one of his bandmates – my friend and fellow Nick and Brew groupie – heard about how sad I was to miss wildflower season, she asked for one of my favorite shirts. Weird… but okay, whatever. My husband passed along my well-loved Astral hemp hoodie, and when I arrived home from the hospital, it was waiting for me with Appalachian wildflowers needlepointed on the shoulders. (Insert all the cry emojis here!!!)
I wasn’t going to miss the wildflowers; I was going to wear them. The handwritten note left with my present suggested that like rocks and crystals, wildflowers are associated with certain properties and characteristics. My hoodie wasn’t just adorned with local blooms; it offered the renewal and courage of a dwarf crested iris, the hopeful beginnings of spring beauties, and the resilience and strength of a trillium.
It got me thinking that if flowers have natural properties, natural fibers probably do too. I looked it up, and sure enough… hemp is associated with ‘a reduction in stress, tension, and a general mellowing of mood.’ Lol. I should have been able to guess that one ; ) But way past a puff of smoke, gummy candy, or cbd infused bevy, wearing these durable, antimicrobial, UV resistant, fibers that only get softer and more comfortable with age offers long lasting (legal in every state) side-effects.
Post-surgery I had to go zip-down for a bit to manage my scars and drains so I turned to my 100% organic cotton hoodie and wore my hemp pants every day. So much so, that my husband started to refer to that outfit as my uniform. We referred to my five closest girlfriends who stepped up to help with childcare, and grocery runs and doctor appointments our ‘starting five.’ For those of you who are so into outdoor rec that you might not catch the mainstream sports reference, starting five refers to a basketball team.
We wanted to show our appreciation to the team for all their love and support and talked about buying them custom basketball jerseys and then decided that instead of gifting synthetic tops that they will never wear in public, why don’t we outfit the team in the ‘uniform.’ Why don’t we get them all a pair of hemp pants that they can wear inside, outside, and day after day? Now all my best friends have the same favorite pants – it’s amazing how they really do work for so many different shapes, sizes, body types, and styles. And, now the only problem is that our outfits match way too often.
After a double mastectomy and sentinel node biopsy (aka major surgery in which they took both breasts and lymph nodes), we received a clear pathology report indicating that the cancer was successfully treated through surgery and would not require any additional chemo or radiation. As you can imagine, we were immensely grateful for that outcome.
Every day during my recovery, I took a short hike on a trail near our house. (I was even able to take a short hike on the way home from the hospital—the discharge nurse gave me his blessing, said it was the right decision, and agreed that it would be medicinal). I was not able to saturate myself with wildflowers the way I usually do every spring, but Astral’s motto is “Trust Nature.” I have always drawn strength from nature, and when I can’t be outdoors the way I would like, I can still be clothed by it.
Written by
Jenn Pharr Davis
Astral Archetype, Jennifer Pharr Davis, is an internationally celebrated adventurer, author, mother and business owner who set the fastest known time on the Appalachian Trail.