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 >
S05 Episode 260 | What are you latching onto? A special edition recap — highlighting what we learned on season 5 to take us intentionally into season 6
S05 Episode 259 | Georgina Johnson's book "The Slow Grind" & the inevitability of degrowth in fashion
S05 Episode 258 | Aja Barber on how the *affordability* story is fueling a messed up narrative & why we need a culture shift
S05 Episode 257 | Farai Simoyi of The Narativ on the need for safe spaces where global designers can be seen, valued, and heard & educating the next generation of fashion's leaders
S05 Episode 256 | Shilla Kim-Parker of Thrilling on the digitization of secondhand & supporting small business
S05 Episode 255 | Gee's Bend Quilters: the original purveyors of sustainability & exploring the meaning of an equitable collaboration with Mary Margaret Pettway & Greg Lauren
S05 Episode 254 | Johnathan Hayden on using a brand as an experiment, questioning ownership over one's trash & how augmented reality could impact sustainability in fashion
S05 Episode 253 | Advocating for the U.S. to appoint a fashion czar, what are The Green Guides and more on the intersections of politics & fashion
S05 Episode 252 | Frankie Collective on reimagining supply chains for *upcycling* & embracing sustainability and streetwear through reworked design
S05 Episode 251 | CiscoSews on the freedom in nonbinary design & experimentations with upcycling
S05 Episode 250 | Natalie Shehata on why *diversity* is tokenistic and advocating for holistic inclusion
S05 Episode 249 | Isiah Magsino on fashion's current obsession with *genderless* and paying respect to queer & trans communities who have been stepping out of the binary forever
S05 Episode 248 | Ocean Rose on botanical dyeing, sustainability as a collection of idiosyncrasies & the art of slowing down
S05 Episode 247 | Christian Allaire of Vogue on the deep meaning behind Indigenous ribbon work & fashion as a means to reclaim culture
S05 Episode 246 | Nia Thomas on building an autobiographical brand & breaking up with plug and play approaches to doing fashion
S05 Episode 245 | Eshita Kabra-Davies of By Rotation on fashion rental, making the sharing economy personal & challenging the pressure of *newness*
S05 Episode 244 | Alyssa Beltempo on creativity over consumption & shifting the narrative away from placing *all* responsibility on the consumer
S05 Episode 243 | Julia Perez of Jae and Leona on separating self care from capitalism, launching a skincare line during the pandemic & advocating for skincare as liberation
S05 Episode 242 | Questioning the meaning behind *regenerative fashion* and building new fashion systems with Christy Dawn & Oshadi Collective
S05 Episode 241 | Reimagining waste as a resource, creativity's battle against commerce & the importance of welcoming financial sustainability into the larger conversation
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Dairyland Frights
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL