Soleil Moon Frye’s Light Bulb Moment
Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Soleil Moon Frye at The Little Seed launch. Photos: Getty Images. Part Three of Five.
Last week, Soleil Moon Frye talked about how she became an eco-activist. This week, it’s all about the light bulb moment: Parenthood.
Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff: When did you start getting interested in sustainability? What was your light bulb moment?
Soleil Moon Frye: I grew up in a family where my mom always inspired us to appreciate the environment. She was a true free spirit Earth mama—we’d dance in the rain, spend the night at the beach. I spent much of my childhood in Topanga Canyon, when I was a teenager I became actively involved in different causes. Then I teamed up with a group called EMA, the Environmental Media Association, which really taught me that we can use the power of our voices to create chance. That was really exciting. I did a lot of work with them. And then being pregnant and having a baby was the most eye opening experience because all of a sudden it was like—
RLS: It’s not just me any more.
SMF: Exactly! What goes in my children’s mouths? What are they sleeping on? What goes on their skin? My daughter had severe reflux and I wanted to find a homeopathic option. Chamomile tea! Simultaneously my friend Paige [Goldberg Tolmach, Soleil’s partner in The Little Seed] had her baby—it was one of those amazing things where the light bulb went out for both of us individually. We came together and it was the same idea—the only difference was she was going to open a store on the West side and I was going to open one on the East side.
As you know, when you have a baby the world opens up. Your whole perspective changes. How do we teach them ethics? We spend tons of time down at the beach and they’re aware of cleaning up, not throwing their trash on the sand, respect for the environment. What are we eating? We go to the Farmer’s Market and pick out our fruits and vegetables. They understand why these things are important, that when we have the opportunity, we can make those choices. So all of that is ingrained in their DNA.
RLS: Tell me about The Little Seed products.
SMF: We launched The Little Seed private label about a year and a half ago. I’m the designer. I love, love, love designing—it’s my favorite thing in the universe to do. I designed the collection to be super vibrant and colorful because people always think of organic as beige and cream and all one-tone, so I wanted to turn that concept upside down.
Photos: The Little Seed
We did onesies and shirts, and spun that out into dresses and hoodies. And then we launched at Target in October and that was amazing. But it’s always about what we’re putting onto our children—is it healthy? Having kids is the biggest wake-up call for that.
RLS: It’s the light bulb for a lot of people, I think. Do you talk with your kids about what’s in their products? My daughter always wants those crappy mall perfumes and lotions and I make her turn it over to look at the label and I’m like, “Look what’s inside. Can you pronounce that? Can you read that? It’s chemicals!”
SMF: For me, it’s more like, “Jagger, don’t lick Poet’s shoe. It’s toxic!” That’s the point I’m at.
RLS: They’re younger.
SMF: Jagger’s two-and-a-half and Poet’s five, so right now I’m literally trying to stop her from licking her sister’s shoe in the back seat. That’s another big thing: The toxins that we carry into the house on our shoes.
RLS: Yes, I learned that from Healthy Child, Healthy World. Take your shoes off when you come into a house. “Mr. Rogers was right!”
SMF: Me, too! When Poet was an infant and I was trying to keep her healthy I became a total paranoid. I had everyone take off their shoes when they came in. And everyone thought I was crazy! Until finally years later it came out about the toxicity. We still take off our shoes upstairs, but we leave them on downstairs.
RLS: When I was pregnant with number three, I was taking doing it so much that I would literally walk into a store and go to take my shoes off!
SMF: All the time. And the hands. Wash your hands! I have to make sure that everything is safe.
RLS: Physically and chemically.
SMF: Exactly.
Soleil and her daughters, Jagger and Poet, at The Little Seed for Target launch. Photo: Growing Your Baby.
Want more? Read up on how Soleil became an eco-activist, and her work for Weleda on behalf of the Safe Cosmetics Act. Then check back here next week!
