Brand Spotlight - Yellow Leaf Hammocks

We met Yellow Leaf Hammocks in LA when we partnered with them on TOMS Marketplace. We became fast friends with founders Joe & Rachel while learning about their amazing story and business model. We even set one up in the LSTN office, because who wouldn't want to hammock while they work?? Their slogan "Do Good. Relax" is a perfect mantra for us as well. Check out this great brand here: http://www.yellowleafhammocks.com/ and read their story below.

Yellow Leaf Hammocks was born from a "vacation inspiration!" 

Feeling worn down by the corporate grind, Joe Demin escaped a snowy Boston winter for the beaches of Thailand. Outside a tiny hut on a remote island, he discovered the most amazing hammock he'd ever seen. 

It was "love at first swing" and Joe vowed to become this hammock brand's biggest fan -- only to learn that there was nobrand behind the hammock. It was woven in a rural village by members of a hill-tribe on the brink of extinction. Weaving beautiful, unique hammocks was their last-ditch effort to escape extreme poverty. 

Intrigued, Joe left the island behind and convinced a cab driver to take him 600 miles to the remote village. He met the weavers, heard their stories and learned of their dreams for the future. Their deepest hope was to find a way to sell more hammocks and to create more weaving work. Weaving felt empowering and the pay was enough to move from poverty to the middle class. With a healthy income, they could overcome other obstacles (education, clean water, nutrition and more) as a community. 

Joe shook hands with the weavers and promised to build a company that could spread their hammocks around the world. He returned to America, convinced his girlfriend to join his quest and began building Yellow Leaf Hammocks. Over the past few years, the company has grown from employing 75 weavers to more than 200 artisans. Hundreds of happy customers have helped transform three weaving communities + adopted the motto "Do Good. Relax."!

That’s a tough question - so many awesome designs to choose from!

I think it would have to be the Vineyard Haven “Classic Double” Hammock. The Navy Blue + Bright White seersucker stripes are a signature YLH design - very breezy and nautical! 

We were the “official hammocks of SXSW” this year and we’re still loving our jam list from the fest- -- especially "Frankie's Gun" + "Cherry Licorice" by Felice Brothers, "The Ballad of Mr. Steak" + "It All Began With a Burst" by Kishi Bashi, and "If I Were a Ship" by Hey Ocean!  Oh, and Boy & Bear + Air Traffic Controller too.   

We LOVE our LSTN headphones! Our Chief Relaxation Officer, Joe, has worn them while working in cafes all over the U.S. + Thailand as he travels! 

When we’re back at Hammock HQ, we don't have cubicles or individual offices, so our LSTN's are the “Do Not Disturb signal!