2020 has been such a contrast to what we all expected. Reflecting back over the last few months in lockdown, has us all thinking about the way life was before and how much has changed.
For many of us around the world and here in Australia, the pandemic has brought business, life and our usual routines to a halt. These sudden changes are having huge impacts on our lives and close relationships.
As a mother and a small business owner, Sahana has had to take a pause in order to prioritise family. Homeschooling two small kids whilst the hubby works from home was difficult in many ways. Every parent who has had to manage this will understand the challenges that come with it. Yet, this was also the most beautiful opportunity given to us by nature, forcing us to stop chasing on a daily basis and to focus on what really matters.
With no place to be at 9am on a Monday and not needing to rush through our daily commute to get to school drop off or to a work meeting, the morning was free to enjoy the quiet beauty of the Byron Bay beaches. We found ourselves so grateful for the fresh air and the space surrounding us and began to realise that not everyone was fortunate to have the freedom in some Australian cities or around the world.
With our usual shops and cafes in the village closed until further notice, going back to basics of home cooking and baking fresh bread, sausage rolls and cookies from our kitchen kept us so much more satisfied. Reconnecting with nature and working on our veggie patch, got the kids rethinking what we eat and how we grow them.
This time together as a family was a rare but fulfilling time to get to know our children once again and reconnect on a deeper level with what is important in life.
As with many other small businesses, there have been many implications to stopping over the last 3 months. But it has been the best opportunity to pause and reflect on positive changes and reinforce ongoing values going forward.
During this time, we have been able to question the ethics of fast fashion and the pace at which we live. We are allowing ourselves to revisit why we started Sahana in the beginning, and to embrace our values of consciously creating slow, quality, handmade pieces from natural materials, with the environment always in mind:
:: A healthy work life balance
:: Slowing down our pace of life
:: Thinking about the people behind the scenes making Sahana garments
:: Producing specially curated pieces that are trans-seasonal
:: Focussing on wardrobe staples instead of following the seasonal trend
For Sahana, we are embracing these business mantras and continuing to advocate a slow and conscious way of life. As we start to embrace our new and improved work day, we have been working on the next conscious collection, sourcing new cottons, testing hand embroidery techniques. Designing the new slow fashion pieces with a clear focus in-house in our studio. Stay tuned for a snippet of our design process on our instagram stories before they are launched later on in the year.
“Be you…
Live slower…
Love yourself more….. “