|
Karma n. The total effect of a person’s actions and
conduct during the successive phases of the person’s existence, regarded
as determining the person’s destiny.
People never cease to amaze me. Just when you think you know a
person, you find out something about them, their experiences, that are
extraordinary. Not that it happens all the time, but luckily for me,
getting to know Cathy Scarms has been quite a fascinating journey. Maybe
luck had nothing to do with it - maybe, it was karma...
When my husband and I went to see Cathy Scarms and her husband,
Rick at Scarms Financial Group about preparing our taxes, we thought she
was a bright, pretty and knowledgeable woman who could help us save some
money. What we later came to find out was that Cathy was partly
responsible for a fashion trend that helped define the 1960s.
In 1965, Cathy and her first husband, Marc Werner were young and
living in Los Angeles. They ran into a friend who owned a bookstore in
Westwood and had just returned from India. He showed them an Indian shirt,
called a kurta that he brought back with him and said it might go over
well in the states. Marc jumped at the chance and offered Cathy’s skills
as a seamstress. Knowing just the basics of sewing through high school
home education classes, Cathy, being young and adventurous, took the kurta
and, through sheer determination, was able to figure out how it was made.
Soon after, they rented a storefront not far from their friends’
bookstore, and opened their dress shop, calling it Designs Because of Sat
Purush. “We wanted to have an East Indian name with spiritual overtones,
Cathy explains. “Sat Purush means ‘Creator’ or ‘Supreme Being’ and since
we believed (and I still do) in a higher power and followed an eastern
philosophy, we thought it was the perfect name for the shop.”
To their surprise and delight, the store took off from the
beginning. Within six months, they, along with a third partner, took over
four other adjoining store fronts and eventually hired six seamstresses
and tailors. Cathy jokes, “it was like the ‘Cheers’ of dress shops in
Westwood. Our shop was not just a place to buy cool clothes, but a place
for people to come together and share ideas and philosophies.” Celebrities
also found their way to Designs Because of Sat Purush including Jim
Morrison, The Monkees, The Byrds, and George Harrison. George was so
impressed with the store, he bought everything in it! Interestingly, later
on Cathy found out that George had opened a store very similar to DBofSP
in London. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
One hugely popular band at the time, The Strawberry Alarm Clock, passed by
the shop on their way to an Indonesian restaurant located upstairs. The
band was searching for a “look” - some way to differentiate themselves,
and, seeing the kurtas created with beautiful, bright paisley fabric, they
found it. Karma strikes again! Right away they commissioned Cathy to
create their stage clothes, wearing her kurtas at all their performances
including their first appearance on American Band Stand and in movies like
“Psych” starring Jack Nicholson and “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.” They
even took the photograph of their album cover at DBofSP, which is featured
in the best selling book by Michael Ochs, “1000 Record Covers.”
After a few years of running the shop, Cathy and Marc had a disagreement
with their business partner and ended up walking away from the business.
“We had a friend who lived in Palm Springs, and she said we should come
out here and open a shop” So, again being young and adventurous, they came
out and opened a store in the downtown area. Initially, it was a success,
but then, something happened. “Summer,” Cathy laments. “Our friend never
told us they rolled up the streets once it got hot.” Soon, Cathy and Marc
closed the shop and later divorced. Cathy found work in the medical field,
married again and had two children. Eventually, the second marriage
dissolved, and Cathy found work in the insurance business where she met
Rick Scarms, with whom she’s been happily married to for over 25 years.
A couple of years ago, Cathy was on her computer and decided to create a
You Tube account. Along with her basic information, she included that fact
that her claim to fame was creating the stage clothes for Strawberry Alarm
Clock. Shortly after posting that, she got a call from George Bunnell, one
the group’s members. They had been looking for her because they were
reuniting and wanted their signature look for their tour. Because Cathy’s
last name was different, it was pretty incredible that George was able to
find her. Another karma moment! Cathy was a bit apprehensive about taking
on this new task; she had not sewn for a very long time due to severe
arthritis. About 5 years ago, however, Cathy had knuckle-replacement
surgery, and much to her delight, discovered that sewing was no longer
painful.
After creating the new kurtas for the members of the band, Cathy decided
to take the plunge and start up her clothing design business again. This
time, having been a member of the American Business Women’s Association,
Palm Desert Trendsetter Chapter for the last 25 years, Cathy had much
better business skills. She has decided to start slow, with a website -
www.satpurush.com, and see where it takes her. “I would love for my
website to become more like a boutique, much like the dress shop, only
virtually. I want creative people to be able to sell their wares on my
website,” Cathy explains. “I also am working on making my kurtas more
affordable. Right now, every one is completely custom made. I’m hoping to
find a pattern maker so I can make the kurtas more affordable.”
In the meantime, check out www.satpurush.com and take a look at Cathy’s
beautiful creations as well as her interesting life.
By Claudia McVeigh
|
