Wednesday

Awake and Ready to Wear

Enlightened society comes to life through a new business venture in Los Angeles

by David Fraioli

Sounds weird, right? In Shambhala we talk about creating enlightened society, and that includes everything: education, politics, religion, business, trade, technology, the arts…and fashion. What you wear and how you wear it can either uplift and inspire yourself and others, or conversely can depress and degrade yourself and others.

So about a year ago my friend Dustin Cox (who is a graphic designer and has experience with branding and street wear) and I decided to create a line of street wear that would feature words and graphics inspired by the Shambhala principles of warriorship and basic goodness.

Words are transmissions. They are symbols and carry tremendous power and meaning. Clothes can influence how we feel about ourselves. What we choose to wear is a direct reflection of our minds. The clothes we wear affect those around us. It feels good to receive a compliment on what we are wearing, and our clothing can wake people up, initiate conversation where we discover shared tastes, styles, and aesthetics. What do we want to communicate through our clothing?

The vision statement on our website expresses our answers to this question:

‘In all activities, be a warrior.  See challenges as opportunities to rise to the occasion, rather than a reason to retreat or feel defeated.

We practice meditation by simply sitting down, feeling ourselves, and coming back to the present moment. This moment is now.  It has freshness and possibility.  It is free of the past.  It is free of the future.  It is where the warrior lives.  It takes bravery to live in the now. That is why we are warriors.

Our clothing is a symbol of the warrior’s fearlessness, kindness, and bravery. It is our proclamation to the world that humanity is good. We aspire to create a society of warriors who meet aggression with kindness, greed with generosity, and ignorance with wisdom.’

We wanted our clothes to inspire creativity and curiosity about the principles of warriorship in the Shambhala tradition. For more information about our company and our vision, visit our website at www.warriorsofhumanity.com.

David Fraioli is an actor/writer in Los Angeles. He has been studying and practicing Shambhala Buddhism since 1999. He moved to LA five years ago from New York, and is a Meditation Instructor in the Shambhala lineage.

Being born and raised in Sioux Falls, SD aspired Dustin Cox to reach greater heights.  Dustin got his degree in graphic design in Minneapolis, MN.  He than packed his bags and headed to the west coast.  Warriors Of Humanity is his first project since his move to California.