Scrappy clothing company thrives

Costco cover girl uses waste products to make accessories

By Cliff Newell

Pamplin Media Group, Dec 10, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

Jasmine Fullman stands in a bamboo grove in China. She harvests the plants for Naturally Knotty Designs, which transforms scrap materials into scarves and shawls, sold in 600 stores around the world.

COURTESY OF JASMINE FULLMAN

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There’s a lot of beautiful scrap material out there just waiting for Jasmine Fullman to find it.

When she does, the Lake Oswego woman will rescue it and transform it into a scarf, throw, clutch, tote, sheet or cosmetic bag for her fast-growing new company, Naturally Knotty Designs.

In just two and a half years, Fullman’s products are selling in 600 stores all over the world, making the former kindergarten teacher an Oregon sustainability success story.

“Living in Oregon, I grew up with a huge respect for our environment,” Fullman says. “We utilize factory scraps, recycled fibers, and sustainably harvested natural fibers in our products whenever possible. While this can limit the production capacity of some items, we feel that it is just the responsible thing to do.”

You couldn’t tell Fullman’s story without mentioning bamboo, one of the most sustainable products around. She uses bamboo in her clothing items and to make creative, sturdy packaging.

“We love bamboo because it is such a fast-growing plant,” Fullman says. “It can completely regrow in as little as two or three years. By harvesting bamboo, using a permit allocation system, we can not only keep the bamboo forests healthy, we can maintain our source of bamboo fiber.”

By using bamboo packaging, Fullman says she can utilize every possible piece of the bamboo. “There is so much waste,” she says. “Recycling is great, but reusability is greater.”

Where most people see a pile of stuff ready for the waste stream, Fullman sees the stuff for future profits. As she puts it on her Web site, these are yarns with a moral fiber:

• Cotton – Instead of seeing millions of tons of cotton waste products in landfills, Fullman aims to recycle it.

• Felt and silk — Fullman uses new technology to make clutches that are 100 percent scrap remnant. While she is turning old stuff into new products, Fullman’s eco-conscious approach is reducing demands on the environment.

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