In the 1973 movie “Papillon” starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, Papillon (“butterfly” in French) has suffered through 11 years in solitary confinement in the brutal Devil’s Island prison in French Guiana and various other frustrations like failed escape attempts and betrayals. After all that, he is “released” to live on a deserted island with Louis Degas, the counterfeiter whom he befriended on the way to the prison. Papillon (aka Henri Charriere, a true story) couldn’t accept his exile by the powers that be and, with a good chance of death, set off on a raft of coconuts to find freedom at some distant shore. (See the last scene of the movie here)
We did an insensitive thing about 4 years ago in our newly bought house by exiling a hibiscus to a spot across the street under some ancient trees because it didn’t match our garden design and had lived a tough life with plastic around its roots, so it didn’t look so robust. I didn’t have the heart to kill it, so I dug it in. It’s not a good spot so, although it hasn’t died, it hasn’t flowered either. Suddenly this summer, it stubbornly raised one white flower as if to show its middle finger. The metaphor didn’t escape me so I wrote a poem about it (the picture is real):
Hey, you bastards, I’m still here
(Line from Papillon, 1973 movie, spoken by Steve McQueen)
You cast me off
Exiled me
To live with ancient trees
Because I wasn’t like the rest
Didn’t meet your vision
Of a garden citizen.
I had a hard life
Fighting to survive
Always neglected
I could have been beautiful
But you decided otherwise
And sent me away,
Expecting me to die peaceful.
But I’m still here you bastards
And this is my fuck you flower.
The inspiration for the poem didn’t come solely from the plant’s situation. I began to think about Lotus & Michael—we are, physical, lifestyle and brand-wise on our own island after years of working within the system because we don’t accept the Meta and Google tollway and the solutions of those dozens (hundreds!) of smartasses who figure they can either help us with “fix” for our business without really looking at it, or put our brand on autopilot through AI in most cases .
That is just not us. Our garments and Lotus’ art represent who we are and how we see the world of fashion, art and nature now and in the future. That is also why we don’t hire models to show our garments or wear them in videos: because we offer what we wear, and we wear what we offer. What is the point of seeing what you are considering on someone you will never look like? That is a trick aimed at your insecurity: Maybe if I buy these garments, I will look like her (or him)—never.
Plant dyed fabrics are hard to make and tricky to control, but as we learned more about them, we recognized an unparalleled and unique beauty that is really, really sustainable. The original Levi’s were plant-dyed until some years later when a chemist duplicated the natural serge de Nimes with a chemical that was much cheaper and available for infinite production. So, the jeans you wear today are biodegradable except for the toxic dyestuff that makes them blue.
Our art, as our videos, always tell a story that relates to the natural world. In a unique style that combines oil painting and Chinese water ink- the best of East and West, just like our garments- the themes of the paintings always pay homage to something found in the natural world and in the work of those who preserve or work it as their life story as well as the integration of our garments and embroideries with the natural world.
And what about those landfills? They are filled with and are the victim of conspicuous consumption, filling closets with bargains you bought for some occasion and that you got sick of shortly thereafter. So what’s the answer? Buy less. How do you buy less? Make every piece multifunctional. How do you make them multifunctional? With classic styling, superior quality and durability through many wearings and washings. We believe you should think in terms of cost per wear and wear something you can be proud of every time and everywhere for a long time.
Finally, our embroidery on each garment also goes against the grain, but it is what makes our garments most special and individual. Your chance of showing up with the same outfit as your neighbor is significantly less with Lotus & Michael’s designs. And the embroideries are not random art; they signify our synergy with nature and natural products.
Yet this all goes against the grain of cheap cookie cutter clothing that is promoted at great cost on Meta and Google and TikTok etc. We don’t put a price on our individuality, and neither should you. And we never promote. The price is the price until we take it off the shop site.
So, like Papillon, we set out with the odds against us, but there is no more choice for us than there was for Papillon setting out on his raft.
And, like the plant we exiled across the street that is the subject of the poem, we are still there, despite the odds. We know it is the road not taken, but it is the only road for us.
So we are out there every day for customers looking for what we represent—authenticity, respect for the environment, and quality, individual fashion. In fact, we were so inspired by the message of the movie that we made a plant-dyed roughwear jacket with an embroidered blue butterfly on the front pocket, and we named it “Papillon”:
Our web and art store: www.lotusandmichael.com
Video channel: www.youtube.com/@lotusandmichael