A manifestation of a miracle, a dream that became a reality! My reflections as I muse and entertain my thoughts, as I reminisce about Roses and Rhinos and its humble beginnings. A clothing line for kids that grew out of disgruntlement as I dressed them when they were much younger, coupled with my work in the fashion and clothing industry, for it created the storm in the teacup that got me off my laurels to do something about the experiences I had gained at the height of my careers.
Everyone knows the gracefulness and the hospitality of the Balinese, being the number one travel destination and city compared to the rest of Indonesia. Besides the commercialisation and popularity as a resort, it has developed into an urban industrial area, a product of its years of influx in millions of tourists, that has prompted various factories and the production of authentic, made in Indonesia merchandise. Bali’s secret lies in their diversification of many cultures, harmony and their hard work.
For these very reasons, I decided to set my factory in Bali and engaged family owned factories as my business partners. I was looking for like-minded businesses who did not compromise on the quality for kids clothing. An important factor, that there were no cutting corners on work ethics, therefore I visited many factories before deciding on the present two, that now work my production line. My criteria were that they were family owned, ethical working environment, small but ready to scale with me.
For some time, we worked with only one factory that allowed us a free hand on all the aspects of the production, including sourcing of materials and designs. Eventually, as the business grew, we began the specialization process to allow them to concentrate on the design and workmanship, then found another factory that worked well with us and produced amazing in-house designed prints. This allowed us to increase the quality of our merchandize, but added on the task to co-ordinate between the two factories to complete delivery on time.
Bali, rich in its resources, allowed us, first to use 100% normal cotton, as we progressed to 100% organic cotton. A drive that was prompted by both the needs of our customer base and our desire to drive our sustainability. Furthermore, we are always on the lookout for alternative organic fabrics, we re-use old fabrics and have eliminated the use of plastics in our packaging and shipping.
Now, a sense of achievement arises as I look back and move forward to expand, for Roses and Rhinos is able to create a sustainable business, that allows our business partners to scale with us, being in-line with our goals and looking forward to the future and the development of our kid’s line of clothing into the next century.