Indigowares: founder Lisa Reddings introduces her slow fashion brand

Please introduce yourself:

Hello! I'm Lisa, founder and creator of Indigowares. I live in Hertfordshire and I’m a 47-year-old mother of two. 

When did you start Indigowares and what inspired you to do so?

I started Indigowares in 2016 after working in fast fashion for 20 years. At the time I had taken a break from the industry to have children, but when I went through a divorce I had to find a way to make a living and be there for my children at the same time. Since then, Indigowares has become the perfect intersection of following my dream to start an independent ethical brand, and a way of working from home and being able to bring up my kids.

The idea for Indigowares initially came because I had taken up indigo dying as a hobby. I fell completely in love as I learned about its magical dyeing processes, as well as the cultures that did and still do use it. I grew really disillusioned with the fast fashion industry after working in it for so long, and this brought the focus back to making pattern – which was always my passion – and the traditional processes and history behind it. 

This evolved into a business through Etsy first. Then I learned to build a website and slowly started adding products there. And as I grew my knowledge of how to run an online business, Indigowares grew alongside that. The goal is always to create something that is timeless, seasonless, and keeps traditional processes alive with a contemporary twist.

What steps go into creating your pieces? 

It starts with the design, which has to be tested in order to come to life. We create sample garments, I indigo dye on different fabric contents to see how they take, test different patterns and natural dye techniques – everything needed to land on the perfect combination of things for production.

Production is split between my home studio here in Hertfordshire and our collaborators in India, so the process of creating pieces also looks different depending on where the resources are coming from. For garments like our Kantha Jackets, the process starts by working with our collaborators to source kantha quilts to be repurposed, then created in our classic styles.

Are you in charge of all the steps or do you have a team that supports you?

I design and oversee all the steps, but I have a number of people who collaborate, input, and help throughout production and running the business. So here in England, I work with a seamstress called Caroline, who helps with sewing and general day to day running. Then I have Kay, my virtual assistant who puts together our blogs, newsletters, and different bits of content. 

Then we have a number of really close relationships with our collaborators in India. There’s Kiran Sandhu, who owns and runs the farm where our Indigo is grown. Kiran is a fantastic indigo artist and samples pieces for us as well as collaborates on our Seed to Closet designs, which are made on her farm and are 100% traceable straight from the earth.

Our kantha quilts are also sourced from vintage bedding and materials in India – I work closely with a few suppliers in Jaipur to select these for each design.

What is special about choosing these techniques over chemical dying?

Water consumption is lower, for one. Natural dyes prevent the pollution that chemical dyes cause. Chemicals dyes are also harsh against your skin – they can cause allergies and irritation that you may not even think about when buying something chemically dyed. Our indigo dye is certified and tests at over 50% pure, which is an amazing amount for natural indigo. You can even see pictures of where our indigo was grown and the process of harvesting on our website. This models the cyclical process fashion can take - materials that come from the earth and can be returned to the earth.

But aside from all the environmental and person benefits, natural dyeing keeps alive traditional techniques. It allows us to celebrate history, culture, and artistry. 

What is your favourite Indigowares piece and why? 

I fall in love with each one at the beginning when I’m making them. Then stay in love until the next piece comes to mind, and the process starts all over again!

I think with designing something, it's like having children in some ways. You develop it and grow it and love it and nurture it. And then you set it free into the world and hopefully it does well. You're always there to support it – to share it and keep trying to sell it. Then to enjoy when customer reviews come in and other people fall just in love as I did! 

I think a lot of artists, at the beginning, you put all that time into your creation. And that’s why you love what you do, but nobody can love one thing forever. We’re always evolving, finding new fibres, new processes, more sustainable methods. That’s what I'd love more than anything – the evolution.

You worked in the fashion industry for about 20 years. What is different now that you work for your own brand?

So many things. We don't work into seasons. We don't work under pressure. We don't have to follow trends. We can be flexible and more human with suppliers, flexible with timelines and the creative process.

The biggest thing is that when you run your own brand, you are in control of your own destiny. Which hopefully means that we can help shape the future of the fashion industry, if we’re the change we want to see. 

Indigowares is only a little brand, but if the bigger brands see what we’re doing and the huge positive impact on the environment it can have, then maybe they’ll also start doing what we were doing. Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation, and maybe we can really reduce the pollution of the fashion industry. At the end of the day, the biggest thing I can do through Indigowares is take care of the earth, and help others do the same.

How can people find your beautiful designs?

On our website and on Instagram.

Images: Indigowares

Bookbinding: back to the roots with Leim & Falz

Stationery, planners, notebooks and storage boxes: Leim & Falz offer minimalistic, quality pieces that are meticulously crafted by hand and inspired by Skandinavia’s cool design aesthetic. Leim & Falz founder Florian Weigel agreed to chat to me and tell me more about his timeless and thus, enduring concept.

Please introduce yourself. What made you start Leim & Falz?

My name is Florian Weigel. I am from Berlin but live in Hamburg, where I feel very much at home. Walking around Hamburg and exploring its little side roads has made me fall in love with the city over the years. I fell for Vienna in just the same way a while ago.

On my walks I enjoy spotting small artisan businesses. Unfortunately, they are becoming a rare sight these days. That is why I wanted to start something that keeps artisan traditions alive, in my case it was bookbinding. By running Leim & Falz, I’d hope to get a younger audience interested and pass on my own passion for tradition & attention to detail to them.

Why is Leim & Falz different?

All Leim & Falz products are handmade by myself. I choose the fabrics, paper types and colours. I don’t just want to please the eye. It is important to me that my creations also feel interesting. I adore the combination of clean lines, minimalism and warmth.

I am aware that my products may not affordable for everyone. That is why it’s even more important to me that I don’t just create a beautiful object. I create items that at no point during their production or life-cycle, harm human-kind, animals or nature. To give you one example, I consciously avoid the use of leather.

Where are your items made? What production processes/techniques do you use?

Every single step of production is carried out by me in my small studio in Hamburg. I use bookbinding techniques that have been around for centuries in a way that enables me to make my products light and contemporary.

To make a notebook, I print, fold, bind and cut paper. The card for the binding is covered in book linen that I then emboss. Once I’ve added the headband and ribbon to the book, I combine it with the binding (cover). Afterwards, the complete book needs to be pressed for at least 12 hours so that it’s even when dry. The whole process requires attention to detail, great care and patience. The moment one attempts to work too fast, mistakes happen, and those cannot be corrected further down the line.  

I often have to remind myself that there is no way of speeding up that manual process. Instead, I need to accept it and see creating my products as a form of meditation.

On request, Florian personalises all Leim & Falz pieces.

What is your favourite Leim & Falz product and why?

I really love the storage box. It’s a perfect hiding spot to stow away all the small bits that usually lie around the house, it’s like they just magically disappear.

Where can people find you and Leim & Falz? Where can they get your creations?

Currently, our products are exclusively sold via our own web shop. You can find out more about us on our website, we also have an Instagram account.

What are three things that make you feel heiter?

Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata, listening to the seagulls at the port of Hamburg and the colourful chard in my raised-bed garden.

Read the German version here.

Interview & images: Katharina Geissler-Evans, heiter magazine