Int he beginning

It's been in my thoughts lately to jot down to you about 'in the beginning'. What was the sustainable fashion landscape like 7 years ago in 2010. What happened in 2014 that was bloody hard, but incredible to me and the movement. 

So let's begin....and I will condence this into a few installments......

 

In 2008 I was working for World Expeditions. An adventure travel company passionate about meaningful travel and treading lightly on our planet, whilst being considerate to the people we encounter as tourists in their country. It was the perfect fit. I was this heartfelt soul, brimming with excitement for travel and sharing my past travel experiences with my clients. Nepal was at the heart of the World Expeditions portfolio and the first trip newby's (like me) were sent on! 

That trip changed the direction of my career. I trekked to the base camp of Ama Dablam, a 6 thousand metre peak. Metaphorically I proved to myself that I was stubborn, willing and, well stubborn. All things that would come in very handy down the track! 

From 2008 I knew social entreprenourship, in some form, was what got me out of bed. The form I was returning to time and again was fashion. Without this turning into an advert for travel to Nepal, it was purely the people of this country that stopped me in my tracks as a western consumer. It was the lightbulb moment!

It took 4 years for me to find the courage to launch an online store selling brands from around the globe. It was called Indigo Bazaar. I was strict with my criteria, 'nothing that looks like you've just been travelling in India for 6 months'. Combining ethics with aesthetics was more challenging to source. Back then most of the fashion that met this criteria wasn't from Ausrtalia. So it quickly became a store selling global brands where this movement was advancing much quicker. The store was called Indigo Bazaar, carefully curated by me. I had no idea what I was doing apart from knowing that I trusted my fashion judgement and was sooo willing to network, learn and follow my instincts.