By Kavi Rana
It feels impossible to create or run a business or just survive when the world is crumbling around us. I know everyone is going through it right now. Our paths and future are as uncertain as ever. I am grasping on to hope for humanity and for our planet as we navigate this chaos of dismantling illusions.
All I can do is my work, which is to tend to my community and build something meaningful in a system that constantly desensitizes us with its atrocities. My optimism is tested constantly by the state of the world, but alas the passion I have for a better future is stronger than my fears and doubts.
My sewing journey began when I was young, hand-sewing clothes to save money and express myself. My grandmother and mother sewed my school uniforms in Nepal, and those early experiences showed me the power of transforming fabric and clothing with intention. Over the years, I kept teaching myself by mending, altering, and upcycling my clothes.
I later studied Sustainable Fashion Making in Florence, Italy, where I immersed myself in the full fashion design process; from sketching figures and building mood boards, to hand-drafting patterns, sourcing sustainable fabrics, and sewing garments with the precision of Italian craftsmanship. I created my first collection of three outfits, all made from thrifted fabrics and second-hand clothes sourced from local Italian markets, upcycling them into something entirely unique. I styled my model, did the makeup, and designed the set using fabric scraps for the photo shoot that brought it all to life.
My entire experience in Italy deepened my craft, gave me a global perspective, and reinforced my belief that fashion can be authentic and revolutionary.
Learning to sew right now is an act of resistance. This is a call for action. The fashion industry will not continue to exploit. The system profits off our disconnect from the people and processes behind our clothes. It depends on us not knowing how to make or fix anything.
Sewing is a practice of love. Every time I teach, share, create, and save, my drive gets sharper. My hope gets brighter. Conversely, it is true too: Every time I learn, receive, witness, and release, I feel reignited. So, let’s get to the point and be real. It’s on brand for me, anyways.
Before starting Samavesi, my sustainable fashion brand and learning space, I burnt myself out working in environmental science. Collecting data on our disappearing ecosystems made me feel helpless, among other hard and confusing to process feelings. Whenever I learned something, I saw the disconnect between the reality of our natural systems and society’s understanding and behaviors.
That’s why I started Samavesi, to empower and conserve. Every day we get dressed, we participate in a system built on exploitation, pollution, and disposability, whether we realize it or not. That’s why knowing how to sew is crucial right now.
Sewing to me is an act of love and rebellion. It’s appreciation for natural resources. It’s reclaiming your clothes and your power. Learning to sew is an investment in yourself, your clothes, and our future. Knowing how to hem, mend, upcycle, and make your own clothes is revolutionary. You save money in the long run, you lessen the stress on our planet, and you stop funding exploitation.
The last thing I’ll say, even though I could go on, and will one day write a book about all this, is that sewing is healing. From stitch to stitch, you are supporting your mental health by inducing a meditative state, reducing stress, and releasing dopamine.
So, as nothing makes sense in the world right now, I hope learning to sew will be one fun way to get your power back and be part of the fashion revolution.
It’s a movement, not a moment.
