On the third day of Christmas, Lora Gene gave to me
In our second edition of the exclusive ‘12 days of Christmas’ series, we’re bringing you a little bit closer to the people that are considered the heart-centre of our business - the makers. If you haven’t already seen our #herstory action over on Instagram, we are intentionally centring and amplifying the voices of the garment workers that are often overlooked, underpaid and undervalued in the fashion industry.
The reality is, garment workers have specialist skills. Their technical abilities and expertise are part of a dying skillset; and artistry that goes back centuries. Many have already lost the fight; fewer and fewer people can see the value of hand-crafted, need-driven creation.
As a sustainable clothing designer, my ethics go far beyond the material we choose, I’m coming across more and more resistance daily as people demand ethical materials, but not fair pricing to pay workers wages. How do people draw this line in their ethics and de-sensitise themselves to the lack of humanity in unequal opportunities?
I urge you to connect with humanity this Christmas. My hope throughout this series, as we open the door to the reality of life behind the brand, is that if you do decide to invest in a piece this Black Friday, you will know and contemplate the face of the person that had a hand in making it for you. For every purchase made between Saturday, 20th November and Black Friday on 26th November, we’ll be matching all discounts to top up the wages of the maker.
Read on to find out some more about the wonderful people that breathe life into our clothes here.
Image credit: Maria D Marinova
L: Who are you?
M: My name is Mariana and i'm a garment tech. You might have seen me before ...you really talk about me a lot, you should stop. (laughs)
L: Ha, you are my main weapon!! I can't stop talking about you.
L: What would friends say about your personality?
M: That I'm a hard working and honest person. They would probably say, "You can count on me".
L: How long have you worked in the industry?
M: More than 25 years now.
L: What are you passionate about in life?
M: I love my work. I love my kids and i really like Heavy Metal music (laughs)
L: She is not joking, she does love this type of music....
L: If you could name one technical part of the job you love the most, what would it be?
M: Everything, well almost...I hate working with chiffon silks because they are slippery.. but I love this job, it's what I do.
L: What is the most difficult part of making clothing?
M: None. There is nothing I find hard in this work, i just wish it was valued more because it's not easy and it takes a good decade to be good at it.
L: What is one value, or saying you live by?
M: Being honest and reliable. I really respect my word and would never dismiss a promise.
L: Are there any traditions you keep for the Christmas period?
M: The usual things... I have three grown up kids. One of them is now a mum herself. I love having them around for Christmas. I love cooking and on Christmas Eve in Bulgaria we prepare an even count of meals whcih are vegetarian, my favorite is stuffed pepers with beans.
L: What do you hope will change in the world next year?
M: I hope the world will go back to normal, althought i realise that's probably impossible. I wish we have some form of normality next year.
'' This Christmas I hope people are more empathic and care about each other, because no one's crisis is their own and we've witness this with our own eyes for the past two years.''
Image credit: Maria D Marinova
L: Who are you?
S: Svetlin
L: What would friends say about your personality?
S: My relatives and friends would say that I am dedicated to my work and the pleasures of life.
L: How long have you worked in the industry?
S: I have been involved in fashion and clothing since i started high school. After that, i continued to study in the Department of Fashion at the National Academy of Arts.
L: What are you passionate about in life?
S: I am inspired by the world around us - objects, plants, sounds, emotions (everything that can be inspired).
L: If you could name one technical part of the job you love the most, what would it be?
S: I love the way of creating clothes - from the sketch to the final product.
L: What is the most difficult part of making clothing?
S: The most difficult part of creating clothes is making, creating the cut of the conceptual design.
L: What is one value, or saying you live by?
S: The maxim I live by is to give beauty to people through my work.
L: Are there any traditions you keep for the Christmas period?
S: I love that everyone in the family is together at Christmas and of course the tradition of surprises and gifts.
L: What do you hope will change in the world next year?
S: I expect peace, light and love between people. I hope we live a more normal life without diseases and misfortunes.
''On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love bought for me, light love and a world free of grief.”
Image is taken by me last time I've asked Ani to show me a techique on one of her machines.
*I need a note here, Ani is one of my most valuable people, she is absolutely amazing at what she does and I have continued making knits because she exists. She thought me pretty much everything I know about knitwear, from numerical number to how to take measurements for sweaters. Ani is unique and I'm really worried if we will have someone to inherit the knowledge she has.
L: Who are you?
A: My name is Ani, I'm a knitter.
L: What would friends say about your personality?
A: That I'm calm and easy going, they would also say I never stop working. (laughs)
L: That's so true, you never stop working, that why we get along, I love working too!
L: How long have you worked in the industry?
A: Oh, that's a good question...over 40 years now. I started knitting in my early teens.
L: What are you passionate about in life?
A: My work is my big my passion, it makes me feel good. I love sitting infront of the machine and just knitting, it keeps my thoughts in order.
L: If you could name one technical part of the job you love the most, what would it be?
A: Seeing how the texture becomes a form and then a garment.
L: That is why I've started doing knitwear, its a completely different way of designing a garment, you think in textures and stitch count.
L: What is the most difficult part of making clothing?
A: Sewing is not my favorite thing, but in general the most difficult part lately is persuading people this worr is difficult and it takes a lot of effort to do it well. I don't like negotiating prices, its never been my forte and it feels draining.
L: What is one value, or saying you live by?
A: Dignity and decency, sorry I said two. Everyone deserves a dignified and descent living with the work they choose to do.
L: I so agree with that, I get so frustrated because sometimes we lack basics descency in the this industry.
L: Are there any traditions you keep for the Christmas period?
A: I have a big family and my kids live outside of Sofia, where I live, so for Christmas we usually go visit them with my husband.
L: What do you hope will change in the world next year?
A: I really hope this virus will calm down and leave us be... But besides, I just hope people will start listening to each other again.
''Knitting is a form of meditation, seeing how the texture becomes the shape is a great joy to me. ''
L: Who are you?
N: Niki, or Nikolay - Fashion designer, fashion editor, fashion buyer, fashion teacher in university.
L: The person that told me 10 years ago, ''Keep going darling, there is nothing impossible...''! Thank you.
L: What would friends say about your personality?
N: All of the above, someone humbly trying to develop a small factory for textile digital print at the moment.
L: You are so much more than that, one of the most intelligent people I've met...
L: How long have you worked in the industry?
N: More than 20 years now.
L: What are you passionate about in life?
N: People's behaviour under music. I am an observer at heart.
L: If you could name one technical part of the job you love the most, what would it be?
N: I should probably say creativity here, but over time I’ve developed bigger and bigger respect for all the small details, steps and people in the process of production.
L: I don't think I know anyone who knows that much about garment making.
L: What is the most difficult part of making clothing?
N: I like things simple. It happens to be very complex.
L: Isn't it?! People hardly realise how complex it all gets, and because FF have made everything so cheap we now have to tell the story all over again ...
L: What is one value, or saying you live by?
N: Honesty.
L: Are there any traditions you keep for the Christmas period?
N: I’m still trying to figure it out... how I feel about Christmas!
L: What do you hope will change in the world next year?
N: Ethics. I really hope people will be more truthfully caring, honest and accepting. It feels like we are putting more effort into faking it, than really doing it at the moment... and yes, I am talking about sustainability in fashion as well.
“On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, slow fashion as the new reality!”
AMEN!
*Niki and I have been friends for over 15 years now. I was modeling for one of his first ever shows when we were students in New Bulgarian University back in the days. Niki is one of the reasons I stayed in this business, he helped me massively throughout the years. I truly respect his professionalism but I also love him to bits.
