In episode 292, Kestrel welcomes Denica Riadini-Flesch, a development economist and the director at SukkhaCitta, to the show. A social enterprise started in 2016, SukkhaCitta works to give women in rural Indonesia fair access to education and market.
“We have grown this company, this mission, these projects on the ground with that mindset that we want to build a model for change. So, we are not here to grow and make the most profits or be the best company in the market, you know, but it’s really a very different mindset. We’re here to connect consumers with the full story of how and why something was made.” -Denica
One aspect of the complex and opaque fashion supply chain that is often overlooked is the number of homeworkers that are an integral part of making our clothes today.
I was reaching for some sort of statistic, and that led me to Nest’s website – where they outline that upwards of 300 million people around the world work from home, engaged in primarily craft-based handwork. They are predominantly women, often invisible and without social protections.
This week’s guest, a trained economist, saw this firsthand when she returned to her home country of Indonesia and was working as a social development consultant. This work took her to villages across the country, where she saw women literally making things with their hands from their homes.
She even spoke to a woman who was dyeing garments in her home – she had been given toxic dyes to use and was feeling the harmful health effects of it directly, not only on her lungs but also on her surrounding environment, when the dye would be dumped in the nearby river, where her children would play.
These experiences led her to realize that it could be possible to make clothes in a different way – where regeneration is actually central to the process. And maybe the status quo could actually no longer be the status quo!
From working with women farmers to rediscover the regenerative farming techniques of their ancestors to finding ways to use natural and upcycled food waste dyes, this week’s guest is constantly asking more questions, seeking new solutions, and listening – to unearth the Indigenous knowledge that can help us reimagine what fashion can look like today.
It’s undeniable that she’s advocating – through action – to challenge the status quo.
Quotes & links from the conversation:
Episode 284 with Angel Chang (Kestrel mentions it in the intro)
“Through this work, I’ve come to realize that you can grow in a different way.” -Denica (48:16)
“The new generation of companies should think about how we can grow with less.” -Denica (50:41)
SukkhaCitta Foundation
SukkhaCitta Social Enterprise
Follow SukkhaCita on Instagram >
Follow Denica on Instagram >
S03 Episode 121 | NEST + BUILDING A NEW HANDWORKER ECONOMY
S03 Episode 120 | THR3EFOLD, SOURCING ETHICAL FACTORIES + LOOKING BEYOND TRANSPARENCY
S03 Episode 119 | STATE OF FASHION + SEARCHING FOR THE NEW LUXURY
S03 Episode 118 | FIBERSHED + REGENERATIVE TEXTILE SYSTEMS
S03 Episode 117 | INDUSTRY OF ALL NATIONS + THE IDENTITY OF PRODUCTS
S03 Episode 116 | MARA HOFFMAN ROUND 2, AN UPDATE ON SUSTAINABILITY, GROWTH + EVOLUTION
S03 Episode 115 | OLORI + THE DIVINE RIGHT OF QUEENS
S03 Episode 114 | MODERN MACRAME
S03 Episode 113 | RESONANCE + CONNECTING ART WITH COMMERCE
S03 Episode 112 | NEO•THREAD, ONE-OF-A-KIND GEMS + COOL GIRLS CARE
S03 Episode 111 | ADITI MAYER, ADIMAY + REVOLUTION WASHING
S03 Episode 110 | BUY GOOD FEEL GOOD + ELEVATING ACCESS FOR SHOPPERS AND BRANDS
S03 Episode 109 | FINERY + MAKING USE OF THE WARDROBE YOU ALREADY HAVE
S03 Episode 108 | G-STAR RAW + THE MOST SUSTAINABLE JEANS EVER
S03 Episode 107 | SHOP GOOD + INTENTIONS FOR WELLNESS
S03 Episode 106 | CRAFTIVISTS + THE ART OF GENTLE PROTEST
S03 Episode 105 | THE CORDES FOUNDATION + SUPPLY CHAIN STORIES
S02 Episode 104 | WOOLN + GRANDMAS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN
S02 Episode 103 | WHAT IS BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY + THE SOCIAL IMPACT ECONOMY
S02 Episode 102 | MELANIN & SUSTAINABLE STYLE + ETHICAL FASHION AS A PRIVILEGED WHITE GIRL THING
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