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Bad Tan Gals: Bringing crocheting back in style

07 Jul 2021

Sue Abeyrathne and her mom Ama Abeyrathne are the Co-Founders of Bad Tan Gals, an online shop that is famous for its crocheted clothing items. At 26 years of age, Sue has a legal background, being a barrister of the Lincoln’s Inn in England and Wales, and is currently practising as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. Bad Tan Girls is a side business she started out of her passion for the art of crocheting that was passed down to her family for generations. Brunch had a chat with Sue to learn more about her brand. Following are excerpts of the interview.   [caption id="attachment_148130" align="alignright" width="261"] Ama Abeyrathne[/caption] What inspired you to start up your brand? The fashion industry was something that I never considered getting myself involved in. This year, owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, I spent a lot of time at home with my mum watching her practise this intergenerational craft, which she learnt from her mother who learnt from her grandmother. In many ways, crochet is the ultimate handicraft, as it cannot be replicated by a machine. Seeing this form of art gave me the idea of making clothing that is wearable on our tropical island in the equatorial climate. The delicate nature of crochet meant it was ideal for resort wear pieces. My true inspiration for starting Bad Tan Gals has been my mum. She is a very artistic and creative soul. We started our brand in July 2020. We are 100% handmade, 100% women-made, and a 100% women-owned clothing brand, operating online mainly through Instagram. We have been awarded the Good Market Certification in December 2020 for the recognition for the work we do for our people and our planet.     [caption id="attachment_148131" align="alignleft" width="290"] Sue Abeyrathne[/caption] When did you discover your passion for fashion? I have always looked for quality in things I buy as a consumer, and recently due to the huge impact of fast fashion, an industry defined by its relentless quest for the new and the next, with labels churning out four or more collections per year coupled with the young generation relying on these, clothes were no longer seen as serving a basic necessity or carried any value, as they were regarded as temporary and easily replaceable items with no real shelf life. Though I am passionate about personal style and using fashion as a medium for self-expression, for me, moving away from a consumerist mindset meant that I was to be living a more minimal lifestyle. So it is a top priority that I make sure the clothes I purchase are of high-quality value and would last me more than a trend or two. For my luck, most of such clothing comes from a background that is not related to the harms of garment factories where workers are mistreated, neglected, and poorly compensated, with little to no regard to ecological impacts of their production processes. It is a win-win situation. Although I’m very conscious of every purchase I make, I take time to consider what the item will add to my life and whether it’s a necessity or a luxury. But I do believe it is still okay to buy things because you want them, but not every day! It’s about finding a balance.     What is the process behind making your products? Ama and I do the designing, where I do the research and draw them out and consult mum on the how tos. Once we decide if it’s possible and practical, mum goes on to make the sample. Crochet clothes are extremely labour-intensive pieces that take between eight to 56 hours of hand crocheting, depending on the design. So we needed people skilled in this craft to help make our clothes. This is when we located a town, with my aunt’s help, in the North Central  Province where women from improvised communities were found to be skilled in the art of crocheting. This paved the way for us to build relationships with these incredible people who have important knowledge. This created an opportunity for more of a collaborative element. Initially, we had a team of three ladies and we started conducting workshops to educate them on the patterns, designs, etc. and further fine tune their skills. Ama and I travelled twice a month when travel restrictions were more lenient to conduct workshops, hand over supplies, and collect completed clothing. Now we have grown to a  team of nine craftswomen.   Do you hope to expand your collection to other articles of clothing? Yes! We are currently in the works of releasing a small limited-edition capsule collection of dresses and co-ord sets. These have been in the works for a while since every single item is made by hand; some of the dresses have been worked on for around a month to be completed. We are super excited about that. We are also in the process of finding ways to dye our materials using natural processes using plant extracts in order to create environmentally friendly colours.   Why did you decide to focus on crochet? Crochet feels more like a heirloom – a little precious and delicate. The labour-intensive nature means that each piece is made individually with a lot of attention and care, making them one-of-a-kind pieces. It just ticks all of the boxes. Crochet clothing is a great alternative to the fast-fashion clothing currently available to the market. It is great for the environment and the people involved in making it. I am happy to have co-founded a sustainable brand that has given women work opportunities from improvised communities in Sri Lanka and could not have been more proud of building a business that supports our local community and can do it so sustainably.   What makes your brand unique? We are a slow fashion label with 90% of our clothes being handmade to order, with only a few pieces held on stockist’s websites. We do not engage in mass production. With our conscious limited production, we avoid any wastage of material and putting any unnecessary strain on our planet and its resources. Currently, our materials and yarn are being sourced from several vendors who supply us with garment factory offs, deadstock, and discards, where yarn that is otherwise going to landfill is sent our way. However, we have to be practical and source from local vendors from time to time, due to supplies from garment industries not being guaranteed, making it a challenge to keep up with our production processes. We are working on our goal to be more sustainable in our sourcing of a steady supply of eco-friendly yarn suitable for our tropical climate. Bad Tan Gals has a zero plastic packaging practice in place. We work with printing companies that use recycled paper for our labels, and our products come in small reusable linen bags. We understand that although it is difficult to find the perfect equilibrium in being sustainable and eco-friendly, we are constantly educating ourselves trying to improve every aspect of our process as a sustainable brand.   How important is it for fashion brands to be sustainable? Fast fashion is devastating to our environment. It has been stated that around 5% of total global emissions come from the fashion industry. Studies show that we are buying 60% more clothing than we were in the year 2000. Textile production is one of the most polluting industries, producing 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) per year; this is shockingly more emissions than those of international flights and maritime shipping. Over 60% of textiles are used in the clothing industry and a large proportion of clothing manufacturing occurs in China and India, countries which rely on coal-fuelled power plants, increasing the footprint of each garment. Then there are the terrible work conditions in which people are exploited in terms of labour to produce these cheap garments. Trends running their course with lightning speed, today’s latest styles swiftly trumping yesterday’s, and our consumption in these Janus-faced desires contribute to these emissions and labour exploitations that are harmful to our people and the planet. Studies show that sustainability is not a term the young generation typically associate with fashion, although they are very open to environmentalism, which we saw particularly in regard to the outrage from the disastrous incident of the chemical-laden cargo ship X-Press Pearl. So it is up to us as the consumer to take an active role in our conscious consumption to help reduce our contribution to an impending ecological disaster. This will drive companies and brands to start to prioritise these issues and help cater to our needs in a way that is beneficial for our planet and people.   Do you have any plans for the future? Our goal is to make our clothing more accessible by bridging the gap between those who want to help and those in need of help. We hope to create more work opportunities for women in improvised areas all over the island and not just limited to the North Central Province. We also take it to be our mission to educate people on ethical consumerism. I do feel that through Bad Tan Gals, I have found a greater sense of purpose. Although I have been interested in law for as long as I can remember, this project has shown me different aspects of life and other areas in our lives that should be more than an afterthought in our existence. Now that I have had the thirst to help, on the one hand, women feel beautiful and confident in their skin, and on the other hand, women become independent by being given opportunities to work in their craft and be compensated fairly. It has been incredibly rewarding. Not to mention, for us to do this in an eco-friendly way is the cherry on top.

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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