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Harem Consult

@haremconsult

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Founder of Sari for Change
Luxury fashion from reclaimed textile
Empowering women through design
🌍 Conscious. Crafted. Change.

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In case you missed it....I have chosen 15 kimonos, 15 memories in it and one journey

They have travelled with me through business meetings, international stages, awards, fashion shows, family moments and now, into spaces of worship and reflection.
Each one carries a memory, I deided to share with you as I have never really seen our kimonos as simply garments.
They carry stories, people, places and pieces of the journey.

The kimono remembers. I remember. And the journey continues. by @haremconsult

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10 days ago

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2 years ago

Kimono 7 — FAME Week 💙
FAME Week was certainly one for the books! Not necessarily because of the traction we received, but because of the laughs that followed.
Watching the models rehearse, I did think the runway looked rather slippery. However, my mind was firmly on the panel discussion I was about to have with the H&M Country Director, before Sari for Change took to the runway.
The panel went well, and I was feeling pretty composed. Iman was backstage, prepping the models and doing the final checks.
Meanwhile, I had developed a massive headache. I decided to sit in the audience so I could take a pill. As I was travelling, I had all my medication tucked away in a little pouch.

I started taking pictures as our models hit the runway. Everything seemed to be moving so quickly, and I was feeling a little blurry. Before I knew it, we were at the final look — one of our bespoke frill kimonos, inspired by the whirling dervish. It was beautiful to see our interpretation come alive on the runway.
Then came my cue.
As the designer, I would need to join the models on stage after the final garment. Iman slipped out from backstage to fetch me, as we usually walk together.
Three steps later…
DOWN I WENT!
I crashed onto the runway, landing hard on my face. It hurt. A LOT.
Our final model immediately stopped, came to my rescue, helped me up.
Iman? I think she froze momentarily. Her face said everything: How could this happen? Is my mother okay? What on earth just happened? 😂
She eventually made her way back, while I tried to process my very public introduction to the runway floor.
Apparently, fashion insiders reckon you haven't truly arrived in the industry until you've had a fall on stage!
My daughters were all on the phone afterwards, worried and fearful, checking that I was okay.
And then came the big reveal.
I hadn't taken a headache pill. I'd taken a sleeping pill instead! 🤣
Suddenly, the blurry vision, the unsteadiness and the feeling that everything was moving too fast made perfect sense.
I wouldn't recommend this particular method of making a fashion statement!

💙 Kimono 7 — Blue silk, a slippery runway and a story that will live on in our family forever. by @haremconsult

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3 days ago

Kimono 6 — Women Creating with Their Hands ❤️

Today, my memory is my red kimono, a colour of energy, productivity and the courage of women who dare to begin again.

From the very beginning of Sari for Change, we understood that one of our greatest challenges was lack of sewing skills. If we were going to build an internal ecosystem, we had to start at the beginning — sometimes by teaching women who had never even operated a sewing machine.

Over the years, we have trained women in church halls, mosque spaces, containers, studios and offices. But one of my most memorable initiatives was our Back to School programme at Thabang Primary School in Dobsonville, in classrooms.

Imagine this: mothers dropping their children off at school in the morning, then walking into their own classroom to learn a new skill.

Twelve unemployed mothers began the programme in February 2021. The classroom became a space for learning, creativity, personal development and possibility.

They started by exploring fabrics, covering journals, learning to measure and cut, and hand-stitching simple bags. Many were nervous about using a sewing machine. But week by week, their confidence grew

Then came the beautiful shift even during Covid, but we kept going.

They began making tote bags, earning an income, however modest at first, and began to see themselves not only as learners, but as women capable of building small businesses. We also had moms in the programme to bake, sort lunch and tea as a transaction.

By April, 6 women remained in the programme. Some of the others had secured permanent employment — a success in itself. The women who remained were even commissioned by the school to make skirts for the girls.

In her final report, our facilitator, Margaret-Ann Chinn, reflected on the women’s determination, growing confidence and never-give-up attitude. When she moved on, the programme was continued by Shadey Mogale, the school’s SGB chairperson, who carried it forward for another two years.

And this is what matters to me.

The training was never just about sewing. It was about creating pathways for women to earn, to believe in themselves and to recognise the possibilities. by @haremconsult

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5 days ago

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9 days ago

Kimono 4 of 15 — Self Love & Self Care 🤍

This is such an integral part of my routine, and I live it best in a kimono.

The coolness of the cotton/silk against my skin, hair oiled and wrapped in a turban, face treated with a mask, body exfoliated and oiled.
Coconut pulling through the mouth and those scaly heels pumiced down — even after several pedicures! 😂
Nothing beats this mood of cleansing and polishing, with music on high blast, a bit of dancing in between, loud chorus screaming, and finally hitting a huge green salad, turmeric lattes and loads of lemon water.
Yes to more of these days. ❤️

Kimono 4 represents my self-love and self-care part of the journey.
Because the woman behind the work also needs to be cared for. taken in Northcliff, Gauteng, South Africa by @haremconsult

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10 days ago

Kimono 3 of 15 — Sacred places 🤍

Some memories are about the places we go and some are about the people we welcome into our lives.

This was a particularly special moment as we welcomed friends and new family into the mosque.

I feel fortunate to frequent a beautiful mosque space at the Turkish Mosque in Midrand — a place that has become part of our community, our family life and our memories.

For me, entrepreneurship has also been a patient lesson of understanding that we are co-creators of the work we bring into the world.
We may have the ideas, the dreams and the determination, but there is something much greater at work.
Stepping into a sacred space like the mosque reminds me of that.
It is a moment of absolute submission, gratitude and trust in His Divine plan.
Looking back at these photographs, I realise how much these kimonos have witnessed, worn by so many of my family and friends.
They have travelled with me through business meetings, international stages, awards, fashion shows, family moments and into spaces of worship and reflection.
Each one carries pieces of the journey.

This beautiful brocade kimono was a fave, as I visibly sat on my invisible throne and visualized queens of yesteryear wearing silks, velvets and brocade. It also reminds me that alongside the work, the ambition and the building, there must always be gratitude 🙏 by @haremconsult

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11 days ago

Kimono 2 of 15

My first shoot to send pics to New York when I jointly won the Global Women Leader Award with Fortune and Goldman Sachs on 2020
This was our first award and our work got recognized for the "pay it forward" model.

It being a COVID year, I always feel I was deprived from a trip to New York as it was presented online.
However the prize money allowed us to roll out our first pilot in Dobsonville, Soweto and to really test the model: A Fusion of Women creating new influences

This kimono was worn for all the media interviews both locally and internationally.
Personally, it was this validation internationally that set us on a path of taking the narrative further. It gave possibility and believability to our concept.

As entrepreneurs we often doubt our work as the business principle is about the bottom line. Our bottom line, was nowhere in sight but lives of women were improving and we were constantly addressing how to utilize unwanted and gently worn textiles.

This award set in motion our Sacred Economy where we could move forward to prove that sustainability can be part of a business proposition and through fabric exchange/donations, building and training for an ecosystem internally, we could create a business.
Pioneering space at the time, but we could clearly start to notice the road signs along the road.

As an alumni of the 10 000 womens programme, I was one of 300 women represented in South Africa and 9700 women globally.
My dream is for 10 000 women to be recipients of our programme so they in turn can pivot into their own business. Our SFC programme mentor and facilitator @Shamim Patel always reminds our trainees that they are clothing architects and their skill will always be needed. We only have 9 870 women to go.
Its been a slow 🐌 journey but every moment so valuable and the return....when we see your orders come through and gets filtered to our production hubs.
It keeps the circle going and continue to work towards the dream of that building where we can house, a recycling division, textile sorting and cataloging, a central production hub, a walk in training centre, a media centre and a showroom. All our processes in one space! by @haremconsult

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12 days ago

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13 days ago

Nedbank Green Economy Awards

Two generations. One vision 💚
Celebrating the possibilities that emerge when creativity, sustainability and purpose come together.
And for me, this image is everything.
A mother and daughter, hand in hand, carrying forward a vision rooted in heritage, circularity, women’s empowerment and the belief that fashion can create meaningful change.
What began as a love for beautiful discarded heritage textiles has grown into a movement — and there is something incredibly special about building that legacy together with the next generation.

From one generation to the next.
From waste to wealth.
From heritage to possibility. 🌿❤️

@imanii_g wearing our new frill skirts launching soon......

#circulareconomy
#sacredeconomy taken in Levelthree Premium Venue by @haremconsult

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a month ago

There are some evenings that stay with you, and the Poetry Change Maker event was one of them.
I had the absolute honour of being selected as a Poetry Change Maker — an evening celebrating women who are creating change in different ways, in different communities, and often from very personal places of purpose.

To see my name as I entered with my poster, and to see Sari for Change represented in this space, was incredibly emotional.
For more than a decade, I have believed that fashion can be so much more than what we wear.
It can be a vehicle for dignity, income,skills and entrepreneurship on whichever scale. Also for preserving of culture and for giving something that already exists
Each time I see one of our women gaining confidence through her craft, ability or new skill, I am reminded why this journey matters.

What made the evening even very special was being surrounded by such extraordinary women — each one creating change in her own way. There was so much warmth, generosity and genuine celebration in the room.

Thank you, Poetry, for seeing the story behind Sari for Change and for recognising that change doesn't always begin in big boardrooms or with big budgets.

Sometimes it begins with one woman believing that something can be different, then another woman joins her and another.
An idea can become an opportunity, and an opportunity becomes a movement. 🤎
I am deeply grateful to be part of this beautiful community of Poetry Change Makers.

And I am even more excited about what we can create next.

My quote rings true: When women believe in their own potential, they don't just earn an income — they begin creating opportunities for themselves and others taken in SARI for Change by @haremconsult

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a month ago

Okay, so let me answer the question everyone keeps asking…

“How can we support you further?”

This Women’s Month has honestly been amazing, and thank you to all in our space, singing our praises and celebrating. It was dreamy....

A Changemaker award, Speaking opportunities, beautiful conversations, new rooms and people recognising the work we’ve been doing consistently for years.

I am deeply grateful.

But there’s something I’ve been thinking about.

Sometimes we celebrate women beautifully — and then we move on.

The event ends.
The photographs go up.
Everyone applauds.
And the women go back to figuring out how to fund the next month, pay the makers, move the stock, find customers and keep the dream alive.

So, how can you support us further?

Let me make it simple.

Share our stories.
If something resonates, share it.

Like and comment.
Engagement helps more people find us. And please, give us feedback. We genuinely welcome constructive criticism as much as we appreciate the positive.

Buy our work.
A garment is not just a garment. When you buy from a small purpose-driven business, you are helping keep a whole ecosystem moving.

Connect us.
Know someone who should know us? Make the introduction.

And keep showing up.

Not just during Women’s Month.

As we head towards the festive — or silly — season, I’m thinking less about celebration and more about action.

Because if you believe in the work, the most powerful thing you can do is help it continue.

Don't just celebrate the story.
Help write the next chapter.

Now THAT is support.

#womensmonth
#CircularEconomy taken in SARI for Change by @haremconsult

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2 months ago