There's a lot of soul to be found in Laguna Beach-based boutique the Soul Project. You can find it in the stock of locally sourced goods made by local retailers and artisans, many of which donate a percentage of proceeds to local and global charities; within the tees, screen-printed with an environmentally friendly ink alternative; and in the garden behind the store, accessible to visitors and filled with beautiful greenery you can't resist exploring for yourself.
Co-founders Summer and Don Meek started the Soul Project as a socially conscious activewear line catering to the sporty adventurer. The Meeks based their labor of love on the concept of a “soul place”—a location with which you'd immediately fall in love. To help protect such places, the company donates $1 from each sale of a specially designed shirt, art print or other item, all of which are made in-shop. So far artists such as Laura Cunningham, Elliot Whalen, Ben Brough, Eric Diamond and Marisa George have created pieces to aid the Surfrider Foundation, Save the Mermaids, San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, Boys & Girls Club Laguna Beach & Newport Beach, Henry Miller Memorial Library, and other nonprofits.
The artists are found either through word of mouth or stumbled upon, according to Summer. “We get inspired by a charity to do a collection, or we find an artist and they have a charity in mind or are passionate about,” she says. “It happens organically.”
In addition to comfortable apparel (including pants, sports bras, T-shirts, tops and flip-flops), the Soul Project offers products such as jewelry, soaps, soy candles, purses, greeting cards and hot sauce made by small local companies with their own charitable or sustainable component. Summer intends to someday expand the Soul Project east, but for now, she's planning crafting workshops, hoping to build on the sense of community with people and, for sure, inspire more good vibes.
Soul Project, 1516 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, (949) 494-0489; www.soulproject.com. Follow it on Instagram: @thesoulproject.
