Dive Deeper: Dear Senggigi
An exclusive interview with the founder of Dear Senggigi, Desty. An ethical & sustainable brand from the sunny island of Lombok.
SECTION 1: ABOUT YOU
1. Would you share a bit about yourself and where you’re from?
My name is Destyananda but people call me Desty. I’m from a beautiful island called Lombok, Indonesia. If you are unfamiliar with Lombok, it’s a hidden beach heaven near Bali!
2. How did it all start?
I am a petite size, which resulted in me feeling that I didn’t have much clothing of my size that were comfortable and flattering. Hence, I often made my outfits based on my preference and size. Along the way, I thought “hmm, maybe I’m not the only girl that feels this way about their clothing size.” That’s when I decided to build this brand that showcases a beach look that is comfortable yet timeless, a look that is simultaneously modest yet sexy.
SECTION 2: ABOUT YOUR BRAND
1. Could you tell us more about your label?
Dear Senggigi is a local brand from Lombok, that has emphasized on style and quality since 2019. It specializes in women’s beachwear & loungewear. The brand’s name was inspired by my hometown, to remind me to always create a positive impact in everything I do. Dear Senggigi products use sustainable clothing materials such as TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers, zero-waste organic fabric, and even fabric scraps retrieved from the cutting process of our garment production. To minimize our production waste, we re-process these fabric scraps and off-cuts into brand-new usable items that are comfortable yet timeless.
2. What have been some of the biggest challenges for you on this journey?
The most significant challenge for us would be how we can be sustainable from start-to-end of our production process. Not only are we utilizing natural fibers to create fashionable pieces, we also aim to optimize the production process to generate greater environmental impact. The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global water pollution that contaminates oceans. Hence, this is why one of our values is to be more sustainable and protect our oceans. We achieve this through re-purposing fabric scraps from unused materials as part of our sustainability efforts.
3. What do you want to achieve personally with your brand?
We have a vision of incorporating fashion into a sustainable lifestyle, thereby creating a sustainable consumer experience. As part of our mission, we produce our products in limited quantities via the pre-order system, in hopes that this can reduce the production waste and environmental damage done by the fashion industry to the ecosystem.
SECTION 3: YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE
1. How would you explain the importance of brands like yours making steps to become more ethical and sustainable to someone who isn’t well-versed in what that means?
As seen from mainstream news, the fashion industry has a significant environmental impact on our oceans — such as the environmental damage from microfibers killing the marine life and the industrial textile dyes polluting the oceans. As part of our sustainability efforts, our products are made from biodegradable textiles such as TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers.
2. For the consumers, what are the easiest ways that we can all be more sustainable in our approach to fashion?
In my opinion, I do not believe in chasing after the trends set by society. I believe in purchasing sustainable pieces, despite the higher price point. This also helps me shop guilt-free. So why not buy timeless pieces that are simultaneously comfy yet sustainable?
3. People say that sustainable fashion is too expensive or too difficult to do. How do you usually respond to that?
We usually respond by educating them on how we build our products sustainably from ground-up —from the sourcing of raw materials and optimization of the production process to its packaging— to justify the high pricing. We would prove that we are truly a sustainable brand, through our sustainability efforts to create green products, and our emphasis on improving the well-being of our employees.
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