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I am a well-known clothing horse amongst my friends and family and am always having fun learning about new lines and designers. I am also a fierce Pit Bull lover. So what happens when I find a clothing line that combines both awesome fashion and Pit Bulls? Pure bliss for this rescue gal! Healing Heart Designs is a line of clothing that mixes feminine, vintage, styles with messages of compassion. This isn’t your typical Cafepress message-t; these are bona fide, inspired, designs that evoke a new change in the face of how Pit Bulls, and other key animal issues, are viewed. At the heart of these designs is Miss Becca Love, designer extraordinaire. I had the opportunity to interview Becca about her designs, her thoughts on animal issues, and her plans the future of her line! Animal Advocating: Your designs are so pretty and unique; where do you find inspiration for them? Becca Love: I draw inspiration from everything around me! Old costumes antiques, cartoon characters, the Victorian era, music, flowers, and most importantly animals and animal rights. Animals should not have to suffer for human vanity! AA: Pit Bulls show up a lot in your designs! Do you have a particular affection for the breed? If so, when did that develop? BL: Yes I absolutely adore pit bulls! When the pit bull ban began in 2005 I was extremely disappointed and knew I had to do something. I had many friends with bullies and they were all such great family dogs. Having grown up with a Doberman as my first dog, I knew that there are some breeds that get a bad rep, but the true nature of the dog is very sweet and loving. People that mentally and physically abuse dogs, neglect or starve them to alter their temperament and then put them in dangerous situations have caused Breed Specific Legislation to occur. They have not only taken away the rights from pit bull breeds, but in Ontario the rights of any dog that even looks remotely like a pit bull. BSL affects everyone because it doesn’t work and who knows which breed and dog owners will be affected next. It is so incredibly sad when animals suffer because of human mistakes. AA: I notice that the pieces that feature Pit Bulls are especially feminine. This is an interesting juxtaposition for a breed that the public tends to generalize as “macho” and “scary”; was this your intention? BL: Yes it was definitely my intention to try and change this view of pit bulls. I want people to remember how sweet and loving bullies are, and to stand up for them. The all American dog was once the pit bull, and this was because of their good nature. If you look back at the show Little Rascals, their pal was a bully. I feel it is incredibly unjust for irresponsible pet owners, breeders and illegal dog fighters to take this title away from them. Pit bulls in Ontario have to wear muzzles which make any dog appear to be vicious. This only furthers the misconception to people who do not have dogs or are not educated enough about the breed. It is important to change the stereotype for pit bulls. I have been asked to make items for men’s clothing or male pit bulls, but I would rather have those customers support groups making this clothing such as BIN http://bulliesinneed.fivepixelmedia.com, AFTU www.aftu.ca, Ador-A-Bull Dog Rescue www.ador-a-bull.com, and Hello Bully in the US www.hellobully.com . AA: Your “Stop the Seal Hunt” piece is amazing! A lovely formal dress. Did you start that dress with the intent of it being an advocacy piece as well, or did the inspiration come to you as you were making it? What fueled your passion to make a Seal Hunt piece? BL: Thank you! I have a line of couture dresses with different animal rights issues as inspiration. When I found Born Free USA’s Fur Free Fashion Design contest online, I was excited to get started on this project! Several weeks beforehand I had been working on anti-fur campaign posters for an amazing animal rights group I am involved with called LOV - Liberty Over Violence, http://www.libertyoverviolence.ca. Along with many other organizations we volunteered with IFAW - International Fund for Animal Welfare, www.ifaw.org, for a large demonstration in Toronto to promote the Harb Seal Bill. Senator Harb’s Bill S-229, An Act to amend the Fisheries Act aims to end commercial seal fishing. The Canadian government is misleading the public that the commercial seal hunt is the same as the Aboriginal hunt for sustenance! The Aboriginal hunt uses all parts of the seals, while the commercial hunt for harp seal fur is incredibly inhumane and wasteful. If passed the bill will only allow aboriginal organizations to hunt in Canadian waters. One great thing in all of this was hearing that all of the petitions and letters Canadians have been sending into government are being read and our message is being heard! Mac Harb’s bill is still in legislation, the support is there and we need to keep speaking up for seals! AA: Any hopes of seeing that piece walk the red carpet :)? BL: Oh yes! I create my pieces for individuals who want to make a statement in style. Doing all that you can to promote something you care about, and presenting it in a non-confrontational way is a beautiful thing. It is hard enough to find designer couture without having to compromise your ethics. I would love to dress vegans and people who stand up for animals such as Moby, Pink, Alicia Silverstone, John Feldman and Pamela Anderson. AA: Any future animal issues that you plan to incorporate in your future designs? BL: Another important issue is the use of animal fur in fashion. The fur industry is the most inhumane, violent, wasteful, and unnecessary slaughter of animals. The Fur Council of Canada has been promoting false facts and myths about fur in order to push it to more consumers. They are trying to convince consumers that real fur is more environmentally conscious than fake fur with false facts. The truth is trapped fur costs over 3.5 times as much & ranched fur costs 15 times are much as fake fur in total energy content to produce. People are not taking into account the vast number of resources, land space, pesticides and hormones that are used to ranch fur animals. Even more toxic chemicals are used in the actual production in tanneries such as chrome, formaldehyde, and sulfides which cause serious air and water pollution. I could go on for ages… for more info visit my website’s Cruelty-Free policy! I would like to expand my line until I cover everything important to me. Here is a very brief list: circus animal abuse, captive marine animal cruelty, all environmental issues, ending racism, and body issues. Look for my line of self-loving tees to be launch for National Eating Disorder Awareness Week : http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/programs-events/nedawareness-week.php AA: What is the main message that you are trying to get out about the Seal Hunt issue? The Pit Bull issue? BL: The main message for the pit bull issue is that BSL just doesn’t work. Much like racial discrimination, BSL laws are based only on physical appearance and the attributes associated with pit bulls can almost be applied to any dog - shot hair, muscular build, small in stature, and broad snouts. The term pit bull itself has been broadened far from the American Pit Bull Terrier. What we really need is to implement responsible dog ownership laws in municipal, provincial and federal dog legislation. Calgary has recently proven that holding owners responsible for their dog’s behavior works! http://network.bestfriends.org/campaigns/pitbulls/news.aspx?pID=11114. We need to tighten up laws for pet owners, not pets. “Punish the deed, not the breed” as Advocates for the Underdog say. Join the DLCC and promote responsible pet ownership: http://www.doglegislationcouncilcanada.org The seal hunt is inhumane and wasteful. It is funded by government subsidies and our tax dollars. Canada is funding politicians to go overseas to promote completely unnecessary seal fur products which statistics show no one wants to buy! Despite Russia ending their seal hunt this year and the European Parliament voting to ban the import of seal products, Canada is still covering up the blood on the ice with false media coverage to keep pushing fur. Instead Canada should be investing in sustainable employment alternatives to the seal hunt, which is a three month long killing spree that brings in little profit as well as low salary for hunters. Another misconception is that the seal population will increase greatly if the hunt ends. When IFAW began efforts to end Canada’s commercial seal hunt in 1969, the harp seal population was on the way to becoming extinct. The changing climate is destroying the seal’s natural breeding habitat which is causing many baby seal pups to die. If the hunt continues I believe we are at risk of another extinction crisis. Luckily IFAW is going on to the ice every year to get footage of what is really happening, and reporting that less seals are being killed, and less seal pelts are being sold each year. It’s time to stop the cruelty! Thank you Becca! We couldn’t agree more!
