Meet Calla Haynes, the designer behind
CALLA's one-of-a-kind upcycled babouches. With the launch of her namesake label in 2010, Haynes established a fresh balance between refined and relaxed with her ready-to-wear collections. In 2015, she placed CALLA on hiatus in order to focus her attention on collaborations with diverse high-end brands around the world. This collaborative spirit inspired Haynes to seek out artisans in Morocco and explore the space between European luxury and Berber craft, eventually resulting in CALLA's collection of Babouche slippers handmade in the souk of Marrakesh using upcycled vintage Berber rugs. As one of our latest brand additions, we wanted to dive deep into what makes CALLA tick as a slow fashion brand. Keep on reading as we discuss some of the barriers Calla has faced running a socially-conscious business, the inspiration behind her designs and what has been recently making her feel optimistic.
Who is Calla Haynes?
I’m Calla, I grew up in Toronto and moved to Paris when I was 22 to study fashion. I’ve worked as a textile designer for luxury brands and independent brands around the world. I have a husband, a 4 year old daughter and a Chow Chow named Lily.
Can you tell us about CALLA’s beginnings and how the brand has since evolved?
I founded CALLA in 2010 as a ready-to-wear brand that focused on original print designs. For a small brand, we achieved a lot, being carried at amazing stores like The Room Hudson’s Bay, Opening Ceremony in NY & LA, and Harvey Nichols in London & Hong Kong. After 5 years, I put the brand on pause and re-evaluated what I love (and hate) about the fashion industry. I continued collaborating with inspiring brands on their textile design, and for myself, focused on small, slow fashion projects. I defined what I’m passionate about in the sustainable design realm: recycling textiles and supporting craftspeople. I began developing rugs with weavers in Morocco using offcuts from my old collection and other designers too. From the love of rug making, I had the idea to upcycle vintage Berber rugs into shoes.
What does slow fashion mean to you? How do these principles shape CALLA as a brand and business?
Slow Fashion is small batch, (often) handmade clothes and accessories made with purpose beyond just appealing to a fashion trend. It’s making ethical choices. It’s a celebration of craft and the process of creating.
At CALLA, we embrace the magic of the process of collaboration. Collaborating with artisans like our talented team means embracing the Arabic expression “Inshallah” - it means God willing and I interpret it as giving into the creative process and what appears appears. Each rug, each pair of babouches has the creative input of myself, the rugs makers and the shoemakers and each time it is magic.
Is there a who, what or where that inspires your designs?
Most of it is a gut instinct - selecting rugs is purely based on what I like. Our shoe styles are quite classic and developed slowly. I trust my team too and take their suggestions to heart. We created the Tabi at the request of our Korean sales agent and they were right, it’s one of our best-sellers!
"Collaborating with artisans like our talented team means embracing the Arabic expression “Inshallah” - it means God willing and I interpret it as giving into the creative process and what appears appears. Each rug, each pair of babouches has the creative input of myself, the rugs makers and the shoemakers and each time it is magic."
What are some of the barriers you've encountered while running a socially-conscious business?
Up until now I felt very strongly that the shoes should all be handmade, but there are some designs (like a certain boot design I wanted to do) that can only be made in factory with larger machines. So I havent been able to create all the products that I’ve wanted to but I have kept my values of supporting handiwork. Our production capabilities have kept us from growing as fast as we could but in a way I’m thankful for that - as too fast growth can be detrimental to business too.
How do you keep yourself grounded and prevent yourself from burning out?
That’s the main reason I took this direction with my brand. I wanted it to be sustainable on all accounts - including my own time management and wellbeing. I try not to take the negative things personally - I used to. I no longer compare myself to others. I also really believe in what I’m doing and that gives me positive energy.
What have been the greatest lessons you have learned since beginning your career?
Trust myself.
What makes you most excited about your work?
So many things! It’s the entire process. But I love packing orders and writing a thank you note to the customer - it’s so satisfying and puts a smile on my face.
What is making you feel optimistic at this time?
It’s exciting to grow the babouche collection on my terms and this year we’ve seen some exciting growth like renovating our offices and hiring staff. I’m optimistic about the new office that will be so well organised with a new inventory storage system and opening it up to the public as a shop a few days a week!
What project has been the singular cause of personal growth?
The rug project lead me on this babouche journey, and I’m so happy that I did it. It was my first project with Moroccan artisans and inspired me to explore the space between European Luxury and Berber Craft further.
How do you decompress?
I have an amazing acupuncturist (laughs). I also love watching old episodes of the Nanny and twisting cord for my furniture collaboration with Toronto based furniture maker Coolican & Company. It keeps my hands busy and off my phone.
In the near future, what are you looking forward to most?
Traveling - hopefully taking the babouches on some fun trunk shows.
What are your favourite instagram accounts to follow? @style_beldi - a Casablanca based stylist with a passion for vintage. We collaborated on a some pictures in January and we’re obsessed.
@siduations - Sidney has an amazing talent for fashion memes.
@theslowfactory - a collective speaking about climate justice and human rights issues - especially related to fashion and design. Do you have any health or wellness tips you’re following? I recently started doing the Legs up the Wall Pose for 15 minutes before going to bed. It’s good for digestion, circulation and relaxation. How do you inform yourself throughout the day? What are you listening to, watching, reading? My instagram feed gives me a steady stream of news in social justice, sustainability and fashion. I try to avoid US based news sources so it’s a mix of France 24, The Globe & Mail and NHK (Japan) in English for a totally other world perspective. I watch the Quotidien, a French information program that covers Culture and Politics - maybe you could compare it to the Daily Show.
I don’t read as much as I wish. Lastly, what are some of your most precious things Lilybear my Chow Chow - she’s 14. The mascot of the brand and BFF. 
