How long have you been in business?
We’ve just launched our online retail fashion website this September.
How did you come up with the name of your company?
S9 Muses are curators in fashion. S9 refers to Section 9, an area in the quaint yet bustling town of Thika, Kenya, where we both grew up. This is where our childhood was spent, deeply rooted in family values and traditions, riding our bikes around and savouring street delicacies, such as roasted cassava with chilli and lemon.
The number 9 is associated with magic, with completion and fulfillment, with wisdom and heaven. We are both romantics and believe in fairy tales. So, from the mystical nine Muses in Greek mythology, symbolising the goddesses of poetry, art and music, came about the apt reference to the term Muses and, hey presto!
What does “sustainable fashion” mean to you?
“Upcycling. Recycling. Restyling. Repairing. Each garment has a story to tell; let its story evolve.” – S9 Muses
The whole point of sustainability is that is it not about materials and technology. It is also about behaviour, relationships and ways of thinking. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wear clothes that can be passed on to your daughter?
In order to want to wear a garment over and over again, it has to be interesting. It has to tell its own story. Knowing how it was made and who made it makes it more real. If you know the garment’s story, you will be less inclined to waste it.
We work with designers who also follow our ethos and sensibilities. Many use age-old techniques, such as hand weaving and hand block printing, to create silhouettes that appeal to today’s women. An emphasis on handmade is also evident, since anything handcrafted is always more interesting, creating natural imperfections as opposed to mechanical perfections.
Timeless pieces are so refreshing to wear. Quality is paramount to sustainability; if a garment is made with the utmost care, it is bound to last longer.
What inspired you to start an ethical fashion brand?
How did we get here? Let’s rewind to a couple of years earlier. September 2013 to be precise.
This is our story. Two girls, hailing from the quaint yet bustling town of Thika, Kenya, and now settled in London, had an idea to curate collections from new-age, trendsetting, luxury designers from India to offer to the discerning UK clientele. Anjli and I have literally grown up together and our personalities are so similar, yet distinctly different, that we naturally complement each other so well. Neither of us has any background in fashion. Actually, Anjli is a pharmacist and I am an engineer by training, but working for a pharmaceutical company. Our quirky love of fashion and pure joy at finding non-conventional pieces to brighten our wardrobes is what lead us to form S9 Muses. For 2 years, we held various pop-up shops around London. Whilst still pursuing our day jobs, we turned this hobby into a side business. Suddenly, a whole new world with endless opportunities opened out to us. We decided that in order to grow this business, the obvious step forward was to launch an online retail platform. So, in March this year, I took the plunge, focussed my efforts and launched the website.
What is your company’s mission?
Here at S9 Muses, we strongly believe in sustainability and slow fashion, and wholeheartedly promote the revival of the age-old garment, the ever-elegant sari. We passionately support ethical fashion and make sure that these values are shared with the designers we work with. Providing timeless pieces of clothing, ethically made, everyone from the designer to the artisan is appreciated for their talents and time. Fashion should be about choosing a piece that can be worn countless times, styled differently and still looking good in years ahead.
Do you have a 5 or 10-year vision for your company that you could share with us?
Funny enough, we do not have a timescale per se as to what we want to achieve by when. At the moment, we are enjoying this new adventure and all that it brings along with it. Contrary to popular belief, we think that defining an end goal is very limiting to your abilities. With each achievement, take the next step forward. This way, everything is once again refreshed and you tend to progress with even more determination.
With no end in sight, no goal in sight; letting it organically grow. Just a vision to focus on, and a belief that it will lead and shape the future. My, the sheer excitement and freedom new ventures bring is indescribable.
Who is your customer?
We have such a wide variety of styles and accessories that our target customer is women from all walks of life. We’re not limited to age; that’s the beauty of timeless pieces and slow fashion.
Just For Fun
What’s your favorite color?
Red
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