Hi there,

Welcome back to Greetings From, which this time returns to an already familiar destination: Karaja. The occasion? The publication of my third scientific article (you can read the full version here), which summarizes a first part of my findings from the last two years. Today’s edition aims to break down my article into understandable parts to ensure that I can reach as many people as possible, regardless of whether they have a background in fashion or sustainability. My work can only make sense if people can understand it.

My PhD | What is the purpose of doing one?

Well, great question to get started with! It took me a while to believe that doing a PhD is actually valuable. I imagined myself sitting in a grey laboratory (including lab coat), writing away on my computer, doing tests, and delivering a 200 + page manuscript that would collect dust on shelves, never seeing the daylight. Indeed, what could ever be the purpose of something like this? Well I can assure you that this is not how my PhD has been going. Over the past two years I have been able to do transformative field research, meet with countless people, travel around, have life-changing exchanges, learn about different cultures, habits and customs, all while keeping a constantly evolving diary (both written and visual), so I can translate all of my impressions into articles (max 10 pages) that will each form a chapter of my final manuscript. Breaking down an enormous (and quite daunting) task into bitesize chapters. Besides the academic part, doing a PhD is requiring you to keep challenging yourself, your brain (especially!) and your mental ability to continuously stretch yourself into new understandings and perspectives.

Today’s newsletter was written spontaneously and quite unexpectedly after coming back from my last sewing session (for now) with the weavers. I’ve been visiting them since January 2024, learning little by little about the intricate weaving process by spending time with them in their village. Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to share my passion with them: sewing! And as I’m going home at the end of the month (finally!), a cycle of incredible exchanges and learnings is coming to an end. So I thought, that’s worth writing a newsletter about.

I hope you are all well and safe, the latter a privilege these days looking at what’s going on in the world. Things are falling apart (coincidentally the title of the book I am currently reading by Chinua Achebe), and it’s overwhelming. Upon discussing this with someone, they told me “It might be the opportunity to rebuild things better”. Let’s hope it is. The past weeks in Sumba, since combing back from Nepal, have been packed! Packed with projects, events, books, writing, working and most over joy. All these separate things came down to the same idea: think globally act locally.

The second time this newsletter travels to Karaja, it comes with a focus on natural dyes. In the first edition (you can read it [here] if you haven’t already), I reflected on an interesting report by Fashion Revolution India, exploring how craft can be a climate-positive solution. In line with that approach, I wanted to dive deeper into the power of natural dyes, especially in an age where chemical ones have become the norm.

This week we are celebrating Fashion Revolution Week, which each year happens around the 24th of April. Why? In 2013 on that exact date Rana Plaza, a garment factory in Bangladesh, collapsed and 1134 garment workers died. The NGO was founded after the incident to transform the fashion industry for the better. The theme this year is “Think Globally, Act Locally”, perfectly in line with what we are trying to do with the local upcycling hubs, hopefully one day creating a global network.

I am happy to be starting a new “destination” within my Greeting from newsletters: Karaja. The project and my work related to it takes up so much of my time (which I don’t mind at all), I feel it’s worth sharing. Not just the hub in Sumba, but my overarching work on garment durability and how it can be a way to move towards a just circular transition.

Making amends and finding joy.

Welcome to Karaja Upcycling!