We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nami Milivojevich a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Nami, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, I worked for over two decades as a designer in the fashion industry for several brands including Moschino in Milan, Puma in Germany, J.Crew and several others in New York City… I was lucky enough to gain experience in so many fields of fashion design, from high-end evening wear, to technical sportswear, to denim, swim and lingerie. You name it, I’ve designed it :) I really loved being a designer, and being able to focus on the creation of clothing, exploring concepts through form, textiles and colors. However, something always left me unfulfilled. I wanted to do something that had made sense for me and my way of living. I wanted to create something that was meaningful, beautiful and useful, using the best quality materials possible, while also doing as little damage to the environment as possible. The fact that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting on the planet was at odds with my love for making things. It was a challenge for me to find something to make that I could justify producing, and reka is what I came up with.
Nami, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
reka kaftans was born out of a desire to create garments that are beautiful, practical and made with respect to our earth. The best thing we can do as consumers is actually to buy less by choosing long-lasting things that we really love. It’s ok to buy things as long as we choose them carefully. We make garments that have as little impact on the environment as possible. We use 100% organic cotton and non-toxic dyes and pigments in an attempt to keep things low impact. In terms of fashion, if you only buy high quality clothes that you love, your style will come together effortlessly because your choices all come from the heart. reka is meant to be a comfortable and cool addition to your wardrobe, that can be worn in a variety of ways and for a variety of occasions.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
I could not have started this business without the help of my production manager in India. reka kaftans are made in factories that provide good conditions and fair wages for their workers. We also do block printing which is an ancient Rajastani technique. It’s a manual process that avoids the toxic chemicals associated with mass produced screen printing methods.
I worked for years with factories all over the world and chose to make reka kaftans using sustainable resources. The tricky part about starting out is finding people to handle small quantities because being able to choose from a variety of styles is an essential part of the brand. Luckily, I found people that believe in the concept as much as I do, and were willing to work with me to get things done right.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I believe in being honest in general because I like to simplify my life, not make it more complicated :) It’s an important part of what reka is about: expressing oneself in an honest way and doing one’s best is very liberating. I hope the idea comes through our brand messaging, and I think more and more people appreciate the sentiment. We respect our resources, our workers, and our customers in everything we do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rekakaftans.com
- Instagram: @rekakaftans
- Facebook: rekakaftans
Image Credits
Yoye