Free People Festival Flags made by SoulMakes

(Last two photos by Free People)

A few months ago Free People approached us for an exclusive collaboration. I have been a HUGE Free People fan since I very first discovered them when I was around 14 years old (that was 12 years ago, holy cow!) and you may or may not know that I worked at my local FP for several years. Actually, it was during my time at Free People that SoulMakes was born. I was working two other jobs and I had been making jewelry my entire life. My mom was a jewelry maker too, so it was only natural that everything I adorned myself in was made by my own hands. I had never thought to sell my creations and never imagined I would one day own my own brand.

The magic moment came when I arrived for my shift at Free People one morning and was greeted excitedly by one of my store managers, who was gushing over a necklace I had on. She asked if I would make her one and she offered to pay me for it. From there my "freeps family" encouraged me to open up an online store and the rest is history! Here we are today with a gorgeous line of bohemian jewelry and home adornments. 

Free People as a brand has been such a big part of my life, my inspiration, my style of design and what I wear personally. Not only that, but having worked there for so long and forged so many wonderful, lasting friendships with like minded creative women has made a huge impression on me. So you can only imagine just how thrilled I was to be working with them on this awesome project!

I wanted to give you a little behind the scenes look at the process that went into making these festival flags. My husband and I spent many weekends hiking around the woods, collecting fallen branches. We cleaned them and carved them by hand. I think the most laborious part was probably the sanding, for days all of us sat in the studio sanding down these forgotten pieces of mother nature, to turn them into something new and wonderful. Our clothes, every inch of the studio and definitely the inside of our nostrils were covered in saw dust. Once we were satisfied with the smooth texture, we cleaned them again. Then came the fun part, each branch is lovingly hand painted in white tribal patterns and embellished with classic SoulMakes materials.

There are two distinct styles, the Hand Painted Feather Flag is adorned with soft leather lace, copper beading, cowrie shells and feather tassels. The Kantha Festival Flag is decorated with a brightly colored, vintage kantha flag, tassels, leather fringe, feathers and cowrie shells. These beauties are a festival necessity for sure! Stake claim to your territory or lead the pack to your favorite band with one of our super bohemian festival flags! I can just imagine being at an outdoor venue for my favorite band, sun shining down, surrounded by happy dancing people, seeing one of these flags rise into the air and wave about. What an awesome accessory to set you apart from the crowd this summer! They also make for beautiful home decor, laying in a bright window sill or scattered amongst some house plants. The possibilities are endless.

We are so beyond grateful for all the love and support you've all shown us over the years, leading us to this awesome place where dreams come true! Thank you all! Be sure to stop by Free People and check these beauties out!

Love,

MacK Mars