Yoga wasn’t hugely popular in Massachusetts when Melisa Lent launched Picasso Jasper in 2014. A lot has changed since then, but not Picasso Jasper’s comfortable, casual, wellness and yoga-inspired clothing.
Sure, clothing should be versatile and wearable—but Picasso Jasper’s line of fun, graphic clothing, like t-shirts, hoodies, and joggers, is both exciting and inspiring.
Melisa Lent and her husband have owned a corporate printing business for longer than Picasso Jasper has been around. And Lent says she’s been interested in yoga, stones and crystals, and other aspects of the metaphysical from a young age, inspired by her mother’s love of stones and natural healing. So when Lent decided to combine her printing business with her other interests, Picasso Jasper was born.
The name Picasso Jasper comes from a stone Lent was particularly drawn to one day. A type of Jasper, marbled and gray, the stone is said to attract positive people and promote friendship. The stone is a reminder to embrace optimism and to “celebrate life wherever you are and whatever you’re doing,” explains Lent.
“It’s a little symbol to tell you to rock life no matter what, whether you’re running a marathon, or simply making lunch for the kids.” That, she says, is the essence of a Picasso Jasper woman.
Lent says she takes care to source environmentally friendly, high-quality fabrics for her clothing. “It’s really important to us that we are doing right by the planet,” she says, noting that they only source from companies that are sweat shop-free and that abide by the Fair Labor Association’s Code of Conduct. They use only non-toxic inks, and use fabrics like recycled polyester or bamboo blends—quality fabrics that are more gentle on the planet.
While you can find Picasso Jasper apparel online through their website, they also sell at Zuzu’s Healing Arts in Melrose, and at the annual Natural Living Expo, this year in Marlborough on November 13 and 14.
They also wholesale to boutiques and yoga studios in the area, but most crucially, they provide custom branding to smaller yoga studios. “It’s expensive to do smaller runs, so by me creating a design we can add their branding to, we can create that design for several studios and give it a different flair,” explains Lent.
She’s excited about one of their most recent initiatives—their Saged & Stoned subscription box. Each month, box subscribers receive an exclusive tee or tank, a stone or crystal, and “some type of cleansing tool, whether it’s sage or essential oils or something else,” says Lent. She likes to feature other local artisans with the products she chooses for each box, exposing them to a wider customer base at a time when many small businesses need the extra push.
The March 2021 Saged & Stoned box featured Pennsylvania-based Pinch Me Dough, a pliable, therapeutic dough with soothing scents, perfect for grounding and centering during a hectic day. A couple nights before that month’s box went out, Pinch Me Dough appeared on an episode of Shark Tank, securing a deal with Robert. “It was so exciting,” says Lent. “Some of our box subscribers were able to get this product that was featured on shark tank three days before!”
“It’s like we’re all a team,” she says of small, women-owned businesses. “One wins, we all win.”
Lent is also thrilled to now offer all clothing in sizes XS through 4XL—older styles plus the subscription box clothing now comes up to 4XL. “It’s hard to find things that people resonate with in the metaphysical space in different sizes,” says Lent, so she’s helping make that space more size inclusive.
Picasso Jasper invites all Northshore readers to take 10% off their order and receive free shipping using the code “NSM” at checkout now through the rest of August.
You can follow Picasso Jasper along on Instagram @picassojasper and Facebook @picassojasperclothing. For more, visit their website, picassojasper.com.