Hey there #yugencommunity - Happy International Women’s Day!
In case you didn't know, International Women's Day has been celebrated on the 8th of March every year since 1911 (i.e - more than a century). It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, political (and in this case, environmental) achievements made by women. It also calls for the acceleration of global strides towards women's equality. #eachforequal
In honour of Women’s Day 2020, we are doing not one, but THREE features on young, Caribbean women who are making strides towards sustainability in their respective fields!
Our first story features Sara-Leigh Amirali (@sunflwer_design on Instagram) - a new, small-scale dressmaker and fashion designer. Residing in Marabella, Trinidad and Tobago, Sara Leigh does custom clothing and alterations to create unique and edgy pieces.
Being introduced to sewing by her aunt at a young age, she always loved fashion and expressing her creativity, however, she never thought of pursuing design until 2018.
She shared “At the end of my time at University I felt incomplete, which was ironic because I completed my degree. I needed something more...and design popped in my head”. This prompted her to start dressmaking at MIC Technical institute a year later.
After creating her Instagram page - which she uses as an online portfolio - and seeing the positive responses received, she hopes that her dressmaking and design business will be able to sustain her for the rest of her life, allowing for her to fully focus on improving her work and spend most of her time doing something she loves.
Sunflower Design's Sustainability Challenge
For 2020, Sara-Leigh embarked on a sustainable fashion challenge – aiming to create at least one item every month, either using items or materials she already owns or incorporating the use of natural fibers. This was done with the goal of creating a wardrobe that not only promotes sustainable fashion but also increases versatility and reduces waste.
The challenge is open to anyone, giving creatives a chance to focus their energy on something that is beneficial to the planet! Thus far, she has been able to stick to the challenge and created dresses, pants and tops.
While this challenge is her main focus for 2020, Sara-Leigh continuously tries to implement sustainable practices into her trade by purchasing discounted fabric for garment production to prevent them from being sent to the landfill and donating old clothing which she does not wish to recycle.
She says “you don’t need expensive fabric to make cute garments and you don’t need to follow every temporary trend. You can take steps to save the planet by doing one small thing”.
While Sara-Leigh believes that the sustainable community is growing, she does note that “people are consumers...they will always be. It will take a long time for the majority to be on board.” However, she hopes that eventually, we will get there.
She also hoped to expand and sell beautiful garments in the future, and aims to do so while being as sustainable as possible and minimising her carbon footprint.
Sara Leigh also invites anyone who would like to have an item upcycled or altered to contact her directly on her Instagram page or call/Whatsapp her at 868-735-9126 - to set an appointment!
If you enjoyed this week's blog post, please comment below and don't forget to come back on Wednesday for our second IWD Post featuring Anella Balchan, the founder of "Project Blue" and "The Greenside Movement". ~
- Jamala A.
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