We are all very aware of the catastrophic impacts of the fashion industry environmentally, and honestly, it was the only "what if?" I had when I began thinking about entering the clothing trade. So finding the incredible resource that is vintage, pre-owned, saree silk was life shifting for me. Every element just seemed to slip into place.
To begin with, I'm an absolute lover of pattern and colour, and I certainly know what I like, but actually designing fabric is way beyond my skill set. I could certainly pay artists to do this for me, but with the tiny quantities I make, this is completely out of my reach. (Then I'm also contributing, unnecessarily to the mountains and mountains of fabric in the world). Honestly you would not believe the incredible colours and pattern available in silk saree's. My beautiful partner in India sends me an abundance of photographs whilst sifting through bales of silk, and together we hand pick each and every piece, check through them all carefully for quality.
I also feel really positive about our impact, together we are actually SAVING fabric from going into landfill and turning gorgeous, already-existing lengths of silk into wearable garments. Each piece is one, two or three of a kind, as this is the absolute maximum we are able to get out of a single saree, making each and every Outlaw Dame piece a wearable, walking piece of art
.
I get to work alongside the most creative, talented and dedicated women lead team of artisans in India, who are all paid well above award wages and enjoy a clean, safe working environment. This is an absolute commitment, and is 100% non-negotiable for me.
Lastly, and with me being a sewer, and lover of clothes since I was a small child, it's by no means least, THE QUALITY AND BEAUTY OF THESE FABRICS is more than I could ever imagine. Being able to play, source, create and live in clothing made from silk crepe is a dream come true. Obviously silk has its limitations, so I'm very particular about the styles I create, but silk crepe is quite literally the Rolls Royce of fabric. Working with silk endlessly is a moment of my dreams.
My clothes are still very much based in vintage silhouettes, and bohemian style, my whole life has been about vintage clothing, and now I get to recreate those incredible styles out of the MOST incredible fabrics.
