Introducing LEAF: Live Everyday as Free

Source:  Jillian Rotondaro

Date: May 16, 2019

11 years ago, a vision of leaves came to the mind of Heidi Arpacilar, Executive Vice President of Marmiro Stones. Not the green, ribbed plants that grow on trees, but a life mantra: Live Everyday As Free, LEAF. Embodying the same symbolism as those green pieces of Earth – growth, renewal, and revival – Arpacilar’s vision was about new beginnings, and a better world.

Taking inspiration from the nature around her, Arpacilar sought out designing with LEAF in mind, seeking opportunities to build connections between the stone industry and society. Her heart pulled her to textiles – the delicate pieces of silk, yarn, and fabrics wove into shapes on marked pieces of paper, and soon a storefront, design, and brand conjured up like the turn of a petal. – until realization hit Arpacilar of the resources around her.

“Textile is not something that runs in our family, the stone business is,” Arpacilar recalled. But as Marmiro Stones flourished, her dedication to the business put LEAF on halt. “So that vision slipped into my back pocket.” Until almost a decade later when during a regular design meeting, inspiration struck Arpacilar in a new way.

On a soft piece of napkin, Arpacilar swiftly designed as the colors, shapes, and ideas flooded her mind. LEAF had been revived, and overtime it developed a new meaning and a new importance. After what was supposed to be a normal meeting with a factory, Arpacilar left with a completely new outlook on life and a new product.

“I wanted to bring something that I felt was unique to individuals, especially those who needed their voice heard on a larger scale.”

That design session was only the first chapter. Arpacilar returned to her office, eager for the missing piece she was feeling with the collection – the piece that would bring back artistry and meaning behind the stone industry; the piece that she had in mind as she designed and selected colors. It wasn’t until she connected with World Without Exploitation when everything fell into place.

“World Without Exploitation isn’t just a campaign – it’s a community of organizations and individuals who share a vision and seek to leverage our unique skills and different backgrounds in the fight to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation,” their website reads. WorldWE is committed to engaging with people from all areas of the country, and educating them in the fight for an exploitation-free world.

Arpacilar reached out to one of the members of WorldWE to learn about upcoming opportunities as a way to use LEAF to give back. She learned years ago as she dreamt up LEAF that what was meant to be, will be; and in 2019, Arpacilar found herself in the right place at the right time. WorldWE was just starting a scholarship fund for individuals who experienced sexual exploitation and need proper resources, education, and support to escape, flourish, and survive in society.

“We learned more of this brand new scholarship fund that they were creating,” recalled Arpacilar. “And I knew this is what LEAF was meant for.”

LEAF and Marmiro Stones became a part of the fund, where a portion of the proceeds would go toward with each purchase of the tile.

The start of LEAF was a 24”x24” pure marble mosaic tile with touches of brass and blends of colors purposefully selected– Norwegian Rose, Thassos, and a bold, black marble.

“The Norwegian Rose is made up of pinks, whites, and greens,” explained Arpacilar. “I wanted it to represent the metrosexual, feminine side that each person has.” Used as the main stone in this piece, the Norwegian Rose is a soft, pink hue, blended with sage green and strokes of white.

Cutting into the Norwegian Rose is the bold, black marble of the piece – the eye-catching, show-stopping black. “Everybody has that tough, bold, masculine side,” said Arpacilar. “This bold color is empowerment – it’s the voice you need when you want to be heard; because behind the story of LEAF are stories of individuals that need to be heard.”

The linear dashes of metallic that cut throughout the entire tile represent a person’s ego – their self-worth, self-respect, and self-confidence.

“Sometimes you don’t even have to say anything, because you have this part of you that just exudes,” explains Arpacilar. “Everyone has it – it’s that ‘it’ factor that shines through; that burst of confidence.” The sheen borders its marble counterparts, showing that in every individual, there is a shine that breaks through.

The last color that was tastefully chosen is a smaller piece – a pure white cut of Thassos.  “I wanted to add a very plain stone, a very white piece,” explained Arpacilar. “Some people thought that it was for purity, for innocence, but it doesn’t have that meaning – for me, it has the meaning of emptiness, the void of loneliness.” Thassos is the soft side of the ego; it’s admitting and realizing that life is not perfect.

Alone, the Thassos piece makes up what appears to be an incomplete shape; a geometric piece, longing to be complete. But when paired with the rest of the tiles, the pieces fit to create new, unique shapes. “With the need to be perfect in an imperfect world, I included a piece to show that no one is ever alone,” Arpacilar explained. “Feelings of loneliness and isolation don’t make you any less than a person – it’s a feeling that makes you human.”

With this collection, Arpacilar wanted each individual to resonate with the piece in their own way. She designed the 24”x24” tiles so that they can be turned to create three different shapes and patterns. “You create your design – you decide this is my character, this is who I am, this is how I feel, because each turn will speak to somebody different.” Arpacilar encourages each person to meet with their designer and installer to discuss how they feel with the piece.

In total, the LEAF collection is available in five different pieces and styles – a 24”x24” tile, a fish-scale mosaic, and three other mosaics currently in-design with Arpacilar – with a portion of the proceeds going toward WorldWE’s fund for a world free of sexual exploitation.

Arpacilar will be attending the Now & Next conference, May 22-23, in Washington, DC, with her LEAF collection to share with the world the story behind the striking piece. “It’s so much more than just a piece of art, a piece of tile,” reflected Arpacilar. “It’s human connection.”

On the evening of May 22, the scholarship fund will be launched by WorldWE to begin the journey of providing grants to survivors for “educational, vocational, and leadership development,” their program reads. The proceeds from the sale of the stone will be donated toward the fund.

Like Aliza Amar, a survivor, founder, and director of “Breaking the Silence Together” once stated: “It’s not the land of the free if all of us aren’t free.”

With LEAF, Arpacilar is working toward creating a world free of sexual exploitation. Where one day at a time, one movement at a time, one donation at a time, change can be made.