March 2, 2025 • 30 mins
Celebrating the Women of the Melbourne Fashion Festival.
MASTANI is the vision of Kudrat Makkar, the Founder and Creative Director.
Through MASTANI, she wants to take the customers to a journey into the
world of the hands that made it and the culture that shaped it.
By using handmade traditional techniques which are inherited by artisans
from their ancestors, Makkar's aim is to preserve and revitalise her
Indian cultural heritage through the modern lens of MASTANI.
Australia is home to some remarkable women.
They’re raising foster families. Running cattle stations. Living inspirational lives. Yet, many of their tales of triumph are never profiled, never celebrated. So we’re changing that… every week.. through our Women Of Influence Podcast.
Women of Influence Podcast with Kate Meade for iHeart Radio
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Women of Influence podcast. I'm your host,
Kate Meete, and it is so great to be back
in your ears. I would like to acknowledge the traditional
owners of the land in which this podcast was recorded,
and I pay my respects to their elders past and present,
and the Aboriginal elders of other communities who may be
(00:20):
listening today. This is a special five part series in
partnership with the Melbourne Fashion Festival, celebrating the extraordinary women
of the Melbourne fashion industry. Australia is home to some
remarkable women. They're raising foster families, running cattle stations, living
inspirational lives. Yet many of their tales of triumph are
(00:43):
never profiled and never celebrated. So we're changing all that
through our Women of Influence podcast. For more information about
our Women of Influence the Melbourne Fashion Festival edition, please
check out our show notes and of course the Women
of Influence socials. And as always, if you have a
woman in your life that needs to be celebrated and
(01:05):
we all need to hear her story, please connect with us.
We would love to hear from you. Thank you so
much always for your support and I hope that you
smile as much as I did recording these episodes. These
episodes were recorded via zoom in Melbourne, and you know
(01:27):
I love address.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Well.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Thank you Kate for having me pleasure.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Oh this is going to be incredible because we're recording
this and we're only days away out from the Melbourne
Fashion Festival really kicking off. So we've caught you in
one of these tiny little pockets of time. I've been
going through your website and falling in love with the
color and the detail and the heritage. I guess, and
(02:02):
so I guess because of that heritage that I'm seeing
and no one can see me, but my arms are
waving about is because I want to know what your
earliest memory is of fabric and learning how that detail,
that handstitch, those hand embroidered embellishments, that beautiful attention to detail,
(02:27):
What your earliest moment, your earliest memory is of working with.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Fas I grew up me, my sister, mom and dad,
so you know, it was a sort of a more
women focused family and very embarbed from day one. My
mom was always in fashion, as in not as a
designer or as someone, but she loved to get things
done for herself. She was someone who would never buy
things off the rack, especially you know, beddings are a
(02:55):
big thing in our culture. And I come from a
big family as in from cousins. My dad is one
of ten siblings, so you can imagine the amount of
weddings in the family. So she would not want to
go and just buy a designer peace and you know,
would have few people in her own charge where you know,
she would get fabric sourced and then also like sort
(03:16):
of because we didn't have Google and sort of research
on so she would probably go on in her icrgol
and say, oh, I love this embellishment, now can you
do it on this one but in this way, and
had that great eye for it and always wanted to
you know, only wear silks and natural fibers, and that
sort of gave me, I think, since early on that
(03:37):
side of work. Whereas when I moved to Australia to
do my education, I actually came in as an architecture
student to the University of Melbourne and studied architecture and
that was the time when Zarah opened up in Melbourne
and there was this huge hype about it, and I
still couldn't get it. You know, I would think, what
is this hype about. It's such fast fashion, you know,
(04:01):
and there was not much talk about it. You know,
it was like a big thing at that time, and
I thought, oh, you know, there's this this Indian community,
but it's not big. So not anyone actually knows about
the heritage and the cultural side of especially making your
own garments. And you know, there was not a lot
of kutou happening in Melbourne as well. There were only
(04:22):
few dressmakers. There were only and a lot of it
was focused on bridles. You know. It was a lot
like okay, yeah, if you want to get a dress done,
you go to a designer and they actually make it
for you. Other than that, we all had to go
and buy things off brack. Then I thought, you know,
there's also not many brands who are using those techniques,
whereas you know, if you look into Europe or even
(04:42):
UK or US, a lot of designers, non Indian designers
as well, had really picked up on our artists and
the techniques. You know, let it be hand embellishments, hand looms,
a lot of craft which comes out of India, and
so that was the whole sort of you know, where
I started doing my research. This is while actually studying architecture.
(05:04):
I always wanted to do fashion, but I was told
who studies fashion? You're not sending you to Australia, you know,
you do a fashion degree. Like that was something very
weird my that thought. He said, no, no, no, if you
really want to go, you can do something in design.
And the closest I could was like, okay, maybe I'll
do I started with interior and he said, no, you
(05:24):
don't have to learn, it comes to you. You have
to do something. You know. I think it's a very
sort of conservative thinking about, you know, do something more substantial,
which I'm very glad I did. I think I sort
of then when I actually started my journey off Mustani,
I didn't really think and designed like a typical fashion designer.
And my designing was really always has been based on textiles,
(05:46):
and the first point is okay, fabric, and then you know,
I actually think about colors and the silhouettes, which is
not very common. It's usually you know, you'd start with
your silhouettes and you get into your fabrics. But yeah,
so that's sort of why I started and my early
sort of, but I learned. I learned I had no
idea what I was doing. I had no background, I
(06:08):
did not have a mentor especially you know, even if
you have a mentor head, they did not have that
education around the artisanal side of things, especially if I
was going to work with a lot of fabrications back
from India. And then that's where I started my journey
of actually going back and traveling to places in India
I had never been and I had no idea existed,
and started from you know, just a handloom silk. That
(06:31):
was the first craft I used, and it was just
you know, melding the tradition with modern esthetic. That was
the whole thing. You know. I still wanted my clientele.
I still wanted to cater to the Australian women.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
It was never my idea of like, oh I'm doing
this for the Indian community. It was always, you know,
my brand is for everyone. I want anyone on everyone
to work in, appreciate the art and then you know,
wear it either day to day or to an event,
which I think in few years I've realized that you
know a lot of the pieces I think are not
that overly dressed for a lot of Australians. It feels like, oh,
(07:08):
this is an event where thing you know, I would
not wear this to a dinner for example. So yes,
that's that's been my journey so far.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Did you finish that architecture degree I did.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I never went on and finished my masters. I did
not get registered, which is a regret, but I always
think I'm thirty four, I can do it maybe one
day when I have time. You know, life happened, I
got married, I had kids, and then I had Mustani,
and you know, I've been very like you can imagine,
it's been busy, but that's something I really want to do,
and probably for the sake of my parents actually, because
(07:43):
it's one thing I still keep hearing back that you
did not get registered, so you're not like they say
you're not an architect and I'm not. I say I'm not.
I did come and do that. I did not finish
the whole thing. I did do my finish my bachelor.
So they used to do a degree called as Bachelor's
of in why mens but majoring in architecture, which has
now changed. They don't do that anymore. So I did
(08:05):
finish that and graduated before I could even think of
doing anything else.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yes, tell me about that phone call or that sit
down with Mum or Dad that said, you know I
have finished that that major component, like a bachelor for anyone.
You know, doing any degree is hard work as it is,
but I have to go and follow my heart now
I have to. I have to do this.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
You'll be surprised. I actually I actually told them three
months before I launched the brand.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
I did not even tell them when I was doing
my homework because they thought I'm just it's just random,
like she's just doing They knew I'm trying to do something,
but they did not realize I'm.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Doing it on this scale and I'm actually launching with
a store in Armadale.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I've got all your ducks in a row? Is that it?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I got my ducks in the raw. I was never
sort of dependent anything from there, and they were in India.
I would travel back a lot to India, so they
would they were like, what's going on? Why why you
and You're going to all these places We have no one,
we don't know, we've never traveled to, you know, all
these rural areas. And sometimes I would tell him I'm
in Delhi, but I would be in hoods, which is
(09:17):
like a place where you know, there's like one hotel
and it's full of artisans. But you know, and because
they would, they would get buried that who are you
with and what are you doing? So I explored India
in my own sort of pace, and I loved it
because I had never seen that, you know, I've been
sort of grew up in a very how do you
say it, like in a little bubble and you know,
(09:39):
very protected, everything's mom and dad. Whereas then when I
went out and I was like, oh, this is the
real India we watched in movies. This is me who
grew up in India all her life, and it's very different.
You know, we have so many dialects. I couldn't speak
a lot of language, so a lot of times people think, oh,
you're from India would have been easy, and I'm like,
you know what, ninety percent of my artisans come from
(10:00):
different states and they all speak different languages. I only
speak speak two dialects. We converse a lot of times
in English or translate as well. Still because I can't
I can't speak their language. And a lot of times
the rural you go. A lot of them don't even
speak Hindi, which is our national language, because they're so
much in their own villages and living in their own
(10:20):
bubble as well. So it's not been easy in that sense.
It's you know, also trying to modernize what they've been
doing for centuries has been a hard thing, you know,
trying to sort of tell them not not this color,
and they're like, who would wear it? It's so boring,
And I'm like, no, no, no, it's gonna work. I'm
telling me in the end, it's gonna work. They've started
(10:41):
trusting me now. It took them four years, three four
years to trust me because they were like, what is
she doing? She has no idea, We've never done it
this way. So I think modernizing and making it, you
know that esthetic and wearable is a hard It's a
very fine line. You know, you still want to hold
onto that craft, you really still want to do those techniques,
(11:02):
but then how do you modernize it or you know,
how do you change it a little bit so that
the sense is still there? But I can you know,
I can actually produce it and sell it and you know,
it's got bearability and it's still high quality. That's the
main thing where you know, you can have the best
of artisan but they a lot of times they don't
(11:23):
understand that fine line between you can't have threads hanging.
You know, it's a high end product, so all that
QC comes in place, and managing all of that from Australia.
Because it's my owner tailure, I actually make everything in house,
so we don't work with third party factories, so the
whole onus isn't actually on me. So yeah, it's been,
it's been. It's been a great journey. You know, it's
(11:44):
been amazing and I think my parents are very proud
now because I have actually recently now opened up a
little unit where my parents live. So I'm majorly in Bangalore.
That's where my tailier is. But now I've realized after
doing it for six years that you know, every time
I go to India and you know, to get to
my parents from Bangalore is a three other flight, four
other flight, then another drive an hour. And now I
(12:08):
have a very strong team. So I'm slowly trying to
move it to my hometown, which would make my life easier.
I can be there longer, I can take kids with
me and they can be with the grandparents while I'm working,
and you know, I built those relationships with artisans. A
lot of them anyway, come from different areas, so for
them to be in this city or another city doesn't
really matter. I think it's more sustainable for the brand.
(12:31):
And so yes, so that's that's something I'm doing moving forward.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
There's just so much to love about your story and
the brand, and one of those things is the artisans
that you're talking about, you know, local women being paid well,
you know, all of those things. When the thinking and
the planning was rolling out for the business, at what
(12:56):
point did you know that this was going to be
a priority, Because it is something that you say, you know,
when you look at your websites, articles that have been
written about you, women that have shopped with you and where,
and just by the way, love your brand. These are
the things that make up It's not just a dress
or it's not just a garment. Was that a decision
(13:18):
early that you wanted to do this or it evolved?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Yes, I think the whole thing started with that. I
think I always wanted to sort of go backwards rather
than you know, going big productions, you know, searching what's
in trend, I have never followed any trend. I have
never and it's a funny thing. When I started, I used,
there's there's a I wouldn't name it, but there's a
there's a trend forecast company, you know, once they know
(13:43):
there's a new fashion label, so they really want you
to sign up, and it comes with a fee, but
they basically do forecast for everything they focused. And that's
when I realized. I did a trial with them, and
I thought, now I know why all the brands do
the similar colors. Why do all of them have you know,
it's like this is the color of the season, and
it's actually it's actually there are a lot of them
(14:04):
all around the world, and there's some big ones, and
they basically foecast three years in advance sometimes and most
of the you know, even if it's not the designers themselves,
they all have teams so someone's actually looking at it
and they all end up doing similar things. And I
think that was something I never wanted to do. I thought,
you know what, this is, this just four feats the
(14:25):
whole purpose of me doing this thing. So I always
wanted to do old way, you know, I wanted to
do pieces which you know, like heirloom pieces are a
big thing in my culture. You know, we grew up
with that when I got married or you know, especially
even when you have like big birthdays, like you know,
sixteen and twenty one is big for girls back in India.
So like when you're sixteen, a lot of times your
(14:46):
mom would pass on you know, a lot of times
it's jewelry. Your grandma will pass you jewelry, which you
know it's it's actually like Bannarci Saris for example. So
it's basically it's called Bannarsi because it's actually from a
region called Asvaranasi back in India, and that's where historically
they've been looming silks. And with looming, it means like
you know, it'll be like a whole amazing scenery of
(15:08):
a garden on a piece of a cloth. But it's
actually hand loomed and it can take up tw one
hundred and eighty hours to do one. Sorry, right, And
it's expensive because they're zuri they use, which is a thread.
It's actually a real gold or real silver, which I
have used in some of my collections, some of my
very special pieces. And it's actually sold by weight, which
(15:30):
is unheard of well, you know, you would never think,
oh my god. And they are like pieces you know
a lot of times. My mom would have probably only
wanted six times in her lifetime. But then it's probably
her mom or her grandma would have given her. And
it's something you keep in a muslim cloth and you
wear it, you know, if you've had a baby, or
you know, if it's a very special wedding or a
special evain. And those are the pieces which have that
(15:52):
really amazing connection and has so much emotional value more
than anything else. I think my idea that drived from
there that you know what, I really want to create
pieces people can pass on, and I don't want to
make things which are like in fashion or this is
the color. I've never done a color which is entrend
unless you know it's happened just because I'm feeling it.
(16:15):
A lot of my colors are out there, you know,
they're quite bright. But again I've realized with you know,
being commercially to sell to the clients, you have to
play a little safe. But they all loved it, like
I've never seen a color like this, and I've never
you know, it's I don't know, I've got that eye
for color, which has worked really well. So you know,
the customers love us because I think we are not
(16:36):
trying to be like anyone else and have that really
strong strength with what we're saying is what we're delivering,
whether be you know, the artists and techniques, the fits
and you know, the hand embellishments and all of that,
so old world. I always say, my idea of old
World is what I really always wanted to do. And
(16:59):
you know, pieces which you know a lot of times
if it's a hand loomed silk blazer, and when we
tell the story to the customers, you know, they start
loving it instantly a lot more and you know it
feels like a very special piece rather than something which
they've just brought. So I think the story behind everything
we do. And I do very smaller collect you know,
(17:19):
our collections are quite small. I only do two collections
a year, automn Winter Spring Summer, and again it's just
a name we give. I have stopped saying it Auto
Winter Spring Summer. We now call it collection one, two, three,
for five, six seven. At nineteen, we're on our collection
fourteen now and it's purely because you know, I think
it's unfair you know, you do this color and it's
(17:41):
for winter and this is per summer. There's no rules,
you know, and we're in Australia. There's a lot of
women we get and they go to Europe for weddings
in totally opposite weather and you know, our really browns
and blacks might not work, but you know, the beautiful
ferns in the pink's wood. So I have sort of
started going in that way. I don't follow the rules,
(18:02):
which sometimes you know, bites me because you know, then
I struggle with wholesaling and a lot of those things.
So there's a lot of things you can if you
want to grow bigger, you have to balance it out.
And I've tried it and I sometimes think that, you know,
it's I'm not creative enough if I'm trying to follow
all the rules, especially like with my artisans, if I'm
doing something special, it takes a year in advance to
(18:25):
do it. So by the time we finished the whole
idea how it's going to work, and the technique and
you know we've gone through sampling, you know, it's a
whole year, so it sort of changes, and you know,
we do slow productions. We can't do it it's done
by hand. There's no way we can make hundreds and
hundreds of meters. There's no way I can grow immensely big.
Because anything done with hand, even if you're doing the same,
(18:49):
exact same thing, and you tell ten artisans, I'm just
giving you an example to hand loom. We've given them
the exact same thing. Because it's done by hand, it's
not computerized. All of them are going to be different
because it depends on the strength. When you're looming the silk,
they actually use their hands to pull the loom down
and up, and if it's done with a different strength,
(19:11):
the way the thread actually sort of sits on the
fabric or in the fabric, it can be the exact
same pattern, but if you actually put them next to
each other, they'll be a little bit difference, which is
the beauty of it. It's the same with when we
do hand marbling. You know, every piece in the same
collection will use the same color, but the marbling effect
is going to be different because we can't control it.
(19:33):
There's no way. And I think we've come to a
point where our customers love it. Our clients love it.
They love that it's same, but it's it's not the same,
and that it's truly by hand, and it comes with,
you know, a lot of struggle, like back in India as well.
Now everything's so fast, you know, they want to they
want to get bigger very soon. So my marble artist,
(19:55):
you know, I've been working for so many years. It's like,
you know, it's it's it's it takes so long long,
it's not one hundred percent how we want it sometimes,
but I'm like, we love it. We don't have a problem.
So what's happening now is a lot of the brands
are actually getting the first one done by hand and
then they're actually taking it and printing it and they're
(20:15):
justified saying that it is done by hand. But I'm
like that that defeats the whole purpose of doing by hand.
So yeah, there's a lot of things on that side.
And I can talk about it forever. But yes, I understand,
you know we're shot on time, so yes, please next next,
But what would you like to know next? Oh?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
No, I just think hearing you talk about it is
truly what the romance of your brand is, to the
point where I almost I imagine when they are arriving
in Melbourne, you can say, I can tell that this
is one artisan and this is another same design as
you said, same color, but you know she has a
(20:53):
certain little technique that does slightly different from the other.
And even as a consumer or a shop are coming in,
you know, how often do you say, well, this one
was made by this person, and this one was made
but this person is.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
That part of that process as well.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
I don't know, I very easily get caught up in
the romance. So I'm well and truly down the line.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Now, yes, a lot. You know, it's strange when we started.
I remember probably the first week of me being in Armadale,
and you know, when you get the Armadale clients in,
and I remember a woman walked in and you know,
we're trying to tell her the story, and we were
a lot I think, like you know, there was a
lot of passion. So I had a lot of my
store staff trained a well months in advance because you
(21:37):
need to tell them the techniques. And we had this
massive document about what's what technique And you know, also
like with hand looming, you know, I'm seeing it very loosely,
but there's probably a hundred different techniques you can do
in hand looming, and they're all historically from different regions
as well. This woman walks in and she's like, what
do you mean hand loomed And you said, oh, you know,
it's actually loomed by hand. And she said, but everything's
(21:58):
done by hand and said no, but you know there's
no electricity used. We don't use any electricity to produce
this silm. She thought, I'm just lying to her because
she couldn't understand it, and I get it, because you
know it's something they've you know, they've they've never heard of.
And then you know, we actually had to like show
her images and videos of how and you know, we've
done that and we do it as a process, and
(22:20):
she couldn't believe it. She said, I had no idea
something like this, And I told her, you know, when
there was no electricity, this is how it was done.
There was a time when you know, garments and fabrics
were already you know, people were doing cotton looming. There
was Jarka happening back in India. They were doing linen
and it was all done with hand and there was
never unless you know, then the power loom came into
(22:41):
place and all we started doing was replicating what was
done with hand, but making probably twenty times one hundred
times more fabric. And then also it's strange because you
show them two same things and they're like, oh, I
like that one more, and it's exactly the same thing.
But there's probably a little bit I get it. You know,
it's like, oh, I like how the marble sits on
(23:02):
my front or it sits in the back, So I'm
going to choose this one, which is which is great
because you know it's they've got that and it's very
rare that we'll have. I only make one size of it,
so I do a size sixteen to size eighteen, and
this I'm talking purely the retail side, but I only
do one size age. So if a size six is gone,
it's gone. I don't do two runs or three runs
(23:25):
unless something's really quickly sold off and we've got part
of that fabric which was left still at that earlier.
We'll really make few pieces, but it's not like, oh,
you know, it's not a factory, so we don't have
to do the whole size run or you know, we
have sometimes clients coming in saying, oh I love this piece,
this is beautiful. I'm not sure yet, and we'll say
we've got a few meters left. So we work very
(23:48):
differently to any retail model. I do make a lot
of meat to orders now, so we always hold back
probably one or two dress is worth of fabric because
sometimes when it's gone, if nothing's there there, you can't
offer that service.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
It's very irreplaceable too, right, Like it's a.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
And then there are clients that are like, oh, I
wanted my son's wedding is next year, so I'll be like, okay,
I'll have to loom it for you, and it can't
be done. It's going to take us six months to
do it or four months to do it, you know,
depending on what we're doing. Because what happens is so
every fabric, every silk, if it's a solid silk, it's
not that hard. It's hand loomed. You'd give them a
(24:30):
color and they'll they'll do they'll, you know, because we
hand eye all our colors as well, so all the
colors are hand eyed. It's the pattern when you're doing
a patterned jack card sort of a silk. Once they've
opened the loom, to reset that loom takes two to
three weeks, so it's not worth doing just five meters.
And then also you don't want to do too much
(24:50):
of it as well, So again there's a very fine line.
So yes, we do get customers, like you said, coming
in and you know, sort of loving it. But also
I think that education around it is so important, and
I'm very very proud that, you know, all through these years,
you know, we do have a lot of return customers
and they get it and they understand it and they
(25:11):
love that this is how we do it, and or
they want to get that piece because like you know,
very high chances I come back in two or three
weeks time and it's not there and they won't be
able to do it for us. And I think that's
what has kept us going, you know, And that's where
I think it's the truly the sense of being sustainable
works for us. You know, small productions we you know,
(25:33):
hardly go on sales, you know, we we don't because
even if we do, it's probably we might have like
an odd size six sitting here or a size sex
sixteen sitting somewhere. You will never get like a whole
size run. So and that's the whole purpose. I don't
like undervaluing the brand. I don't like, you know, selling
it for less because we don't make massive productions anyway.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
You know, listening to talk and describe the paces, I
think coming away now from sitting with you and chatting
about it, I think I would be describing the pieces.
When you purchase the pieces a little bit like purchasing
a piece of art. Actually, you know, you're purchasing more
than just address or just a garment. There's this not
(26:18):
only wholeback story that goes with it, but a great
deal of care. And I'm not discounting any of the
other brands in Australia or anything like that, but it
very much feels like you buy a painting and it's
been hand painted and it's taken you know, three hundred
hours to produce, and this is why you're paying what
(26:40):
you're paying. You're not just paying for the you know,
the actual fabric, you're paying for the time. And you know,
that's what.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
It feels like to me. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I hope I've got a good sense. I hope that
that's what's coming across today, But that's what it feels
like to me.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
I agree hundred percent. I think I always, you know,
we always say that, you know, it is a piece
of art. It's it's because it's not hanging. Sometimes it's
actually even harder because we have to make sure it
dry cleans well. It's sort of like if it can
be hand washed, which you know, most of the hand
loom silks, the solid silks we are given that. We've
(27:15):
been told by the artisans it's fine, you know, because
it's natural colors. If you hand wash it, there's chances
it's going to lose some of it, but it's never
going to change the color of it. You know, to
tell your clients to not get surprised, which sometimes customers
do and it's like, oh my god, I washed it
by hand and the whole thing time off and no,
but it looks exactly the same. Still, it will lose
(27:36):
color because you know, we try not to use chemicals
to sort of you know, usually there's a technique they use.
If it's chemically dyed, they then do something to make
sure that the color stays faster. And you know, it's
the color fastness situation. But it is a piece of art,
but a little probably a bit more difficult because you know,
we have to make sure there's wearability, it fits well,
(27:57):
you know, end of the day, if it's not if
it's the star, it's not looking great, or it's not
made for the right body type. As women, you know,
we all have different bodies. It doesn't matter how beautiful
or how much hours you've spent, you know, it's very
hard to sell it. So I think as much as
I started as an artist, I would say, you know,
six years ago, I was very much focused into the techniques.
(28:18):
I think slowly I've learned that, you know, to stay
in the business, you have to make sure you know
it fits them well. Quality was always there. I think
from day one I was very focused on that, and
you know, my inspiration was really high in brands and
I would look into Doure and how they French scene
their things, so you know, I was always looking at
that couto side of things when we were finishing garments,
(28:40):
but it was more the you know, the Australian women,
you know how they like their fits and you know
how we're not updied. We don't want everything anything cutting
in us and you know we'd like that comfort but
you know, still quite cheap. So I think I've learned
all through that. But yes, like you said, it is
very much, especially you know all the special artisanal like
(29:01):
you know, the hand embellishments. We do all the mirrors,
so I use real, real mirrors. You know a lot
of times you'll see a lot of times there's you know,
there's it looks like a mirror, but it's all plastic
inside of it. I use real mirrors, so there actually
we actually cut out a glass. We actually cut real
mirrors and make our mirror embellishments and they get heavy
because it's real mirrors. But you know, I've done jackets
(29:23):
with like almost eighteen hundred mirrors on one for example,
and each one of them is hands on and you
know they can't be anything more artistic than that. So yes,
I agree. I think you've you've got this sense and
it's it's it's an honor, you know when you say
if it comes through like that as well, And I
think that's the whole purpose, Like my job's done well.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
I wish we could talk longer to you and more
about the brands, but I think I think you've now
this today absolutely, and I have no doubt that Mom.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
And Dad are very very proud.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
I hope they get to hear this, hear you talking
about it as well, even if it was a little
bit of a secret at the beginning. Thank you so
much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Thank you so much, Gaid, thanks for having me
Welcome to the Women of Influence podcast. I'm your host,
Kate Meete, and it is so great to be back
in your ears. I would like to acknowledge the traditional
owners of the land in which this podcast was recorded,
and I pay my respects to their elders past and present,
and the Aboriginal elders of other communities who may be
(00:20):
listening today. This is a special five part series in
partnership with the Melbourne Fashion Festival, celebrating the extraordinary women
of the Melbourne fashion industry. Australia is home to some
remarkable women. They're raising foster families, running cattle stations, living
inspirational lives. Yet many of their tales of triumph are
(00:43):
never profiled and never celebrated. So we're changing all that
through our Women of Influence podcast. For more information about
our Women of Influence the Melbourne Fashion Festival edition, please
check out our show notes and of course the Women
of Influence socials. And as always, if you have a
woman in your life that needs to be celebrated and
(01:05):
we all need to hear her story, please connect with us.
We would love to hear from you. Thank you so
much always for your support and I hope that you
smile as much as I did recording these episodes. These
episodes were recorded via zoom in Melbourne, and you know
(01:27):
I love address.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
Well.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Thank you so much for joining us on the podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Thank you Kate for having me pleasure.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Oh this is going to be incredible because we're recording
this and we're only days away out from the Melbourne
Fashion Festival really kicking off. So we've caught you in
one of these tiny little pockets of time. I've been
going through your website and falling in love with the
color and the detail and the heritage. I guess, and
(02:02):
so I guess because of that heritage that I'm seeing
and no one can see me, but my arms are
waving about is because I want to know what your
earliest memory is of fabric and learning how that detail,
that handstitch, those hand embroidered embellishments, that beautiful attention to detail,
(02:27):
What your earliest moment, your earliest memory is of working with.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Fas I grew up me, my sister, mom and dad,
so you know, it was a sort of a more
women focused family and very embarbed from day one. My
mom was always in fashion, as in not as a
designer or as someone, but she loved to get things
done for herself. She was someone who would never buy
things off the rack, especially you know, beddings are a
(02:55):
big thing in our culture. And I come from a
big family as in from cousins. My dad is one
of ten siblings, so you can imagine the amount of
weddings in the family. So she would not want to
go and just buy a designer peace and you know,
would have few people in her own charge where you know,
she would get fabric sourced and then also like sort
(03:16):
of because we didn't have Google and sort of research
on so she would probably go on in her icrgol
and say, oh, I love this embellishment, now can you
do it on this one but in this way, and
had that great eye for it and always wanted to
you know, only wear silks and natural fibers, and that
sort of gave me, I think, since early on that
(03:37):
side of work. Whereas when I moved to Australia to
do my education, I actually came in as an architecture
student to the University of Melbourne and studied architecture and
that was the time when Zarah opened up in Melbourne
and there was this huge hype about it, and I
still couldn't get it. You know, I would think, what
is this hype about. It's such fast fashion, you know,
(04:01):
and there was not much talk about it. You know,
it was like a big thing at that time, and
I thought, oh, you know, there's this this Indian community,
but it's not big. So not anyone actually knows about
the heritage and the cultural side of especially making your
own garments. And you know, there was not a lot
of kutou happening in Melbourne as well. There were only
(04:22):
few dressmakers. There were only and a lot of it
was focused on bridles. You know. It was a lot
like okay, yeah, if you want to get a dress done,
you go to a designer and they actually make it
for you. Other than that, we all had to go
and buy things off brack. Then I thought, you know,
there's also not many brands who are using those techniques,
whereas you know, if you look into Europe or even
(04:42):
UK or US, a lot of designers, non Indian designers
as well, had really picked up on our artists and
the techniques. You know, let it be hand embellishments, hand looms,
a lot of craft which comes out of India, and
so that was the whole sort of you know, where
I started doing my research. This is while actually studying architecture.
(05:04):
I always wanted to do fashion, but I was told
who studies fashion? You're not sending you to Australia, you know,
you do a fashion degree. Like that was something very
weird my that thought. He said, no, no, no, if you
really want to go, you can do something in design.
And the closest I could was like, okay, maybe I'll
do I started with interior and he said, no, you
(05:24):
don't have to learn, it comes to you. You have
to do something. You know. I think it's a very
sort of conservative thinking about, you know, do something more substantial,
which I'm very glad I did. I think I sort
of then when I actually started my journey off Mustani,
I didn't really think and designed like a typical fashion designer.
And my designing was really always has been based on textiles,
(05:46):
and the first point is okay, fabric, and then you know,
I actually think about colors and the silhouettes, which is
not very common. It's usually you know, you'd start with
your silhouettes and you get into your fabrics. But yeah,
so that's sort of why I started and my early
sort of, but I learned. I learned I had no
idea what I was doing. I had no background, I
(06:08):
did not have a mentor especially you know, even if
you have a mentor head, they did not have that
education around the artisanal side of things, especially if I
was going to work with a lot of fabrications back
from India. And then that's where I started my journey
of actually going back and traveling to places in India
I had never been and I had no idea existed,
and started from you know, just a handloom silk. That
(06:31):
was the first craft I used, and it was just
you know, melding the tradition with modern esthetic. That was
the whole thing. You know. I still wanted my clientele.
I still wanted to cater to the Australian women.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
You know.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
It was never my idea of like, oh I'm doing
this for the Indian community. It was always, you know,
my brand is for everyone. I want anyone on everyone
to work in, appreciate the art and then you know,
wear it either day to day or to an event,
which I think in few years I've realized that you
know a lot of the pieces I think are not
that overly dressed for a lot of Australians. It feels like, oh,
(07:08):
this is an event where thing you know, I would
not wear this to a dinner for example. So yes,
that's that's been my journey so far.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Did you finish that architecture degree I did.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
I never went on and finished my masters. I did
not get registered, which is a regret, but I always
think I'm thirty four, I can do it maybe one
day when I have time. You know, life happened, I
got married, I had kids, and then I had Mustani,
and you know, I've been very like you can imagine,
it's been busy, but that's something I really want to do,
and probably for the sake of my parents actually, because
(07:43):
it's one thing I still keep hearing back that you
did not get registered, so you're not like they say
you're not an architect and I'm not. I say I'm not.
I did come and do that. I did not finish
the whole thing. I did do my finish my bachelor.
So they used to do a degree called as Bachelor's
of in why mens but majoring in architecture, which has
now changed. They don't do that anymore. So I did
(08:05):
finish that and graduated before I could even think of
doing anything else.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yes, tell me about that phone call or that sit
down with Mum or Dad that said, you know I
have finished that that major component, like a bachelor for anyone.
You know, doing any degree is hard work as it is,
but I have to go and follow my heart now
I have to. I have to do this.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
You'll be surprised. I actually I actually told them three
months before I launched the brand.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
I did not even tell them when I was doing
my homework because they thought I'm just it's just random,
like she's just doing They knew I'm trying to do something,
but they did not realize I'm.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Doing it on this scale and I'm actually launching with
a store in Armadale.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I've got all your ducks in a row? Is that it?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I got my ducks in the raw. I was never
sort of dependent anything from there, and they were in India.
I would travel back a lot to India, so they
would they were like, what's going on? Why why you
and You're going to all these places We have no one,
we don't know, we've never traveled to, you know, all
these rural areas. And sometimes I would tell him I'm
in Delhi, but I would be in hoods, which is
(09:17):
like a place where you know, there's like one hotel
and it's full of artisans. But you know, and because
they would, they would get buried that who are you
with and what are you doing? So I explored India
in my own sort of pace, and I loved it
because I had never seen that, you know, I've been
sort of grew up in a very how do you
say it, like in a little bubble and you know,
(09:39):
very protected, everything's mom and dad. Whereas then when I
went out and I was like, oh, this is the
real India we watched in movies. This is me who
grew up in India all her life, and it's very different.
You know, we have so many dialects. I couldn't speak
a lot of language, so a lot of times people think, oh,
you're from India would have been easy, and I'm like,
you know what, ninety percent of my artisans come from
(10:00):
different states and they all speak different languages. I only
speak speak two dialects. We converse a lot of times
in English or translate as well. Still because I can't
I can't speak their language. And a lot of times
the rural you go. A lot of them don't even
speak Hindi, which is our national language, because they're so
much in their own villages and living in their own
(10:20):
bubble as well. So it's not been easy in that sense.
It's you know, also trying to modernize what they've been
doing for centuries has been a hard thing, you know,
trying to sort of tell them not not this color,
and they're like, who would wear it? It's so boring,
And I'm like, no, no, no, it's gonna work. I'm
telling me in the end, it's gonna work. They've started
(10:41):
trusting me now. It took them four years, three four
years to trust me because they were like, what is
she doing? She has no idea, We've never done it
this way. So I think modernizing and making it, you
know that esthetic and wearable is a hard It's a
very fine line. You know, you still want to hold
onto that craft, you really still want to do those techniques,
(11:02):
but then how do you modernize it or you know,
how do you change it a little bit so that
the sense is still there? But I can you know,
I can actually produce it and sell it and you know,
it's got bearability and it's still high quality. That's the
main thing where you know, you can have the best
of artisan but they a lot of times they don't
(11:23):
understand that fine line between you can't have threads hanging.
You know, it's a high end product, so all that
QC comes in place, and managing all of that from Australia.
Because it's my owner tailure, I actually make everything in house,
so we don't work with third party factories, so the
whole onus isn't actually on me. So yeah, it's been,
it's been. It's been a great journey. You know, it's
(11:44):
been amazing and I think my parents are very proud
now because I have actually recently now opened up a
little unit where my parents live. So I'm majorly in Bangalore.
That's where my tailier is. But now I've realized after
doing it for six years that you know, every time
I go to India and you know, to get to
my parents from Bangalore is a three other flight, four
other flight, then another drive an hour. And now I
(12:08):
have a very strong team. So I'm slowly trying to
move it to my hometown, which would make my life easier.
I can be there longer, I can take kids with
me and they can be with the grandparents while I'm working,
and you know, I built those relationships with artisans. A
lot of them anyway, come from different areas, so for
them to be in this city or another city doesn't
really matter. I think it's more sustainable for the brand.
(12:31):
And so yes, so that's that's something I'm doing moving forward.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
There's just so much to love about your story and
the brand, and one of those things is the artisans
that you're talking about, you know, local women being paid well,
you know, all of those things. When the thinking and
the planning was rolling out for the business, at what
(12:56):
point did you know that this was going to be
a priority, Because it is something that you say, you know,
when you look at your websites, articles that have been
written about you, women that have shopped with you and where,
and just by the way, love your brand. These are
the things that make up It's not just a dress
or it's not just a garment. Was that a decision
(13:18):
early that you wanted to do this or it evolved?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Yes, I think the whole thing started with that. I
think I always wanted to sort of go backwards rather
than you know, going big productions, you know, searching what's
in trend, I have never followed any trend. I have
never and it's a funny thing. When I started, I used,
there's there's a I wouldn't name it, but there's a
there's a trend forecast company, you know, once they know
(13:43):
there's a new fashion label, so they really want you
to sign up, and it comes with a fee, but
they basically do forecast for everything they focused. And that's
when I realized. I did a trial with them, and
I thought, now I know why all the brands do
the similar colors. Why do all of them have you know,
it's like this is the color of the season, and
it's actually it's actually there are a lot of them
(14:04):
all around the world, and there's some big ones, and
they basically foecast three years in advance sometimes and most
of the you know, even if it's not the designers themselves,
they all have teams so someone's actually looking at it
and they all end up doing similar things. And I
think that was something I never wanted to do. I thought,
you know what, this is, this just four feats the
(14:25):
whole purpose of me doing this thing. So I always
wanted to do old way, you know, I wanted to
do pieces which you know, like heirloom pieces are a
big thing in my culture. You know, we grew up
with that when I got married or you know, especially
even when you have like big birthdays, like you know,
sixteen and twenty one is big for girls back in India.
So like when you're sixteen, a lot of times your
(14:46):
mom would pass on you know, a lot of times
it's jewelry. Your grandma will pass you jewelry, which you
know it's it's actually like Bannarci Saris for example. So
it's basically it's called Bannarsi because it's actually from a
region called Asvaranasi back in India, and that's where historically
they've been looming silks. And with looming, it means like
you know, it'll be like a whole amazing scenery of
(15:08):
a garden on a piece of a cloth. But it's
actually hand loomed and it can take up tw one
hundred and eighty hours to do one. Sorry, right, And
it's expensive because they're zuri they use, which is a thread.
It's actually a real gold or real silver, which I
have used in some of my collections, some of my
very special pieces. And it's actually sold by weight, which
(15:30):
is unheard of well, you know, you would never think,
oh my god. And they are like pieces you know
a lot of times. My mom would have probably only
wanted six times in her lifetime. But then it's probably
her mom or her grandma would have given her. And
it's something you keep in a muslim cloth and you
wear it, you know, if you've had a baby, or
you know, if it's a very special wedding or a
special evain. And those are the pieces which have that
(15:52):
really amazing connection and has so much emotional value more
than anything else. I think my idea that drived from
there that you know what, I really want to create
pieces people can pass on, and I don't want to
make things which are like in fashion or this is
the color. I've never done a color which is entrend
unless you know it's happened just because I'm feeling it.
(16:15):
A lot of my colors are out there, you know,
they're quite bright. But again I've realized with you know,
being commercially to sell to the clients, you have to
play a little safe. But they all loved it, like
I've never seen a color like this, and I've never
you know, it's I don't know, I've got that eye
for color, which has worked really well. So you know,
the customers love us because I think we are not
(16:36):
trying to be like anyone else and have that really
strong strength with what we're saying is what we're delivering,
whether be you know, the artists and techniques, the fits
and you know, the hand embellishments and all of that,
so old world. I always say, my idea of old
World is what I really always wanted to do. And
(16:59):
you know, pieces which you know a lot of times
if it's a hand loomed silk blazer, and when we
tell the story to the customers, you know, they start
loving it instantly a lot more and you know it
feels like a very special piece rather than something which
they've just brought. So I think the story behind everything
we do. And I do very smaller collect you know,
(17:19):
our collections are quite small. I only do two collections
a year, automn Winter Spring Summer, and again it's just
a name we give. I have stopped saying it Auto
Winter Spring Summer. We now call it collection one, two, three,
for five, six seven. At nineteen, we're on our collection
fourteen now and it's purely because you know, I think
it's unfair you know, you do this color and it's
(17:41):
for winter and this is per summer. There's no rules,
you know, and we're in Australia. There's a lot of
women we get and they go to Europe for weddings
in totally opposite weather and you know, our really browns
and blacks might not work, but you know, the beautiful
ferns in the pink's wood. So I have sort of
started going in that way. I don't follow the rules,
(18:02):
which sometimes you know, bites me because you know, then
I struggle with wholesaling and a lot of those things.
So there's a lot of things you can if you
want to grow bigger, you have to balance it out.
And I've tried it and I sometimes think that, you know,
it's I'm not creative enough if I'm trying to follow
all the rules, especially like with my artisans, if I'm
doing something special, it takes a year in advance to
(18:25):
do it. So by the time we finished the whole
idea how it's going to work, and the technique and
you know we've gone through sampling, you know, it's a
whole year, so it sort of changes, and you know,
we do slow productions. We can't do it it's done
by hand. There's no way we can make hundreds and
hundreds of meters. There's no way I can grow immensely big.
Because anything done with hand, even if you're doing the same,
(18:49):
exact same thing, and you tell ten artisans, I'm just
giving you an example to hand loom. We've given them
the exact same thing. Because it's done by hand, it's
not computerized. All of them are going to be different
because it depends on the strength. When you're looming the silk,
they actually use their hands to pull the loom down
and up, and if it's done with a different strength,
(19:11):
the way the thread actually sort of sits on the
fabric or in the fabric, it can be the exact
same pattern, but if you actually put them next to
each other, they'll be a little bit difference, which is
the beauty of it. It's the same with when we
do hand marbling. You know, every piece in the same
collection will use the same color, but the marbling effect
is going to be different because we can't control it.
(19:33):
There's no way. And I think we've come to a
point where our customers love it. Our clients love it.
They love that it's same, but it's it's not the same,
and that it's truly by hand, and it comes with,
you know, a lot of struggle, like back in India as well.
Now everything's so fast, you know, they want to they
want to get bigger very soon. So my marble artist,
(19:55):
you know, I've been working for so many years. It's like,
you know, it's it's it's it takes so long long,
it's not one hundred percent how we want it sometimes,
but I'm like, we love it. We don't have a problem.
So what's happening now is a lot of the brands
are actually getting the first one done by hand and
then they're actually taking it and printing it and they're
(20:15):
justified saying that it is done by hand. But I'm
like that that defeats the whole purpose of doing by hand.
So yeah, there's a lot of things on that side.
And I can talk about it forever. But yes, I understand,
you know we're shot on time, so yes, please next next,
But what would you like to know next? Oh?
Speaker 3 (20:32):
No, I just think hearing you talk about it is
truly what the romance of your brand is, to the
point where I almost I imagine when they are arriving
in Melbourne, you can say, I can tell that this
is one artisan and this is another same design as
you said, same color, but you know she has a
(20:53):
certain little technique that does slightly different from the other.
And even as a consumer or a shop are coming in,
you know, how often do you say, well, this one
was made by this person, and this one was made
but this person is.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
That part of that process as well.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
I don't know, I very easily get caught up in
the romance. So I'm well and truly down the line.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Now, yes, a lot. You know, it's strange when we started.
I remember probably the first week of me being in Armadale,
and you know, when you get the Armadale clients in,
and I remember a woman walked in and you know,
we're trying to tell her the story, and we were
a lot I think, like you know, there was a
lot of passion. So I had a lot of my
store staff trained a well months in advance because you
(21:37):
need to tell them the techniques. And we had this
massive document about what's what technique And you know, also
like with hand looming, you know, I'm seeing it very loosely,
but there's probably a hundred different techniques you can do
in hand looming, and they're all historically from different regions
as well. This woman walks in and she's like, what
do you mean hand loomed And you said, oh, you know,
it's actually loomed by hand. And she said, but everything's
(21:58):
done by hand and said no, but you know there's
no electricity used. We don't use any electricity to produce
this silm. She thought, I'm just lying to her because
she couldn't understand it, and I get it, because you
know it's something they've you know, they've they've never heard of.
And then you know, we actually had to like show
her images and videos of how and you know, we've
done that and we do it as a process, and
(22:20):
she couldn't believe it. She said, I had no idea
something like this, And I told her, you know, when
there was no electricity, this is how it was done.
There was a time when you know, garments and fabrics
were already you know, people were doing cotton looming. There
was Jarka happening back in India. They were doing linen
and it was all done with hand and there was
never unless you know, then the power loom came into
(22:41):
place and all we started doing was replicating what was
done with hand, but making probably twenty times one hundred
times more fabric. And then also it's strange because you
show them two same things and they're like, oh, I
like that one more, and it's exactly the same thing.
But there's probably a little bit I get it. You know,
it's like, oh, I like how the marble sits on
(23:02):
my front or it sits in the back, So I'm
going to choose this one, which is which is great
because you know it's they've got that and it's very
rare that we'll have. I only make one size of it,
so I do a size sixteen to size eighteen, and
this I'm talking purely the retail side, but I only
do one size age. So if a size six is gone,
it's gone. I don't do two runs or three runs
(23:25):
unless something's really quickly sold off and we've got part
of that fabric which was left still at that earlier.
We'll really make few pieces, but it's not like, oh,
you know, it's not a factory, so we don't have
to do the whole size run or you know, we
have sometimes clients coming in saying, oh I love this piece,
this is beautiful. I'm not sure yet, and we'll say
we've got a few meters left. So we work very
(23:48):
differently to any retail model. I do make a lot
of meat to orders now, so we always hold back
probably one or two dress is worth of fabric because
sometimes when it's gone, if nothing's there there, you can't
offer that service.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
It's very irreplaceable too, right, Like it's a.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
And then there are clients that are like, oh, I
wanted my son's wedding is next year, so I'll be like, okay,
I'll have to loom it for you, and it can't
be done. It's going to take us six months to
do it or four months to do it, you know,
depending on what we're doing. Because what happens is so
every fabric, every silk, if it's a solid silk, it's
not that hard. It's hand loomed. You'd give them a
(24:30):
color and they'll they'll do they'll, you know, because we
hand eye all our colors as well, so all the
colors are hand eyed. It's the pattern when you're doing
a patterned jack card sort of a silk. Once they've
opened the loom, to reset that loom takes two to
three weeks, so it's not worth doing just five meters.
And then also you don't want to do too much
(24:50):
of it as well, So again there's a very fine line.
So yes, we do get customers, like you said, coming
in and you know, sort of loving it. But also
I think that education around it is so important, and
I'm very very proud that, you know, all through these years,
you know, we do have a lot of return customers
and they get it and they understand it and they
(25:11):
love that this is how we do it, and or
they want to get that piece because like you know,
very high chances I come back in two or three
weeks time and it's not there and they won't be
able to do it for us. And I think that's
what has kept us going, you know, And that's where
I think it's the truly the sense of being sustainable
works for us. You know, small productions we you know,
(25:33):
hardly go on sales, you know, we we don't because
even if we do, it's probably we might have like
an odd size six sitting here or a size sex
sixteen sitting somewhere. You will never get like a whole
size run. So and that's the whole purpose. I don't
like undervaluing the brand. I don't like, you know, selling
it for less because we don't make massive productions anyway.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
You know, listening to talk and describe the paces, I
think coming away now from sitting with you and chatting
about it, I think I would be describing the pieces.
When you purchase the pieces a little bit like purchasing
a piece of art. Actually, you know, you're purchasing more
than just address or just a garment. There's this not
(26:18):
only wholeback story that goes with it, but a great
deal of care. And I'm not discounting any of the
other brands in Australia or anything like that, but it
very much feels like you buy a painting and it's
been hand painted and it's taken you know, three hundred
hours to produce, and this is why you're paying what
(26:40):
you're paying. You're not just paying for the you know,
the actual fabric, you're paying for the time. And you know,
that's what.
Speaker 1 (26:46):
It feels like to me. I don't know.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I hope I've got a good sense. I hope that
that's what's coming across today, But that's what it feels
like to me.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
I agree hundred percent. I think I always, you know,
we always say that, you know, it is a piece
of art. It's it's because it's not hanging. Sometimes it's
actually even harder because we have to make sure it
dry cleans well. It's sort of like if it can
be hand washed, which you know, most of the hand
loom silks, the solid silks we are given that. We've
(27:15):
been told by the artisans it's fine, you know, because
it's natural colors. If you hand wash it, there's chances
it's going to lose some of it, but it's never
going to change the color of it. You know, to
tell your clients to not get surprised, which sometimes customers
do and it's like, oh my god, I washed it
by hand and the whole thing time off and no,
but it looks exactly the same. Still, it will lose
(27:36):
color because you know, we try not to use chemicals
to sort of you know, usually there's a technique they use.
If it's chemically dyed, they then do something to make
sure that the color stays faster. And you know, it's
the color fastness situation. But it is a piece of art,
but a little probably a bit more difficult because you know,
we have to make sure there's wearability, it fits well,
(27:57):
you know, end of the day, if it's not if
it's the star, it's not looking great, or it's not
made for the right body type. As women, you know,
we all have different bodies. It doesn't matter how beautiful
or how much hours you've spent, you know, it's very
hard to sell it. So I think as much as
I started as an artist, I would say, you know,
six years ago, I was very much focused into the techniques.
(28:18):
I think slowly I've learned that, you know, to stay
in the business, you have to make sure you know
it fits them well. Quality was always there. I think
from day one I was very focused on that, and
you know, my inspiration was really high in brands and
I would look into Doure and how they French scene
their things, so you know, I was always looking at
that couto side of things when we were finishing garments,
(28:40):
but it was more the you know, the Australian women,
you know how they like their fits and you know
how we're not updied. We don't want everything anything cutting
in us and you know we'd like that comfort but
you know, still quite cheap. So I think I've learned
all through that. But yes, like you said, it is
very much, especially you know all the special artisanal like
(29:01):
you know, the hand embellishments. We do all the mirrors,
so I use real, real mirrors. You know a lot
of times you'll see a lot of times there's you know,
there's it looks like a mirror, but it's all plastic
inside of it. I use real mirrors, so there actually
we actually cut out a glass. We actually cut real
mirrors and make our mirror embellishments and they get heavy
because it's real mirrors. But you know, I've done jackets
(29:23):
with like almost eighteen hundred mirrors on one for example,
and each one of them is hands on and you
know they can't be anything more artistic than that. So yes,
I agree. I think you've you've got this sense and
it's it's it's an honor, you know when you say
if it comes through like that as well, And I
think that's the whole purpose, Like my job's done well.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
I wish we could talk longer to you and more
about the brands, but I think I think you've now
this today absolutely, and I have no doubt that Mom.
Speaker 1 (29:56):
And Dad are very very proud.
Speaker 3 (29:57):
I hope they get to hear this, hear you talking
about it as well, even if it was a little
bit of a secret at the beginning. Thank you so
much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Thank you so much, Gaid, thanks for having me
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