Starashan is a Melbourne based and produced label creating urban edged transeasonal clothing. This unique label is designed with longevity and versatility in mind, incorporating modifiable design features and carefully selected ethical fabrics. Starashan was born out of a frustration with mainstream fashion, and the inevitable mediocrity and waste that goes along with it. I personally struggle wit
h the excess, waste and exploitation that are often so much a part of mainstream ‘fast fashion’. At the core of my business is a desire to create clothing for women like me who are happy to ‘not quite fit’ into consumer culture, women who consider the social and environmental ethics and impacts of clothing production. I strongly believe in supporting local businesses and keeping production Australian where possible. Having said this, sourcing ethical fabrics locally has surfaced as a stumbling block, with the origins of fabrics coming into Australia largely being an unknown. At the start of 2014 I set out to change this, visiting India to establish working partnerships with ethical fabric suppliers. I now source handblock printed fabrics from a small family run business in Bagru, Rajasthan. This business focuses reducing the environmental impact of fabric production, harvesting and recycling water, and using natural dyeing and printing methods. I personally visited this factory. I have seen where and how the fabrics are produced, and have spent time working with these artisans. It sits well with me that I know how and who produces these fabrics. In the March of 2015, I visited India again. This time my focus has been developing partnerships with handloom social enterprises in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh. These businesses are working to create a traceable, ethical product from farmer to fabric. It is my hope that people who encounter Starashan will appreciate the attention to detail, and impeccable finish of this label, and value the incorporation of the artisanal fabrics of India.
