Threads of Change: How Sarees Are Reshaping Fashion's Future

Dani: 00:00:00

It's that clash between their culture and living in the Western world.

2

: 00:00:04

The nod to the heritage comes from the

fact that I am using something that

3

: 00:00:08

has been around for thousands of years.

4

: 00:00:10

What I wanted to do though, was

bring it to modern day women so.

5

: 00:00:15

you're still carrying a piece

of that culture with you.

6

: 00:00:17

It's just that you're not wearing

it in that traditional way.

7

: 00:00:31

Chryssius: Hey Relovers!

8

: 00:00:32

Welcome back to another episode of

Reloved Radio, where we share inspiring

9

: 00:00:36

stories of sustainable fashion and the

incredible individuals shaping its future.

10

: 00:00:42

I'm your host, Chryssius Dunn, and today

I'm chatting to a very special guest.

11

: 00:00:48

And I say very special

because she's my cousin.

12

: 00:00:52

Well, technically she's married

to my cousin, but same, same.

13

: 00:00:55

Dani Mahendra is the creative force

behind Sareecycled, a brand that's

14

: 00:00:59

redefining fashion and making a

meaningful impact on the world.

15

: 00:01:03

With a passion for upcycling and

a dedication to empowering women,

16

: 00:01:07

she's weaving threads of change

through her innovative designs.

17

: 00:01:11

Welcome to the show, Dani!

18

: 00:01:13

Dani: I'm so happy to be here.

19

: 00:01:14

Thanks for having me.

20

: 00:01:15

Chryssius: It's a pleasure.

21

: 00:01:16

So tell us about Sareecycled

and how it came about.

22

: 00:01:19

Yeah.

23

: 00:01:20

Dani: So Sareecycled was basically

a brand that evolved from a concept

24

: 00:01:25

during my maternity leave, to be honest.

25

: 00:01:28

Chryssius: Where all

the best ideas happen.

26

: 00:01:30

Dani: Exactly.

27

: 00:01:30

So basically what I really wanted to

do was have a sustainable business

28

: 00:01:35

that combined by, you know, South Asian

heritage and bring it into Western

29

: 00:01:41

culture, which is a little bit of a

reflection on myself because, you know, I

30

: 00:01:45

was born in the East, raised in the West.

31

: 00:01:47

And essentially, all of the designs

that we've come up with are just things

32

: 00:01:52

that I wanted to bring in elements of

that traditional South Asian heritage.

33

: 00:01:58

So, using like a South Asian traditional

garment, a saree and bring it in

34

: 00:02:03

for the modern day woman to wear.

35

: 00:02:05

So one of the main aims of Sareecycled

was to work with either an institution

36

: 00:02:12

that empowers women or an organisation

that empowers women, but also be able

37

: 00:02:16

to give back to that institution or

to women and children in general.

38

: 00:02:19

It took me quite some time and it

was only, I would say, like two years

39

: 00:02:24

after I finally got the idea that,

yep, this is actually how I can do it.

40

: 00:02:28

And so using sarees was a no brainer to

me because as a Sri Lankan born person, we

41

: 00:02:33

wear sarees all the time and especially

growing up in Australia, we tend to

42

: 00:02:38

only wear sarees for special events.

43

: 00:02:40

And we never wear the same saree twice.

44

: 00:02:43

So most people have, you know, I'm going

to say like up to like 10 to 20 sarees

45

: 00:02:48

just stuck in their wardrobe unworn.

46

: 00:02:50

So I knew that sarees were going

to be quite a like an easy thing to

47

: 00:02:55

work with especially because it was

an existing fabric people generally

48

: 00:02:59

wouldn't use it again for anything

else, especially in Australia.

49

: 00:03:03

Back in India, they would generally try

to reuse their sarees as much as possible.

50

: 00:03:08

There's definitely a history there of

people passing it on from, say There's

51

: 00:03:14

like a culture of having servants there.

52

: 00:03:15

So basically they would

pass it to their servants.

53

: 00:03:17

Their servants might make something

else out of it, like cushions,

54

: 00:03:20

or they might make something

for the kids out of that fabric.

55

: 00:03:24

So it, it's kind of well known that

you would reuse a saree in India,

56

: 00:03:28

but the same concept doesn't really

stand anywhere else in the world

57

: 00:03:31

because we're not used to reusing,

we're not used to recycling products.

58

: 00:03:35

And so using sarees it was just like an

easy idea for me and what I wanted to do

59

: 00:03:40

was focus on accessories in particular

because as you know in Melbourne most

60

: 00:03:45

people just tend to wear black, me

included, I'm wearing black today.

61

: 00:03:48

And sarees being so colorful and having

those little throughout it, all the little

62

: 00:03:55

designs that come into the different

types of sarees that you can get.

63

: 00:03:59

I knew that it would be like the perfect

piece to upcycle into new things.

64

: 00:04:04

Chryssius: And what kind of products

are you making with the sarees?

65

: 00:04:06

Dani: So it's mostly

focused on accessories.

66

: 00:04:09

So we make necklaces.

67

: 00:04:10

So they're basically fabric bead

necklaces where sarees are just sewn

68

: 00:04:15

into I guess, lengths of fabric and

then we fill each bit with wooden beads.

69

: 00:04:20

And we also make the similar

earrings to go with it.

70

: 00:04:23

So they're like basically beaded earrings.

71

: 00:04:25

We also make butterfly fabric

earrings and also as well.

72

: 00:04:31

And more recently just because I

love the look of kimonos I've really

73

: 00:04:36

wanted to have like a small amount

of kimonos to try and upcycle.

74

: 00:04:41

So, my collaborative partner,

Sewing the Seeds, they graciously

75

: 00:04:44

tried to make some kimonos for me.

76

: 00:04:46

And I've got a small amount of stock

of kimonos as well made from upcycled

77

: 00:04:50

sarees, which was quite exciting.

78

: 00:04:51

And they look amazing.

79

: 00:04:53

And the perfect thing

to wear to the beach.

80

: 00:04:55

I just wanted to make something that

was very colorful and give you that

81

: 00:05:00

feeling of happiness when you wear

it, almost like dopamine dressing,

82

: 00:05:05

that's what my aim was, yeah.

83

: 00:05:07

Chryssius: And sarees is make the

perfect upcycling material because

84

: 00:05:11

they're basically untouched fabric.

85

: 00:05:13

Dani: Well, that's the thing.

86

: 00:05:14

It's so for people that don't

know what a saree is, it's like

87

: 00:05:17

a really long piece of fabric.

88

: 00:05:18

And when I say long, it's like up

to nine metres long that essentially

89

: 00:05:22

just kept as a whole piece of fabric.

90

: 00:05:23

You don't normally cut into

a saree when you wear it.

91

: 00:05:25

It's just basically wrapped

around and then draped across you.

92

: 00:05:29

So, it's virtually just untouched.

93

: 00:05:31

And it just made sense to use it

because, once you have worn it once,

94

: 00:05:36

it's basically still brand new.

95

: 00:05:38

There's very little and tear

when it comes to a saree.

96

: 00:05:41

Obviously, if you've worn it correctly.

97

: 00:05:43

It just made sense.

98

: 00:05:44

And the fact is that

because it's brand new.

99

: 00:05:47

In this like, modern day and age,

we tend to buy a new saree for every

100

: 00:05:52

event, meaning that the existing, you

know, items that you've got in your

101

: 00:05:57

wardrobe you're not actually using again.

102

: 00:05:59

So what I have done as part of Sareecycled

is I've had a lot of followers that

103

: 00:06:04

wanted to donate their sarees, and

these are people living and residing

104

: 00:06:07

in Australia that have basically just

stocked up on sarees, just similar

105

: 00:06:11

to myself, where they've just been

sitting in their wardrobes, no one's

106

: 00:06:15

going to re-wear them again and so

people just basically store them.

107

: 00:06:19

And that's all that happens to them.

108

: 00:06:21

They don't really see

the light of day anymore.

109

: 00:06:24

And so lots of people contacted me to

actually try and donate their sarees.

110

: 00:06:28

So this is actually what I'm working

on at the moment, thanks to my

111

: 00:06:32

Mum, she's an excellent sewer.

112

: 00:06:34

From my grandmother down to my Mum,

my auntie, everyone basically still

113

: 00:06:37

earns a living to this day by sewing.

114

: 00:06:39

So, yeah, my Mum was, um.

115

: 00:06:41

so happy to help with the business.

116

: 00:06:43

So she basically has taken on the

role of being basically my one

117

: 00:06:48

person manufacturing team to create

some things in-house as well.

118

: 00:06:52

So that's quite exciting with some of

these donations that we've received.

119

: 00:06:55

And I can't tell you how

many sarees I've got now.

120

: 00:06:58

I think I must have at least close to 50

sarees sitting in boxes, to be upcycled.

121

: 00:07:04

Yeah.

122

: 00:07:04

And that it was just from, I think...

123

: 00:07:07

three people.

124

: 00:07:08

Chryssius: So how many accessories are

you able to make from a single saree?

125

: 00:07:12

.

Dani: Oh, so many.

126

: 00:07:13

It basically what I wanted to do

was firstly try to make a set.

127

: 00:07:17

So I wanted to make a kimono that's

got a matching necklace, matching

128

: 00:07:20

bracelets bangles and earrings.

129

: 00:07:23

And.

130

: 00:07:23

from speaking to our collaborative

partner, the one saree can actually be

131

: 00:07:29

used to make around 25 to 30 necklaces.

132

: 00:07:33

Chryssius: So...

133

: 00:07:33

50 sarees is a LOT of accessories.

134

: 00:07:37

Dani: It's a lot.

135

: 00:07:38

So that's why I wanted to use the

majority of them to make kimonos because,

136

: 00:07:42

you know, I didn't want to have too

many of the same accessory around.

137

: 00:07:47

I wanted every accessory to be unique.

138

: 00:07:49

So generally with all of our accessories,

it's either one of a kind or it might

139

: 00:07:54

just have a duplicate, but that's it.

140

: 00:07:57

There's no more than, yeah, maximum of two

of each type of product, which is quite

141

: 00:08:03

unique actually when you think about it.

142

: 00:08:05

Chryssius: You mentioned earlier

that people don't tend to

143

: 00:08:07

wear a saree more than once.

144

: 00:08:09

Why is that?

145

: 00:08:10

Dani: So, look, I don't know if

it's just a, like a cultural thing,

146

: 00:08:15

but whenever there's an event like

there's this unspoken mentality that,

147

: 00:08:20

you know, if you don't wear something

new, then it's almost like bad,

148

: 00:08:24

you're bringing bad luck to the event.

149

: 00:08:25

So it's, Like for New Year's Day,

for example, on like the first of

150

: 00:08:30

January, every year when we go to the

temple, I'm a Buddhist I was always

151

: 00:08:34

told I had to wear something new.

152

: 00:08:36

I couldn't wear something old.

153

: 00:08:38

So, I think it's just a cultural thing.

154

: 00:08:40

It just gets passed down from

one generation to the next.

155

: 00:08:44

It's just what we're growing up with.

156

: 00:08:46

Yeah, and that's very hard to change.

157

: 00:08:49

. the other culprit Is definitely social

media, with the younger generation.

158

: 00:08:53

It's all about posting that pretty picture

in your amazing glittery saree or lehenga

159

: 00:08:58

and then posting it all over socials.

160

: 00:09:00

And then unfortunately, you can't

wear it to the next event because

161

: 00:09:04

it's already on your socials.

162

: 00:09:05

So people just end up purchasing

another saree or another lehenga.

163

: 00:09:09

Which, it's unfortunate because

these things are they're beautiful.

164

: 00:09:14

I just don't understand why You would just

wear it once because it's, amount of time

165

: 00:09:18

and effort that goes into producing it.

166

: 00:09:20

Like some of these sarees can cost

upwards of like a thousand dollars.

167

: 00:09:24

or some of the well known Brands, they're

like a couple of thousand dollars.

168

: 00:09:27

So like, how can you not wear that again?

169

: 00:09:30

I just don't understand.

170

: 00:09:31

Chryssius: Yeah, I don't

really get it, either.

171

: 00:09:33

Until recently, you also ran

Sustainable Sarees, which is closed

172

: 00:09:36

now, but it was essentially a preloved

marketplace for South Asian clothing.

173

: 00:09:41

And I remember we were chatting and

you were saying that there was a lot of

174

: 00:09:44

stigma around purchasing a preloved saree.

175

: 00:09:47

People just didn't want

to buy them, right?

176

: 00:09:49

Dani: Yeah.

177

: 00:09:50

It's just that I think culturally,

if you think of a preloved item,

178

: 00:09:54

it's not even called preloved.

179

: 00:09:56

It's just called secondhand.

180

: 00:09:57

That instantly changes things.

181

: 00:09:58

They, there's this mindset that if you're

buying something secondhand that firstly,

182

: 00:10:04

it's dirty and maybe not visually dirty,

but it's just that just concept of being

183

: 00:10:10

dirty and that it might be, like, ripped

or stained or So people just avoid it.

184

: 00:10:19

Everything to do with secondhand items.

185

: 00:10:21

Unless it's obviously a borrowed

item, so it might be like, your

186

: 00:10:25

cousin's saree or your mum's saree.

187

: 00:10:27

Chryssius: Yeah, I'm pretty sure that

every saree I've worn has been borrowed!

188

: 00:10:34

Dani: Which is so weird, if you're buying

a secondhand saree from someone you

189

: 00:10:39

don't know, that's like, totally illegal.

190

: 00:10:42

I just don't understand that concept.

191

: 00:10:44

Cause when I was running that business

people used to comment all the time, say

192

: 00:10:48

saying, is so needed, but the same people.

193

: 00:10:53

then go and purchase more new products.

194

: 00:10:56

So it's really it was such a strange.

195

: 00:11:00

Feeling so I did a pop up for it.

196

: 00:11:02

I'll tell you a story.

197

: 00:11:03

I did a pop up store where I

was selling basically all of

198

: 00:11:07

my vendors pre loved goods.

199

: 00:11:09

I could probably count at least

10 different women who were, I'm

200

: 00:11:14

going to say around their 50s and

60s, who came up to me and were

201

: 00:11:19

like, what you're doing is amazing.

202

: 00:11:23

I don't know why we don't

have this available here.

203

: 00:11:26

We need someone like you to

basically sell our sarees.

204

: 00:11:29

We've just got stacks of them in our

wardrobes and we need to get rid of them.

205

: 00:11:34

We're not using them.

206

: 00:11:35

But those same women were then going

to the other stores and buying sarees

207

: 00:11:39

and like, they using it as an excuse

to buy what I was trying to promote.

208

: 00:11:47

anyway.

209

: 00:11:47

Each to their own.

210

: 00:11:48

I think, that mindset shift

is exactly what we need.

211

: 00:11:52

But it's not going to happen instantly.

212

: 00:11:55

And we just need more businesses

talking about some of the small

213

: 00:11:59

changes that we can all make to then,

eventually have that big effect.

214

: 00:12:05

So, they talk about like,

change starts with one person.

215

: 00:12:07

So that's all we need.

216

: 00:12:08

We just need one person.

217

: 00:12:10

And then yeah, and hopefully we'll

see some more change in the future.

218

: 00:12:24

Chryssius: Tell us about Sewing The

Seeds and the women who are making the

219

: 00:12:28

majority of Sareecycled's products.

220

: 00:12:30

Dani: Yeah.

221

: 00:12:31

So I mentioned that, you know, part

of Sareecycled's mission was work with

222

: 00:12:36

an organisation that empowers women.

223

: 00:12:38

And so when I started off trying

to figure out how I was going to

224

: 00:12:42

upcycle these sarees, I contacted

quite a few different organisations.

225

: 00:12:46

And...

226

: 00:12:47

to be honest, it was just very difficult

and it took me quite some time to

227

: 00:12:52

find an organisation that fit with

values that I wanted for the company.

228

: 00:12:57

And so, Sewing the Seeds

basically ticked all of my boxes.

229

: 00:13:01

They are a registered charity

in Australia and they work with

230

: 00:13:06

women in Pondicherry, India.

231

: 00:13:08

So they work specifically with a gypsy

tribe who are called the Nari Kuruvas, I

232

: 00:13:14

might not be pronouncing that correctly.

233

: 00:13:16

Essentially a marginalised

community within Pondicherry, India.

234

: 00:13:20

And the women there that the founder

of Sewing The Seeds actually met

235

: 00:13:26

asked her to teach them how to sew.

236

: 00:13:29

That's what they wanted most.

237

: 00:13:31

And so I know there's a lot of negativity

and some articles that have been released

238

: 00:13:37

where, you know, people are coming up

with these, like, sewing training centres

239

: 00:13:40

and sewing women, but it's actually

not leading to any sort of difference

240

: 00:13:45

in society or in their community.

241

: 00:13:47

But Sewing The Seeds I find is

quite different in that this is

242

: 00:13:51

actually what the women requested

and that's what they wanted most.

243

: 00:13:55

And so, Gail, the co founder of Sewing

The Seeds what they did was they She

244

: 00:14:00

basically, these women a training

centre full of sewing machines.

245

: 00:14:05

She got them in a trainer, obviously,

to basically teach them how to sew.

246

: 00:14:10

and then the other problem they faced

was Once they've produced things, they

247

: 00:14:14

didn't have anyone to sell them to.

248

: 00:14:17

So, the women would then have to

go out to local markets and then

249

: 00:14:21

try to like hustle their products,

which again was not exactly the aim

250

: 00:14:26

of what Sewing The Seeds is about.

251

: 00:14:28

So then what Gail actually went and

did was she used a lot of her contacts

252

: 00:14:34

to try and find like international

businesses or brands that would

253

: 00:14:39

be willing to purchase some of the

products that these women make.

254

: 00:14:42

And so now Sewing The Seeds actually

supplies quite a lot of products to

255

: 00:14:46

a lot of businesses around the world.

256

: 00:14:48

So Sareecycled included.

257

: 00:14:50

And they basically try to help the

women by firstly training them to

258

: 00:14:55

sew, but then also allowing them to

earn a living wage by selling their

259

: 00:15:00

products to all of these businesses

that can be found internationally.

260

: 00:15:04

So they're not having to, you

know, travel an hour or two to a

261

: 00:15:07

market to then sell their goods.

262

: 00:15:09

And so that's what I

really liked about them.

263

: 00:15:11

And the second thing that I really wanted

was, like evidence to know that they were

264

: 00:15:17

actually doing what they promised to do.

265

: 00:15:19

So, the main things that I wanted to know

was, you know, have they actually made a

266

: 00:15:23

difference to the lives of these women?

267

: 00:15:25

They would ensure that, you know,

women were seen by a doctor.

268

: 00:15:28

Some of these women had never actually

had a health check in their life.

269

: 00:15:32

So they would organize for a doctor

to come to the training centre for

270

: 00:15:36

the women to basically have a checkup.

271

: 00:15:38

They would provide them with loans

for their children to get educated.

272

: 00:15:43

And these loans were interest free loans.

273

: 00:15:45

So basically unheard of in India.

274

: 00:15:47

Again, it just shows that when you

empower women, you empower the community,

275

: 00:15:50

because if you can have those women

teach their kids and give them an

276

: 00:15:53

education, then instantly those kids

are going to be uplifted themselves.

277

: 00:15:58

Like, they're going to be able to use

education as a way out of poverty.

278

: 00:16:02

And because they're a registered

charity, everything is above board.

279

: 00:16:06

They've got all their financials up to

date and have access to that as well.

280

: 00:16:11

So that was really important to me

because everything was out in the open

281

: 00:16:14

and I could look up everything and make

sure that, you know, what they're doing

282

: 00:16:18

was correct and above board basically.

283

: 00:16:21

Whereas a lot of the other

organisations I contacted, it was very

284

: 00:16:24

difficult to get that information.

285

: 00:16:26

So yeah, these are definitely the main

points that I wanted for Sareecycled and

286

: 00:16:31

for an organisation that I was going to

use to provide products for Sareecycled.

287

: 00:16:35

Chryssius: Sustainability is

obviously another big focus for you.

288

: 00:16:39

Apart from relying on donations, how

do you go about sourcing new materials?

289

: 00:16:44

Dani: So, Sewing The Seeds does the

majority of that for me because most of

290

: 00:16:47

our products come from them at the moment.

291

: 00:16:50

And yeah, so, in India, there are

there's actually a position and I really

292

: 00:16:55

wanted to look up the name, but I cannot

remember the name of this person, but

293

: 00:16:59

it's actually a job there where they their

main livelihood is actually to go and

294

: 00:17:04

source sarees and these vintage sarees.

295

: 00:17:07

And.

296

: 00:17:08

They might, have like a person

that wants specifically a pure silk

297

: 00:17:14

saree that is from this region.

298

: 00:17:17

So they will use their connections

and contacts to find that

299

: 00:17:20

particular product for that person

which may be a preloved product.

300

: 00:17:25

It may be brand new, but generally

will be preloved because, you

301

: 00:17:28

know, it's a vintage product.

302

: 00:17:30

And so, yeah, I need to

look up the title for you.

303

: 00:17:33

There's like these wholesale markets

in India that sell loved sarees.

304

: 00:17:38

That's all they do.

305

: 00:17:40

They just gather all of these sarees

that have been worn and no longer

306

: 00:17:44

used, and the whole, like, market

is just full of preloved goods.

307

: 00:17:50

So again this is why using a organisation

that's based in India was just so

308

: 00:17:57

Because no other area or no other

country could do the same thing.

309

: 00:18:01

Like I tried looking in Sri Lanka as well

because one of the main, know, things

310

: 00:18:06

that I wanted to do was give back to

the people in Sri Lanka being of a Sri

311

: 00:18:09

Lankan background, but they just don't

have the same like I guess, wholesale

312

: 00:18:12

environment that they had in India.

313

: 00:18:15

And so, yeah, Sewing the Seeds would use

these kinds of people and these wholesale

314

: 00:18:19

markers to actually source the sarees.

315

: 00:18:21

But in addition, because they

are a charity as well, they

316

: 00:18:24

also receive donations of

317

: 00:18:27

So, it's a bit of both.

318

: 00:18:29

Chryssius: Are you able to share any

examples of how Sareecycled has made a

319

: 00:18:33

positive impact on the lives of these

women that are making your products?

320

: 00:18:37

Dani: Oh, that's a tough one, Chrissy.

321

: 00:18:39

It's hard for me to answer

that because Sewing The Seeds.

322

: 00:18:42

Want to maintain the privacy of the

women but I can share like, in terms

323

: 00:18:47

of like a general way so a lot of the

women, they come from backgrounds where

324

: 00:18:53

they're not they may have experienced,

like, sexual violence, domestic

325

: 00:18:57

violence they may have been involved

in child marriage, that type of thing.

326

: 00:19:03

So, the women involved or that come to

the training centre at Sewing The Seeds

327

: 00:19:08

are very much looking for an escape.

328

: 00:19:11

And so the training centre acts

as a safe space for the women.

329

: 00:19:16

It's only women allowed in the training

centre and it creates this I guess,

330

: 00:19:22

for them to open up to each other, and

communicate with each other and talk

331

: 00:19:27

about what's happening in their lives.

332

: 00:19:29

So Sewing The Seeds doesn't really

tell me exactly, you know, the name of

333

: 00:19:35

this person that produced the bangle,

for example, and their history, just

334

: 00:19:39

to maintain that level of privacy for

that individual, and honestly, I think

335

: 00:19:46

that's just something to admire because

it's quite a sensitive environment and

336

: 00:19:50

It's a sensitive topic for a lot of the

women that come to the sewing centre.

337

: 00:19:53

But what I can say is by purchasing

things through them, they're able to

338

: 00:19:59

make a positive impact for these women.

339

: 00:20:02

Aside from providing them with an

opportunity to create products for

340

: 00:20:05

Sareecycled, a lot of the money goes

into providing them with education

341

: 00:20:11

in terms of women's hygiene.

342

: 00:20:13

Again, something that they never

really was educated on and so

343

: 00:20:16

it's just definitely something

that Sewing The Seeds is working on

344

: 00:20:19

educating the women on these topics.

345

: 00:20:22

Health care, which we've already

kind of touched on that, you

346

: 00:20:25

know, a lot of the women have

never even seen a doctor before.

347

: 00:20:27

So this provides them with an opportunity

to actually get some health care.

348

: 00:20:31

And then, providing them

with that living wage.

349

: 00:20:33

So, there's obviously a difference

between earning a fair wage and a living

350

: 00:20:37

wage where a living wage means that

they actually have enough money to

351

: 00:20:40

pay for all of their daily necessities,

but also to have some savings as well,

352

: 00:20:46

which is again quite unheard of in,

communities that are experiencing poverty.

353

: 00:20:52

Chryssius: Sarees have a cultural

significance in many parts of the world.

354

: 00:20:56

So how do you honour and celebrate

their heritage in your upcycled designs?

355

: 00:21:01

Dani: I like to think that

Sareecycled is just a mixture of me.

356

: 00:21:04

And the reason why I say that is because

like I really struggled growing up with

357

: 00:21:09

the concept that I was a Sri Lankan

born individual living in Australia.

358

: 00:21:13

So I would avoid my culture

as much as possible.

359

: 00:21:18

Like, I would avoid wearing sarees to

events avoid all the cultural celebrations

360

: 00:21:23

that happen throughout the year.

361

: 00:21:25

And it was only maybe once I hit 18 and

went to uni and things and met other

362

: 00:21:30

people like me that I realised oh wait,

it's okay to celebrate your culture.

363

: 00:21:34

It's okay to say, you know,

you're from Sri Lanka.

364

: 00:21:37

It's fine.

365

: 00:21:37

Like, it's totally acceptable.

366

: 00:21:39

And I don't need to myself.

367

: 00:21:43

As much as I would like to stick to being

traditional and not really, changing the

368

: 00:21:49

concept of what the saree is Sareecycled

is all about making something that's

369

: 00:21:54

more modern out of a traditional saree.

370

: 00:21:57

So, the nod to the heritage comes from

the fact that I am using a saree and

371

: 00:22:01

I am using something that that has

been around for thousands of years.

372

: 00:22:06

And I'm not creating things that are

going to offend, say, the culture.

373

: 00:22:10

I'm not creating, don't

know, g strings or something.

374

: 00:22:13

I'm still very much trying to

make sure that, you know, it's

375

: 00:22:17

not offensive or anything.

376

: 00:22:19

What I wanted to do though, was bring

it to modern day women and making sure

377

: 00:22:23

that they can incorporate something

that is just so colorful, so full of

378

: 00:22:27

tradition into their everyday wear.

379

: 00:22:30

and A lot of purchases that are made are

actually from South Asian Australians

380

: 00:22:35

because they understand that they, I

guess they echo everything that, you

381

: 00:22:39

know, I've just said, because that's

what they've grown up with as well.

382

: 00:22:43

It's that clash between their culture

and living in the Western world.

383

: 00:22:47

So I think whilst I do want to maintain

that traditional aspect of, you know,

384

: 00:22:53

and the history of the saree the concept

of Sareecycled is not necessarily that.

385

: 00:22:58

It's mostly to bring it up into the modern

day age so that it can be worn every day.

386

: 00:23:02

Sarees aren't worn every

day here, obviously.

387

: 00:23:05

As a South Asian Australian, you

can still wear a saree, but it's

388

: 00:23:09

just going to be your necklace or

your bangle, or be your kimono.

389

: 00:23:13

I could be anything, so.

390

: 00:23:15

you're still carrying a piece

of that culture with you.

391

: 00:23:17

It's just that you're not wearing

it in that traditional way.

392

: 00:23:21

Chryssius: When you're working in an

industry that's dominated by fast fashion,

393

: 00:23:25

I have no doubt that promoting upcycled

fashion and sustainable practices comes

394

: 00:23:30

with its fair share of challenges.

395

: 00:23:32

How do you overcome that?

396

: 00:23:35

Dani: It's so difficult.

397

: 00:23:36

It's extremely difficult.

398

: 00:23:38

I guess the main thing is that I'm

working in a niche environment.

399

: 00:23:43

So, People that are buying fast

fashion aren't necessareely going

400

: 00:23:46

to be interested in Sareecycled

They're two different people.

401

: 00:23:50

So in terms of trying to work

around the concept of fast fashion

402

: 00:23:55

and trying to navigate that, I am

still myself working through that.

403

: 00:24:00

And the problem is that it's very

difficult to get someone who's into

404

: 00:24:06

fast fashion and so used to purchasing

from fast fashion to purchase a

405

: 00:24:11

$20 Sareecycled necklace when they

can get a $5 necklace from Shein.

406

: 00:24:17

So the price point really

makes it difficult.

407

: 00:24:20

And what I really do try to make

people understand is that, you're

408

: 00:24:25

not just paying for the product.

409

: 00:24:27

You're paying for everything that

goes into producing that product.

410

: 00:24:32

As I've mentioned, everything that

we make is completely handmade.

411

: 00:24:36

Either hand sewn or

using a sewing machine.

412

: 00:24:39

So there's someone

that's working all this.

413

: 00:24:42

There's someone who's sitting there hand

sewing the necklace, using the sewing

414

: 00:24:46

machine to produce that particular item.

415

: 00:24:50

Takes time.

416

: 00:24:51

It takes effort.

417

: 00:24:52

So, I've mentioned that my mum

is helping me with a lot of this.

418

: 00:24:55

So for her to create like one kimono,

it takes her at least a couple of hours.

419

: 00:25:03

She does it, maybe like an hour

every couple of days just because,

420

: 00:25:06

she's currently also working.

421

: 00:25:08

But just to produce one kimono, it

would take her around half a day,

422

: 00:25:11

then that kind of tells you the

amount of time that, overall, it takes

423

: 00:25:16

to produce one particular garment.

424

: 00:25:18

And so if you're comparing something

that's entirely handmade to then something

425

: 00:25:22

that is either completely manufactured you

just don't know what you're paying for.

426

: 00:25:27

You don't know if your 2 necklace

is being produced by a factory in

427

: 00:25:33

Bangladesh by a 10 year old girl.

428

: 00:25:36

Like you don't know.

429

: 00:25:37

And so that's what I think

people really need to realise.

430

: 00:25:41

When you're purchasing from a

sustainable brand one of the first

431

: 00:25:44

things you should be looking for.

432

: 00:25:45

Like where are these products coming from?

433

: 00:25:47

Who's making them?

434

: 00:25:49

And what is the business doing

to be sustainable and what

435

: 00:25:53

do they see for their future?

436

: 00:25:55

So that's the kind of stuff that I think

people should be looking for and that's

437

: 00:25:58

what I try to promote through Sareecycled

and our social media page and things.

438

: 00:26:03

But yeah, it's incredibly difficult

439

: 00:26:06

Chryssius: I mean, yeah.

440

: 00:26:07

The thing is our values today are so

different to what they used to be.

441

: 00:26:11

Whereas in the past, we would place a lot

of value on something that A) would last

442

: 00:26:15

a long time and B) may have been handmade.

443

: 00:26:18

Whereas now a lot of consumers just,

they just, don't have the same values.

444

: 00:26:22

And it's really difficult to change that.

445

: 00:26:25

Dani: Obviously we need more sustainable

businesses to kind of like hone in on

446

: 00:26:29

this topic and talk about it more but

without that I don't think anything

447

: 00:26:33

will really change unfortunately.

448

: 00:26:36

That's just my opinion and I think

it's just going to be too hard too

449

: 00:26:39

difficult for Us as sustainable brands

to go against the big guns like shine

450

: 00:26:44

who make two billion dollars of profit.

451

: 00:26:46

So, yeah, it's very difficult.

452

: 00:26:48

Very difficult.

453

: 00:26:51

Chryssius: For people who might be

looking to make more sustainable

454

: 00:26:54

fashion choices, what advice would

you give them for incorporating

455

: 00:26:58

upcycled pieces into their wardrobe?

456

: 00:27:00

Dani: Oh, start small always start small.

457

: 00:27:03

So, for me.

458

: 00:27:06

been into thrifting.

459

: 00:27:07

I've never ever been into thrifting.

460

: 00:27:09

I only really understood

thrifting once my son was born.

461

: 00:27:12

Okay.

462

: 00:27:13

Before that I had a friend in uni who

took me to a couple of thrift shops

463

: 00:27:18

and I was like, why are we here?

464

: 00:27:20

I don't understand.

465

: 00:27:22

And she was like look at this.

466

: 00:27:24

And it was like, basically like this

bejeweled purse and she's like, you would

467

: 00:27:27

never be able to find this anywhere.

468

: 00:27:29

I just still didn't understand it though.

469

: 00:27:31

And so that's why I think

you just need to start small.

470

: 00:27:34

You can't just go ahead and do like a big

vintage purchase and be like, yup, now,

471

: 00:27:40

You really need to start small.

472

: 00:27:42

And so, that's why I wanted to

create accessories with Sareecycled.

473

: 00:27:46

So yeah, you can still wear,

like, you know, your K Mart

474

: 00:27:49

jacket or whatever it is.

475

: 00:27:50

But just add, like, a

handmade piece to it.

476

: 00:27:53

And just, you just have to start

somewhere to create change.

477

: 00:27:56

So As long as you can make it easy

for people to access it it's something

478

: 00:28:01

really small that they can incorporate

into their daily wardrobe or their

479

: 00:28:05

life, then I don't really see why

people would hesitate on that.

480

: 00:28:09

That would be my advice.

481

: 00:28:10

If you want to start wearing

upcycled pieces, just start small.

482

: 00:28:14

You don't need to go straight to like,

a bomber jacket or whatever it is.

483

: 00:28:18

Just start with a ring.

484

: 00:28:20

And then see if you like it, oh yeah.

485

: 00:28:22

You know, you might go through a

thrift shop and buy a ring and you

486

: 00:28:25

really like it, and you tend to

actually kind of get addicted to it.

487

: 00:28:28

So for me, and why I say that I started

to get addicted to it was when my son was

488

: 00:28:33

born, I realised how expensive it was.

489

: 00:28:36

Kids, items are so basically the beds, the

cots, they're the big ticket items, right?

490

: 00:28:41

But then even just like

clothing, I couldn't believe it.

491

: 00:28:44

Like he literally wore a size, I think

zero outfit for maybe three months?

492

: 00:28:50

And so you're just constantly purchasing

things for them as they grow up.

493

: 00:28:55

So I just couldn't believe it.

494

: 00:28:57

And In preparation for my son being

born, I started thrifting things.

495

: 00:29:01

I was on Marketplace all

the time, buying things.

496

: 00:29:05

Like, he's cot his secondhand.

497

: 00:29:06

He's pram is secondhand.

498

: 00:29:08

They were the two main big

things that were secondhand.

499

: 00:29:11

We had a nursing chair

that was secondhand.

500

: 00:29:15

I just didn't understand why

people straight away wanted to

501

: 00:29:18

buy brand new for these things,

because they're made to last.

502

: 00:29:21

Like a cot, how could you spend, you

know, $: 2000

503

: 00:29:26

going to use for a year and then they're

going to move on to a toddler bed?

504

: 00:29:29

Like, I just couldn't grasp that

concept and why or how people can

505

: 00:29:33

justify that only to then throw it out.

506

: 00:29:36

So that's how I got into it.

507

: 00:29:38

But obviously everyone's

triggers are different.

508

: 00:29:40

And yeah, I think you just got to

start small and I guarantee you

509

: 00:29:44

will get addicted to it though.

510

: 00:29:46

Once you do start.

511

: 00:29:47

Chryssius: As someone who sells

on Etsy, how do you engage with

512

: 00:29:50

your community and your customers

to build that sense of connection?

513

: 00:29:54

Dani: If you don't know what

Etsy is, it's basically a

514

: 00:29:56

marketplace for handmade products.

515

: 00:30:00

So a typical Etsy user will

use Etsy because they know it's

516

: 00:30:05

going to be a handmade product.

517

: 00:30:07

It just made sense for me to sell on

Etsy, but in terms of fostering that

518

: 00:30:13

community, that's actually very difficult

to do on Etsy, because you don't really

519

: 00:30:17

have that social media component.

520

: 00:30:19

You basically just have the shop and it's

like any other marketplace like eBay or

521

: 00:30:24

Amazon, people just search for your item.

522

: 00:30:26

And find you.

523

: 00:30:28

So, in terms of fostering that community,

that's why I opened the Instagram

524

: 00:30:31

account and to try and not just promote

Sareecycled, but just the concept of

525

: 00:30:37

sustainable fashion or green fashion.

526

: 00:30:40

A lot of concepts that I do try to talk

about are, just making sure people

527

: 00:30:44

are aware of, where their products

are coming from to rethink or make a

528

: 00:30:49

conscious decision when they're making

a purchase and also be aware of just

529

: 00:30:55

general facts and figures of what fashion

waste looks like in this day and age.

530

: 00:31:00

So, I don't know about you,

but I was obsessed with that

531

: 00:31:04

ABC program, War on Waste.

532

: 00:31:07

Oh my god.

533

: 00:31:07

God, like my mind was blown.

534

: 00:31:10

Just visualising how, one

garbage truck full of clothes

535

: 00:31:14

goes to landfill every second.

536

: 00:31:17

is that?

537

: 00:31:19

Like how, and what was really

great about War On Waste was they

538

: 00:31:23

would show you how much a garbage

truck full of clothes looks like.

539

: 00:31:27

Presenting the facts and figures

is one thing, but actually

540

: 00:31:29

seeing it, like, It's crazy.

541

: 00:31:33

That was also like part of the

spark for me to start something

542

: 00:31:37

like this or to start something

like a sustainable business.

543

: 00:31:41

If I hadn't have watched that and

seen what the outcome of all of this

544

: 00:31:44

is, I don't think you can fully grasp

the concept of the whole life cycle

545

: 00:31:49

of fashion waste, from the production

right through to its end of life

546

: 00:31:53

and just ending up in landfill.

547

: 00:31:55

Not so, not necessarily in

Australia, but just in third

548

: 00:32:00

world nations around the world.

549

: 00:32:02

It's just heartbreaking to see it.

550

: 00:32:04

Chryssius: They're just being used

as a dumping ground for all the

551

: 00:32:07

fast fashion that we don't want

552

: 00:32:09

Dani: Exactly.

553

: 00:32:09

That's right.

554

: 00:32:10

And it's, no one really

cares and that's the problem.

555

: 00:32:14

Chryssius: How does Sareecycled embrace

slow fashion principles, like quality

556

: 00:32:17

over quantity, and mindful consumption?

557

: 00:32:21

Dani: Yeah so Sareecycled only

produce very small quantities

558

: 00:32:26

of every item that we do make.

559

: 00:32:28

We are very much focused on being

small batched and, One of the things

560

: 00:32:32

that I wanted to make sure that I

just didn't have excess stock lying

561

: 00:32:36

around so we just make very limited

quantities enough to basically promote

562

: 00:32:41

the brand hopefully change some

people's minds at the same time.

563

: 00:32:45

And the second thing that I know

that I really need to focus on

564

: 00:32:49

is producing things in house.

565

: 00:32:51

So, by using a production partner in India

it means there's quite a lot of cost

566

: 00:32:56

involved, but not just the cost of the

shipping, but like it's the environmental

567

: 00:33:00

cost of the shipping as well.

568

: 00:33:02

So, that's why I really wanted to make

sure that we were able to then produce

569

: 00:33:06

things in house so that, I could

eliminate that cost or reduce the cost.

570

: 00:33:11

Because I don't think I'd ever stop

using Sewing The Seeds because There's

571

: 00:33:14

just such a great organisation.

572

: 00:33:16

But yeah, I just wanted to try and

reduce that cost where possible.

573

: 00:33:19

And, try to be.

574

: 00:33:21

more sustainable where I can.

575

: 00:33:32

Chryssius: Looking ahead, what

are your hopes and aspirations

576

: 00:33:35

for the future of Sareecycled?

577

: 00:33:37

Both in terms of business growth

and also the environmental impact?

578

: 00:33:42

Dani: There's a couple of other

products that I wanted to explore.

579

: 00:33:46

in terms of moving past accessories.

580

: 00:33:49

I'm not going to go into details just

yet but in terms of that environmental

581

: 00:33:53

impact as well, I'm always looking

at where we can reduce that impact.

582

: 00:33:58

So, for example, you know, I,

did need to search between all the

583

: 00:34:03

different types of compostable mailers

to see which one would work for us.

584

: 00:34:06

Like, I didn't realise that there

was just so much variety in it.

585

: 00:34:10

And even though it's compostable, if

people don't compost it it doesn't

586

: 00:34:13

actually compost in landfills.

587

: 00:34:14

So then you've got to think

about that because are people

588

: 00:34:16

actually composting or not?

589

: 00:34:18

I don't know.

590

: 00:34:19

So then the brand that I actually

eventually went with their

591

: 00:34:22

product actually does disintegrate

because obviously you don't want

592

: 00:34:26

it to turn into microplastics

either when it disintegrates.

593

: 00:34:29

So it completely decomposes in landfill.

594

: 00:34:32

And then there's all these other things

that go into packaging like the tape that

595

: 00:34:35

you use or the stickers that you use, the

labels so, yeah, I'm constantly looking

596

: 00:34:40

at where we can reduce that impact.

597

: 00:34:42

But yeah, I think, The main thing that

I really wanted to do is just to start

598

: 00:34:47

producing things in house because then

that will overall reduce a lot of that

599

: 00:34:52

carbon that we're using at the moment

to have things posted from India.

600

: 00:34:56

Chryssius: What's the

brand of your mailers?

601

: 00:34:58

Dani: They're called Biogon Packaging.

602

: 00:35:01

they are very well known

for their doggy poop bags.

603

: 00:35:05

So if you've seen those green doggy poop

bags at the council parks, that's them.

604

: 00:35:13

Chryssius: This conversation is not

going where I thought it would, but okay.

605

: 00:35:16

Dani: A little surprise for you.

606

: 00:35:17

Chryssius: Yeah.

607

: 00:35:18

Thanks.

608

: 00:35:19

Dani: But yeah, no, they're

completely biodegradable those

609

: 00:35:21

bags the compostable mailers.

610

: 00:35:25

Chryssius: And the very last question

that I like to ask everyone is,

611

: 00:35:28

do you have a best bargain brag?

612

: 00:35:31

Dani: Actually, I do have something that

613

: 00:35:33

found for myself.

614

: 00:35:35

Again, this when I used to go thrift

shopping with that friend of mine in uni.

615

: 00:35:40

And we went Camberwell Market.

616

: 00:35:42

Mind you, I was like

maybe 18, 19 at that time.

617

: 00:35:45

Again, totally against thrifting,

didn't know what the heck, why we

618

: 00:35:49

were even at Camberwell Market.

619

: 00:35:50

And there was this person that

had a bucket of scarves for, I

620

: 00:35:55

think they were like, 5, maybe 2.

621

: 00:35:58

I can't remember exactly.

622

: 00:35:59

It was so long ago.

623

: 00:36:01

And I found a Louis Vuitton scarf.

624

: 00:36:03

Chryssius: You're kidding.

625

: 00:36:05

Dani: So that is my bargain bag because

I still have that Louis Vuitton scarf.

626

: 00:36:09

Chryssius: Excellent.

627

: 00:36:11

Dani: Yeah, that's my bargain brag.

628

: 00:36:12

That's been my best purchase

ever, as a thrifter.

629

: 00:36:15

Chryssius: I love that.

630

: 00:36:16

So if anybody would like to see Dani's

beautiful scarf, you can head to the

631

: 00:36:21

Reloved Radio Instagram and check

out the "Bargain Brag" highlight.

632

: 00:36:27

Dani, thank you so much

for chatting with me today.

633

: 00:36:30

I've loved hearing your story and the

inspiring mission behind Sareecycled.

634

: 00:36:35

Dani: Oh, no problem, Chrissy.

635

: 00:36:36

Anytime.

636

: 00:36:37

Um, Thanks for having me.

637

: 00:36:38

and thanks everyone for listening.

638

: 00:36:40

Chryssius: What's the best way for

people to get in touch with you?

639

: 00:36:43

Dani: Yeah.

640

: 00:36:43

So, you can contact me

through social media.

641

: 00:36:46

So just search , on Cycled.

642

: 00:36:49

or you can go to Etsy and

have a look at my shop.

643

: 00:36:51

And both, Etsy and Instagram

link to each other.

644

: 00:36:54

can have a look at both if you