Styling a scarf: Wraps and Whatever!
The text in this post is from an old interview I did in 2019. The photos are of a day in quarantine 2020 where I styled the scarf I ordered from Wraps and Whatever! in different ways. I love the possibilities and will be doing more scarf styling in the near future :)
Bali, Indonesia
On a sunny afternoon in Cairo, Egypt I prepare to interview Ambria, founder of company Wraps and Whatever. Thankfully Skype did us well as she answered my questions from where she was living at the time on a pleasant evening in Bali, Indonesia.
The company Wraps and Whatever was founded in Bali by Ambria (@thepintsizedtraveler on Instagram) in March 2018. I knew about this company via Instagram exploring. I liked the designs of the headwraps and the message/ mission even more!
Here's what we spoke about:
Kya: Why did you decide to start this company? What inspired you?
Ambria: Living in Bali; having to combat the humid weather and water quality here and not wanting to necessarily damage my hair. I brought head-wraps from home but I didn't realise I'd be wearing them so often. I went to a fabric market nearby where I live and I just got obsessed with all possibilities and textiles. Using it as a method to share the place that I lived in and somewhere that I really enjoyed. As well as just tapping into Asian textiles- but I realised a while after starting that it was quite wasteful to use so much fabric and toss the scraps, it's just you know, contributing to the mass production of textile.
Kya: So from there, what were your next steps?
Ambria: From there I was just going to make the head-wraps for myself and get them made for me. Then I thought it's a really simple way to share about a place I love. I just kinda like came up with head-wraps and whatever else I like- whatever else interests at the time.
Kya: Can you tell me more about batik? Is the batik design process a big part of your own design process?
Ambria: So, for now everything we produce, if it's not a solid colour then it's batik. Batik is pretty much ingrained in Indonesian society. You'll find it in Malaysian countries and other Asian countries but it's really famous in Indonesia. Each island has their own method of batik.
It's pretty much a wax preserving method. Traditionally, it was actually a tedious process, making all these intricate designs on a piece of cloth using a candle or spin pin. But now you can take a stamp and preserve the colour. It gets interesting. Each of the batiks can tell a different story; it can sometimes tell people if you're single or married, what position you hold in society...not so much anymore and that's definitely not what our company uses it for. We definitely like to, I guess, appreciate the work.
Kya: Who is involved in the design and making processes?
Ambria: I do the designs myself, finding the hues, just kind of placing them together. Then I actually work with artisans in the community. I seek out different artists and communities being a full circle process and, in my view, turning away from mass production and putting the power back into the artist and handicraft to appreciate the work.
Kya: Are there any other ways you ensure ethical and sustainable practices?
Ambria: Yeah! Everybody is getting paid well, making sure that everything is fairtrade and using our scraps to make small products to make sure that nothing is thrown away. We are actually looking to create reusable menstrual pads that we can donate to low income villages and communities so women have what they need to be sanitary and comfortable during their periods.
Kya: That's great! Do you have any other future plans?
Ambria: On our website we also have some other designs for apparel. So to add to that with some pants, robes in similar styles, hopefully expanding our collection. As well as coming up with more motifs and things people have specifically requested. I'd like to go into different countries and find more artisan communities- that would be good.
Kya: Where would be a place you'd choose?
Ambria: I think two places. Rwanda's somewhere that I've travelled to. I would love to show some of the art and craftsmanship from that country and India. India because they have block printing which is kind of similar to batik.
Kya: Is there anything about your company you'd like to add?
Ambria: I guess one more thing I'd like to add is starting with fashion is a way to combat some of the issues our planet is facing. Also, this is my way of starting a business and showing how it can be sustainable and also making sure my own life is sustainable. As well as giving people products that are sustainable.
Ambria is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina USA. Growing up in the military meant travelling often which, in her words, 'is why I can't stay still!'