Aside from bellydancers who use the silk for performance I have been blessed to supply many different kinds of people with silk..I won’t list them all here but I will say online and to dancers is by far not even close to the exposure or type of audience I get requests from.  It’s like magic that certain folks who need the silk find A’Kai..thru images or from a friend, trolling the net..casual shopping..

I have had many non-dancers buy silk from me because for whatever their personal reason they are comforted by its ‘presence’ of something almost angelic.  I was reminded of this quality of silk and the wonderful healing properties of not necessarily dancing with silk in a technique way but holding it in one’s fingers and simply letting it dance on a breeze outside.  Or even sleeping next to it at night with a prayer for good dreams. 

I recently lost a very close friend to a sudden death..I saw this friend almost five days a week because of our apartment proximity and we quickly became friends ..the loss was devastating..I felt almost as if my twin spirit was missing.  Coincidentally the same day of his recent death I had made a veil, it was dry but i never opened it up to examine the pattern..it was days later during the grieving process that I discovered one of the veils made that day was very special..it had twin hearts with what appeared to be angel wings under each heart.  Of course I kept the veil and feel it is a special link between Tim and me not only for its perhaps accidental intended design but that I had made it the same day he died. 

I started sharing the story about the veil on grievance sites and with others who had experienced a loss..they were very intrigued..as you know the veil is often a ‘symbol’ for that thin line we say that exists between life and death.  The twin hearts veil is not a performance veil but before hanging it on my bedroom wall i let the wind swirl through it and the movement ..and seeing the wind in the silk..made me feel we are never alone.  So inevitably a ‘market’ opened up to supply veils to those who have lost someone and see the veil as a healing tool.

Between that thought..I feel so fortunate to be able to offer the veils if it helps someone.  Many of you know I used to work in hospice nursing which is very rewarding..sad but when you can help someone in a grieving process often they will cling to you and giving support to another broken person to help them find their wings again..well it was very rewarding work. 

Events like this remind me that I didnt start dyeing veils with the intention of making money..I have always felt like making sure silk is in the hands of those who desire it is the number one reason to do this.  it’s a form of priestess-work.  I have been told, on numerous occasions, by my Sufi teacher Adnan Sarhan that making sure dancers have silk is my purpose in this lifetime.  I take that very seriously. 

Obviously I can’t give away veils, but you won’t find any absurd pricing from me.  Again I don’t pay for warehouse rental, I don’t pay for assistants to help me with emails..or shipping..etc.  It’s from my hands or vision to you.  I’m not in the business to make money or be “fairly compensated” from an egotistical artist point of view what I think I deserve for doing something that comes naturally as a gift from the angels and being blessed that others feel drawn to them.  Now..this goes for veils obviously clothing garments and skirts are different.  But when I look at veils and their many uses and the humbled blessed feeling when someone writes and tells me their personal veil story..it is my MISSION to make sure that as many people get their own A’Kai veil before I leave this Earth. 

I know other artists and business vendors may want to beat me up for saying these words but I hope it is understood this was NEVER supposed to be a money maker..yes I can retire the nurse profession and live well right now but I want to remove that pressure of selling for profit and just focus on envisioning a world covered with dancing silk.  I’mnot trying to undercut the market or enrage other artists and if you have ‘words of advice’ about my lower than market pricing, honestly I’d rather not hear it.  My intentions are different from yours.  Please let it be. 

So please help me with this..let’s see if a satellite can pick up a strange image of multiple veils all over our globe..and then send some to the moon and other planets as well  

with love and hope for you all

Now let’s talk about wholesale and prices..I’ll just copy this over from a recent facebook post, it’s not meant to be a rant of any type just a firm declaration that I would never ever ask a bellydancer to do a budget dance at the next birthday party ‘because I’m broke” so please follow the same lines of thinking when requesting a hand made item. 

I’ve had a few resellers ask me..since the price of silk is going up should they charge more for silks they are selling in person (akais)..my answer is YES. And that’s why I am not doing wholesale so much as just DISCOUNTS on bulk orders now. My resellers are making more money than I am, and I am doing the hard work. My suggestion is to order from me and anticipate A DISCOUNT on a bulk order ..if you make a few extra bucks, that’s great. If not, then you are helping your dancers get a discount on a silk.

Thai Silks – Fabric » Hand Painted Silk

www.thaisilks.com

  

I recently had an inquiry from a professional dress maker asking my prices for hand painted crepe de chine by the yard..she exclaimed WOW you’re really underselling yourself. I can’t buy it that cheap anywhere else..true that, and you won’…t get anything as authentic. I don’t consider what I do underselling myself because I get so much enjoyment from it ..yes it’s drastically underpriced considering what is available . I’ve also coddled and paid part of the shipping for people for 12 years. My point is ..my artistic stuff I LOVE to do and yes I do it for free for my own pleasure (but yes then ask for a price if someone wants it) but ORDERS and requests take special work .

 

i encourage dancers especially wholesalers who are mentioning that my wholesale prices are getting too high to research the market and price SILK BY THE YARD you will be pleased to see that i’m way below market especially my painted stuff. … I don’t ask dancers for a budget performance for $20 neither should anyone ask for wholesale prices that cost me more in time and effort than what they are profitting. Of course I COULD raise my retail prices but I’m not comfortable doing that with the ‘catalog’ best seller silks. Painted silk or something that takes a considerable amount of time to prepare..yes. Those are one of a kind. But since i’m now moving more into clothing and rayon and other fabrics silk veils are not my bread and butter anymore. So..my advice is to look at the current wholesale prices as A GREAT DISCOUNT off retail. Remember that wholesale is for an ASSORTED lot, NOT a list of veils by name that you are requesting. I don’t mind honoring a few color requests but if you are placing an order that is all specific request then that is a CUSTOM GROUP ORDER. and that should be retail prices with maybe a discount on shipping.

Maybe by changing a keyword..since veil these days equates to something cheaper, and using fabric would suggest something of more value?

http://www.jamesdillehay.com/james-dillehay-books.htm

http://akaisilks.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/why-stolen-photos-dont-bother-me/

Please take the time to read the blog post so you can see what I’m talking about.  Many of my long time customers can recognize a true akai silks veil as well as I can.  But many new dancers who are unfamiliar with my product may mistakenly buy what appears to be an akai but will be disappointed when they open a package to find it is a banded representation of my work.  I suppose customers on ebay and etsy can look at the address from where it ships and if it is somewhere other than Hawaii or if it looks like a factory name, they can email me to see if it’s a real akai. 

What may make matters more complicated is that I am now working with a partner in Bali, Indonesia ..we are using akai color schemes with her dress and top patterns to make some colorful ombre casual clothing in rayon and cotton.  I am dyeing the fabric and sending it in bulk to Bali to have it sewn  (you will see listings in perhaps a month I’m still working on a catalog).  So some items WILL be shipping from Bali Indonesia. 

I’d love suggestions from you all on how to best differentiate akai silks items from knock offs.  Other factories can potentially damage the akai reputation of quality and color if they use my images and misrepresent what is being sold.  I’m flattered that the warm reception of my items have inspired others to copy but I’d really prefer the inspiration to guide them into their own projects.

Maybe I should make it so that I am the only place you can buy an akai silks item online?  Except for dancers who want to sell a used veil maybe I can make it that the A’Kai Silks company is the only place where the veils can be purchased? 

click here to look at an atrocity..maybe their attempt at Merkaba? same company still has some of my images displayed.

What stands out to me is her excellent dancing but also the divine simplicity of her costume.  What appears to be a chiffon panel or circle skirt, a lurex veil, and I can’t quite get a good look at her bra/belt set but the long strands that are swinging hypnotically look like the Christmas garland beading we use on our trees.

This is encouraging because I myself am lured by lavish designer bellydance costumes that cost $800+ ..but then after you see one or two they all start to look like the same catalog page.  When I was dancing full time in San Francisco there were very few venues where I would have wanted to wear an $800 costume.  Smoke, drinks, dirty floors..not worth it.  But imagine costuming as simple as this where you put together your own signature pieces ..

When  I started making veils and skirts for dancers that was always the goal, to make items that would coordinate with many different types of costuming whether it was heavy metallic coin bras or glass beaded beauties..or even a velvet choli top and jingly hipscarf.  Where is our dance headed if we need to pay $800 for a designer costume to impress?  Can’t the same be achieved with just good dancing?  I’m posting some photos of very simple costuming I’ve used over the years, many items I bought used or picked up because they were not spandex and were out of style.  I hope to see more of this type of costuming again.  Dancers, the spandex costuming is beautiful..but doesn’t this video remind you of the ‘retro’ bra/belts with circle skirts? 

http://www.shimmywithaloha.com/ShimmyWithAloha/Shimmy_With_Aloha.html

Please link back to this note so that your students may find a supplier for silk veils

https://www.facebook.com/akaisilks#!/pages/AKai-Silks/10150097521895001?sk=notes

If you do not use facebook you are welcome to leave your links on this blog entry.

Life is a cycle, so the great ones say..we see spirals everywhere, spend your day watching for them.  Green turns to gold to red to brown then goes back to the Earth, and turns green again.  Today celebrates the Child in Us, the beginning to the end, the end to the beginning, the green to gold to red to brown to green again.  May your dreams change in color and return to green again today, may you be filled with the dreams of youth and the hope of innocence.