Journal
Real Life | Behind the Scenes at SEPTEMBER
One of our core values at SEPTEMBER is trust and trust requires transparency. We’re sharing with you a few challenges we faced over the past 2021 year and letting you in on some things to look forward to in 2022.
Ethical & Sustainable Swimwear: What Makes a Brand Sustainable
Anytime you're in the water, you quickly realize that the ocean—the earth—is your playground. And just like the winds and tides shift and shape the waves we ride, we become attuned to the delicate balance and relationship we have with the real queen of the surf, Mother Earth.
Celebrating International Women's Day
To celebrate International Women's Day, we sat down with Erika Togashi, founder and creative director of SEPTEMBER. We discussed her story - the inspiration for building her brand, the women who have inspired her, and her biggest win as a female business owner. Costa Rica 2020 TL: How and when did you start surfing? ERIKA: I started surfing right after college when I moved to Santa Barbara, CA and worked for Patagonia. The Patagonia culture encouraged everyone to go for a quick paddle at lunch, however, I was a complete novice and had no idea what I was doing so I usually ended up floundering around at C Street or Miramar. A few years later, I spent a good amount of time in Sayulita, Mexico and was able to start progressing in my surf abilities. However, by then I was living in San Francisco and quickly realized that I am a fair weather surfer who does not like wetsuits. Whenever I made progress in my surf abilities in Mexico, I lost it because I never surfed in SF. Before I moved to Bali, I probably had not touched a surfboard in five years. I have always wanted to be able to surf, so when I left J. Crew and New York City, my goal was to become a better surfer. So, I picked up and went on a six-week surf trip to Sri Lanka and Bali with the sole purpose of improving my surf skills. Long story short, I would say my surfing really began when I moved to Bali seven years ago. Indonesia 2017 TL: Can you tell me about any women who have impacted or influenced your career? ERIKA: This is a tough question because so many women have influenced me throughout my life and career. My mother has been a huge influence in my life. She has always followed her heart and gut even if that meant going against the societal norms of her generation. That perseverance has definitely been passed on to me. Two women who have really impacted my career are Maria Huang and Violetta Villacorta (Vio). They were two senior designers at Patagonia who took me under their wing, supporting and mentoring me during the formative years of my career. When most people in the industry were telling me that I needed to have a design degree if I wanted to pursue being a designer, Maria and Vio believed in me and gave me the confidence to pursue my goal as a designer despite not having formal a formal design degree. Costa Rica 2020 TL: How has it been starting a company as a woman? Have there been any unexpected surprises? ERIKA: To be completely honest, I never gave my gender much thought when I started SEPTEMBER. Knock on wood, I have not faced any major road blocks or hurdles that I felt were a result of being a woman. That said, there have been times when I felt like I needed to speak a little louder or be a little more firm in order to get my point across in a room filled with men... I feel very fortunate to have the relationships I have developed with numerous women since SEPTEMBER launched. I am a designer by trade and do not have a business or marketing degree, so there have been times when I felt overwhelmed and almost frozen when faced with big business decisions. During these times, I have been lucky to have many female mentors to support and guide me. I am thankful for those who have been incredibly generous with their time and experiences and look forward to doing the same with the next generation of female business owners. Indonesia 2019 TL: Advice for the younger generation of women who want to want to start a company? ERIKA: My two pieces of advise are: 1) Have a clear vision and stick to it. 2) Don't be afraid to ask questions. People are always eager to share their experiences and there is no shame or embarrassment in asking for help. TL: Biggest win as a woman? ERIKA: My proudest moment since SEPTEMBER launched was when SEPTEMBER won Title Nine's Mover's & Makers Pitchfest in 2020. Title Nine has created a half-mentorship, half-competition to support and bring female entrepreneurs together. They want to encourage women to lead, risk and own their position in a male-dominated industry so I am incredibly honored that SEPTEMBER was chosen as one of the winners amongst a very talented group of women entrepreneurs. Being recognized for creating a company that is focused on ethical labor practices and sustainable materials in a world where it is easy to compromise on those areas validated my vision and goal. Being part of a cohort of women who are helping to shape the future is unbelievable and is an opportunity that will be ongoing. TF: How do the SEPTEMBER customers inspire you? ERIKA: The genuineness of each and every customer I have had the opportunity to meet with, talk to, and email with, has been an inspiration. Each customer has been eager to share their individual experience's and reasons for supporting SEPTEMBER and I leave each interaction feeling even more committed to our mission. I am honored to have women from all walks of life and age ranges (16 to 65+) support what I'm building and continue to strive to create a brand and product that appeals to everyone.
Rise Up + Kassia SURF + SEPTEMBER - Surf & Sound Retreat in Nicaragua
How does a person make dedicated "self-time" these days? Constant text messages, a longer and longer inbox, and nonstop social media can destabilize the best brain and soul. How, where and what to do to find wholeness?After six hours on a plane and three hour car ride, I was in Northern Nicaragua ready to step into a week at Rise Up Surf Retreat with my collaborator, Kassia Meador. Months earlier, Rise Up reached out to me wanting to connect with like-minded people and brands to do something unique. I was elated because I had already been following them and loved their creativeness and energy. Quickly, the idea of hosting an all female surf retreat that would be solely dedicated to helping re-balance, re-center, and re-ground was born. Friend, fellow surfer, environmental enthusiast, and SEPTEMBER collaborator, Kassia Meador would be the ideal woman to co-host such a retreat. A retreat to focus on our feminine self - to breathe, surf, meditate, surf, share, listen, support, encourage, surf again, build and rebuild confidence, heal, and surf some more...what an ideal week lay ahead. Kassia Meador Erika Togashi - Founder / Creative Director for SEPTEMBER the Line 14 solo women arrived from all walks of life, ages (26-55+) and surf experience. Every woman came with her own personal reasons, hopes, needs, and goals. We all had different surf experience and we all constantly helped and encouraged each other. We gave each other our needed time and space - time to pause, breathe, think and remember why we were there and what's really important to each of us - whether it is a morning surf, spend more time with loved ones, more time alone, boundaries at work and out of work, reset that work/life balance, be kinder to ourselves, or surround ourselves with more positive people and information. Kassia's powerful and awakening sound journeys, along with daily yoga, helped balance it all. Gloria, Loren, Jen, Jen & Theresa looking gorgeous in their SEPTEMBER suits & KassiaSurf Leggings Nothing but laughs and smiles with this wonderful group of women. Erika Togashi - The Scorpion Top with UPF50 helping to protect from the strong Central American sun In the week we had together, I found it so powerful to look around in the line up and see all the women who were now new-found friends cheering each other on without egos...What a unique blessing to be with all these women who exuded encouragement, smiles, support, sharing, listening and open hearts for each other and ultimately for themselves! A moment to remember. Such stunning women all wearing SEPTEMBER. Kelly, Rise Up Surf Couch and Kassia I have so much love and thanks for Corina of Rise Up and Kassia Meador for making this collaborative week happen with such an amazing group of women and I look forward to sharing some party waves again soon! All photos by Loren Bradley
Travel Guide: Where to Stay, Eat + Surf in Baja Mexico
Whether you're dreaming of fish tacos and sunsets along the Pacific or surfing the perfect wave at golden hour, Baja is sure to satiate your travel palette. Divided into two states—Baja California in the north and Baja California Sur below it—this peninsula offers a variety of surf from right-hand point breaks that produce head-high+ waves to the famous waves that ride for days at places like Scorpion Bay. Shop our Elena One Piece and Eileen One Piece → Click here to read our top tips to travel sustainably → Where to Stay Santo Tomas: For those looking to camp along the coast, Santo Tomas is a small town that has some fun surf spots and beautiful places to just sit and watch the waves. Speak to local farmers and land-owners for tips and places to camp (including their own parcels of land). Scorpion Bay Hotel (San Juanico): If this is your first time to the area, prepare yourself for right-hand point break paradise. The small town vibe paired with great food and accommodations makes it a great, quiet oasis. Hotel San Cristobal (Todo Santos): This hotel offers its guests great interior design and aesthetic from the moment they open the door. While it is slightly higher end, it is still very surfer friendly. Where to Eat Puerto Nuevo: Located in Rosarito Beach, Puerto Nuevo is also known as "Lobster Villa," and it's an absolute must for local lobsters. Click here for a full list of lobster spots to hit while you're there. Flora Farms (San Jose del Cabo): Roll out of the surf knowing that you can eat farm-to-table on a 25-acre working farm. They also offer anything from cooking classes to painting classes, a spa, and a free tour of the grounds. The Green Room (Todo Santos): Off the beaten path, outside of town, you'll find this local hot spot perfect for grabbing a beer, tacos, and watching the ocean. Where to Surf: Finding the surf spots are part of the fun, so we’ll leave that to you with the exception of one honorable mention. Click here to shop our line of sustainable swimwear → Scorpion Bay: With a diverse array of surfers, Scorpion Bay offers anything from slow, rolling waves perfect on small days for longboarding to more sizeable waves towards Punta Pequena. Ready for your next surf trip? Check our surf trip packing guide. Remember that Baja often has much colder temperatures—especially with the upwelling— so while you're sure to have an awesome time, pack those wetsuits and make sure you pick up a bathing suit made for surfing while you're at it.
What to Pack for a Surf Trip
You've found the perfect location—the one that allows you to access a surf break with the shortest amount of travel time. Airfare is booked. The next to-do may seem daunting because it's your "What to Pack" List. When you're at your home break, everything—including the kitchen sink—is often within a short distance. But when you're traveling, it's important to make a list and check it twice, remembering what's essential and what you can pick up or rent along the way. It's easy to overpack, and lugging your stuff around is sure to dampen your travels. We've put together the perfect checklist below to get you more stoked for your trip without the overwhelming to-do list. What to Pack for a Surf Trip Shop Our Line of Sustainable Surf & Swimwear → 1. Reusable Water Bottle: As a sustainable brand, it's part of our mission to stop single-use plastic (click here to read more about our plastic-free hygiene liners). The average person uses 150 plastic water bottles a year, and plastic bottles are the largest contributor to freshwater pollution, which then feeds into the ocean (read more here). The solution—and one of the most underrated travel items—is to bring a reusable water bottle. It'll get you to your destination without being dehydrated or needing to continually hit the call button for the flight attendants who give you the smallest single-use plastic cup, and it's the perfect way to rehydrate after a long surf session. 2. Dry Sack: Have you ever noticed that on the last day of your trip, right before you have to board your flight, the surf gods line everything up, making it impossible to fly home without one more quick session? On those days, a dry sack will prevent your spare clothing from getting wet, allowing you to separate dry from wet gear. This is especially important if you pack everything into a backpack because it'll keep your back from getting wet, and everything will be packed away nice and tight so that you are comfortable, organized, and getting the most out of your trip. 3. Suncure: What's a surf trip without a couple of dings? There is no guarantee that there will be a shop near you that can repair those dings. Repairing them yourself will save you time and money in a lot of instances. 4. Additionals Fins (and Fin Keys): This falls along the same lines that, in some surf locations, a surf shop will not be right around the corner. To make life easier, remember to pack extra fins. You may break them or the conditions may change. That said, fin keys have a way of disappearing. Bring multiple keys, and stash them in various spots: board bag, book bag, shorts, etc. You'll be happy to spend more time in the ocean and less or no time searching for a surf shop. 5. Multiple Bathing suits: There's something to be said for having a fresh bathing suit, especially when the air is a little damp, cold, or during dawn patrol (especially before your first sip of coffee). Packing quick-dry bathing suits—and several of them—is essential to being comfortable during your trip. Click here to shop our line of sustainable surf & swimwear → Added note: Make sure you plan ahead by doing the following: Check the water temperature so that you confidently bring the appropriate gear. No need to pack a hood and booties when the water is above mid-60s and vice versa. Check the surf report. You don't want to bring your full quiver, so make sure you have the appropriate board set up for the conditions during your trip. Bringing an extra board is always a great option, and make sure you have appropriate board bags for traveling. No one ever said airlines are nice to surfboards. Wherever your travels take you, we hope to see you out there.
Sustainable Surfer's Travel Guide: Lombok Indonesia
Hours from Bali, you’ll find Lombok: a surfer’s dream with left-handers for days and miles of uncrowded breaks. During the dry season (April to October), the surf can be hit or miss. If you’re ok with paying the small price of surfing in the rain, traveling from November to March (wet season) is sure to bring warm water and waves that work with only a handful of people to share. After punching your way through the impact zone and out to the line up, it’s in these quiet moments that any surfer feels a sense a harmony with the ocean. And after taking your last ride in, the hard questions about our actions, outside of the ocean, as they coincide with preserving the earth, begin to persist. Sustainable Surfer's Travel Guide: Lombok Two of the three pillars to travel sustainably are environmental (reduce, reuse, recycle) and fiscal benefits to local communities (supporting fair wages to locals). With those in mind, here are our top tips from our recent surf trip to Lombok. Shop the Malibu One Piece → Stop Single-Use Plastic We are doing our part to end single-use plastic by using plastic-free biodegradable hygiene liners in our products. Still, there are ways, no matter where you are traveling, to further that. To cut back on plastic waste, carry tote bags inside of your luggage and opt for locally purified water in recycled glass bottles. Indonesia is known for their amazing fresh coconuts, but with having one, comes with drinking through a single use plastic straw. Invest in a simple bamboo or glass straw that comes with a protective case and is easy to throw in your bag. You can pick them up in a number of shops throughout Bali and Lombok. As of June 2019, Bali has banned the use of single use plastic island wide, so please be aware and refuse the plastic bag from the local markets, straws from the local warung and carry your own reusable silverware when eating out. Eco-Chic Accommodations Local government regulation state that 80% of new tourism development must feature some form of eco-tourism. Photo courtesy of Bambook Studio Places like Hotel Tugu Lombok, a plastic-free resort that reuses its grey water and runs a coral reef regeneration program, are part of these eco-chic accommodations. Karar Lombok Leisure Boutique Hotel, designed by Bambook Studio, Lombok’s leading sustainable architecture firm, is a property designed with all of Bambook’s sustainable principles. It also offers surfing as well as day trips to the local market. The restaurant on site, Yaya’s, focuses on fresh, locally grown and produced food. What to look for in your accommodations: Focus on things like shade, air flow and off grid solutions. These are pieces that are sure to help you stay comfortable because you’re not in a concrete, air-conditioned box soaking up electricity in a tropical climate. If you want a truly unique accommodation, opt for a dome house. Hire a Local Chef From enjoying a smoothie on the heels of dawn patrol to a fresh fish dinner after an afternoon session, hiring a local chef is a great way to give back to the community both fiscally and environmentally. Shop our sustainable bikinis → Ask a travel guide or use a service like Take a Chef to find a chef. Be specific with the chef about your sustainability goals, noting that you opt for plastic-free, recycling is a high priority, and composting is a must. In case you’re wondering, you can compost. Lombok Eco Development not only teaches residents and businesses about composting, but if you’re traveling, they will accept your compost. You can contact them at office@lombokecodevelopment.com Shop Local Like any tourist destination, you will find places that cater to fast fashion and tourists. Before purchasing while you're traveling ask yourself: Do you need this item (the answer is usually no)? Can you get it more sustainably (the answer is almost always yes)? If shopping is on your list, organize a car ride to Mataram, making sure they don’t take you to the mall. Here you’ll find local fabrics and wood carving villages. If you head to Kuta, you will find ikat weaving. And remember, there’s a reason you brought that tote bag in your luggage after all! Go Surfing While we aren’t going to tell you all our favorite surf spots, activities like surfing, hiking, or riding a bike are a great way to stay active without enhancing your carbon footprint. If you're unfamiliar with Lombok, the most famous break is "Desert Point" on the south-west tip, and Kuta Lombok is the most central point for surfers. We love Capsule Hostel in Kuta Lombok: Bamba. It is centrally located and perfect for visiting different breaks without traveling too far. Where you want to surf depends on what you're in the mood for. If you're looking for fast peeling shoulders "Are Gouling" will get you a nice left or a right depending on the side of the bay you are on. Regardless, whatever your flavor, Lombok is sure to have a break to satiate your palette. Added bonus: if you rent a board from a local shop, you’re likely using your wallet to help support a local in the community. We love Flow Surf Lombok. Hands down, the best curated selection of surfboards, boardshorts and swimsuits in Lombok. Very knowledgable and helpful staff, you won't be disappointed. Plus you can get surf lessons from them. Before your trip, pick-up a bathing suit that aligns with your travel values. Click here to shop our line of sustainable swimwear. Remember that even when you’re not traveling, there are small steps you can take towards sustainable living from using Reef Safe Sunscreen to examining day-to-day waste and using your purchasing power to support small sustainable business like SEPTEMBER. Been to Lombok? We’d love to hear more of your tips and tricks. Click here to shop now.
Ethical Sustainable Swimwear | Plastic Free Hygiene Liners
SEPTEMBER the Line is doing our part to end single-use plastic. We are so excited to share a project we've been working on since before we launched - new plastic free biodegradable hygiene liners! It's one many steps towards creating more ethical swimwear in our line. Plastic hygiene liners have played their part in increasing environmental damage from plastic waste, but for us it is yesterday's news. This change may seem small but every action matters when it comes to protecting our Mother Earth from more plastic. How it works We are extremely committed to becoming as sustainable as possible - we use high performance recycled Italian fabric, recycled paper and PVC for our swing tags, and now we have developed biodegradable hygiene liners. Each step helps bring us closer to eliminating single-use plastic. When it comes to our design, business decisions, and environmental impact, we believe that less is more. We see sustainability as not only an addition to our practices but our responsibility, identity, and the core of everything we do. If you would like to read more about our sustainable practices, please click here.
Designing in Paradise
FAAS Studio - THE FUNCTIONAL APPAREL & ACCESSORIES STUDIO of Portland, OR sat down and chatted with designer & business owner of SEPTEMBER, Erika Seiko Togashi, about diversity and design.
