Interview with Story Mfg.
for sabukaru.online
Article about British sustainable fashion brand Story Mfg. including interview with the founders Katy and Saeed al Rubey.
Fashion consumers are dramatically changing the way they decide what to buy.
In a recent study, researchers found that consumers expect brands to take social responsibility for their production process. People believe that brands need to pay their workers fairly, care for their health, reduce the negative impact on the environment and practice social consciousness. Brands are being pressured into social responsibility; the spotlight is on social and environmental impact now more than ever. The implications for an industry that has been driven by the motto “faster, higher, cheaper,” are drastic.
Story Mfg. is a brand by Saeed and Katy Al Rubeyi that has applied significant pressure to the conversation surrounding sustainability in fashion. The brand started to produce clothing in an existing dyehouse in India that houses years of knowledge and craftsmanship. By defying the ever-faster-and-bigger growing consumption concept, Story Mfg. has kept their manifesto as a fundamental part of their production: always have the least negative impact on the planet.
Back in 2020, when travelling to Japan was still possible, we met with Saeed for the first time in Tokyo to talk about founding a brand out of the desire to change and disrupt the status quo. He told us how the story began and how they slowly grew from making a few hand dyed denim pants to having a worldwide stockist list of 50 stores. At the time, Story Mfg. was an insider’s tip but still niche.
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Full article here
Peter Obradovic, Berlin, 2023