about us
Welcome to the kitchen!
meet Earl and Nico!
the team behind Forever Soup Co.
Who Forever Soup is:
We first met in 2012 through mutual friends in the FAU theater department and both ended up in NYC a few years later. We had always considered each other friends, but rarely hung out without other people tagging along. In 2022 that completely changed when we both recognized we were lacking meaningful artistic enrichment post pandemic. Crafting together was making both of us feel artistically fulfilled, especially being able to look forward to it every Sunday. Within a year we had committed to our idea of Forever Soup Co., and within 2 years we had our business license. We are both self taught, we enjoy learning and teaching each other (and friends) new skills. We’re creating a safe space for others to be their full authentic self by relearning that making art is cool, joyful and rebellious. irl our names are Arielle and Nicole, but we go buy Earl and Nico in this world- just picture those dudes stirring your soup and it all makes sense.
What Forever Soup does:
Forever Soup Co. focuses on upcycling textiles and scrap fabric, we forage and press our own flowers, and repurpose found paper goods. We collect and rely on donated and forgotten clothing, most of which is already destined for the landfill, as the base for all clothes and bags we create. We carve our own stamps, hand embroider and cyanotype in order to improve pieces that are in good or decent condition; items in less than desirable condition get repurposed. The flowers, leaves and paper goods become the base of jewelry, coasters, bolo ties, and wall art pieces. Because our business is arts and crafts at its core, we are also building a class program called SPOON-FED by Forever Soup Co. where even people who think they can’t make art will be spoon fed by us. For those that have less interest in creating, our shop offers our creations and we’re always making more. Every piece is 1 of 1, we make what we can with what we have and that is always changing. We truly believe that Forever Soup Co. is a mindset - our brand is giving our community something to hope for and grow with.
Why Forever Soup matters:
The mission of Forever Soup Co. is to build a movement towards community driven thoughtful consumption, upcycling and reuse. By bringing awareness to key environmental issues our planet is facing largely due to fast fashion and the waste it creates, we can focus on making impactful, meaningful change while having fun. Our purpose is to create one of a kind wearable, usable art that leads people to question where their things come from, how they’re made, and what they can do to make their things last longer. Whether donated to us, or traded amongst friends, we are helping to facilitate peoples growing comfortability with keeping their items out of the trash, and out of the hands of companies that send them to the global south. As we alter and create new pieces we make sure to emphasize the importance of using materials already in existence. While most everyone we meet shares the sentiment that they want to contribute to a more sustainable future, not everyone knows where to start. We finally thought: You know what? We can help facilitate a community of people that lead with generosity who believe that thoughtful consumption is the future. Forever Soup Co. celebrates the imperfections, hand makes sustainably, and up-cycles perpetually.
Where the name Forever Soup comes from:
A friend introduced us to the concept of “Perpetual Stew” : speculated to have been heavily common in the medieval ages, a soup pot that is forever cooking in the center of town. Members of the community bring the scraps they've collected to add to the pot in exchange for stew for themselves. The pot stays cooking, food gets added back, nothing is wasted and it becomes, essentially, self sustaining. Depending on which culture you ask, there are many names - Hunter’s Stew, Hunter’s Pot, Forever Soup. We are in fact making a big pot of Forever Soup but with items traditionally seen as trash (old clothes, scraps, paper, flowers) and by doing so, we’re growing a community of people who are as passionate as us! The best way to think of our brand is this: like leftovers and scraps put into a stew, we’re giving these item’s new purpose. With everyone putting in what they can, and taking what they need, the pot will never go empty.
We dedicate our art and our business to our forever missed, forever loved KAJBE. You brought us together, you are remembered in everything we create, every laugh we share, every flower we press, and every kale we stamp. You made our world a better place and now we’re working to make the world as beautiful as you deserved it to be.