Launching our Kimono - Fast Fashion or Slow Fashion?

Dealing with time management in rural areas where the clock doesn't tick so fast or let’s say where time doesn't exist at all, is quite a challenge.
When we launched the Kimono jacket, we scheduled several workshops to teach the women this new garment. In between the workshops, the women have to practice their sewing skills so they can meet up to the quality standards that are required.After wrapping up these training sessions, the women are on their own and back to their traditional lifestyle. For example, doing dishes in the river, going back to their agriculture activities, taking care of the kids and their household. But how do they plan our Kimono orders into their traditional lifestyle and still meet up with our 'Western' deadlines? .........Honestly we don't know!
 

When we set a deadline for ordering Kimono's, our production line can be (a little) out of our control. We check up with the women to see how their production progress is going by calling or texting them from Paramaribo. This can be quite stressful for us because there are days we can't reach the women due to the lack of wifi, or electricity. After the women are back on the radar, the due date of their deadlines has already passed. Now what? We can't promote the products yet and the sales are delayed for weeks or months. Dealing with these uncertainties, taught us to be flexible. The women don't have a clue about fast fashion in the western world. And they don't need to, but we would like to make them more aware of time management so they can plan their daily life effectively. By giving practical workshops about time management we hope to build a bridge between their traditional lifestyle and Talking Prints work ethics.
 

Fast Fashion vs Slow Fashion

If we would fit ourselves into a box we would say we are a slow fashion brand. Fast fashion is out of the question for us. Producing 4 collections every year like the fashion brands Monki, Zara, Daily Paper and H&M are doing would be stressful and suicidal for us. Time management in the rural areas is a whole other ball game. Did you know it took us almost one year to produce the Kimono (only one clothing item)?! Driving hours and hours to the rural area, giving sewing workshops, monitoring the deadlines, photoshoots and the list goes on.
We just take a chill pill, stick to our slow fashion and we just produce an all-year collection if you don't mind.

So before you purchase your next clothing or accessories, be aware of the amount of time that goes into making your products. Like to know how our Kimono of one year hard work turned out?
We present to you the Surinamese Kimono,named Pangi-Mono here !

Kimono with colorful patterns

Support sustainable and slow fashion!

Lobi,
Pekula