As part of our Founders Keepers Series, we reached out to Floris, founder of Sagaseed to share about sustainability, motherhood and juggling work-life balance.
Hello, nice to meet you! Please share a little about yourself with us.
Hello! I’m Floris, a mother of two and founder of Sagaseed, a clothing label producing comfortable and sustainable maternity clothes. The business was launched mid last year (2019), when I was pregnant with my first child and feeling uninspired by the options available. All I saw were prints, frills and layers!
I wanted to dress my new and ever-changing body with clothes I would normally wear, so I set out to create a few key pieces I hoped would become essentials in every woman’s wardrobe; not just during pregnancy but beyond.
Pregnancy is a beautiful journey which can be physically and emotionally stressful. Besides focusing on the growth of the baby, self-care is essential for the well-being of a mum-to-be. I believe that dressing yourself well is one way to feel confident and comfortable with your body. I hope our collection will help make styling a look easier and more comfortable, and enable both mums and expectant-mums feel the difference during pregnancy and motherhood.
What makes Sagaseed different from other maternity clothing brands?
Sagaseed is Singapore’s first 100% sustainable maternity wear brand.
We only use sustainable fibres, and choose to stay away from trends to instead focus on classic styles.
Besides being sustainable, we pride ourselves in producing products well-loved by women for being ultra-comfortable, due to the design and fabric used.
I design each piece myself, with the aim of ensuring that they look and feel like what one would normally wear when not pregnant, so that women can still feel like themselves wearing them instead of losing themselves in the “mum game”. I also want the pieces to be suitable and practical for mums with active children. Ultimately, our clothes are made with comfort, effortless style and excellent nursing access in mind.
What does slow fashion mean to you? Does caring for the environment mean ditching all trendy clothes and relying entirely on basics?
I don’t think it means having to ditch fashion entirely, or having a 10-piece capsule wardrobe.
Slow fashion to me means to buy meaningfully, and dressing with intention.
I try to buy good quality pieces made to last, ones which are versatile enough to integrate with my existing wardrobe. I also make it a point to read up on the brand, its production stream and fabric used and in so doing, support and follow brands that are sustainable and doing meaningful work.
How has Covid-19 situation affected the business?
Thankfully, I have just completed the production of my recently-launched designs, so there were no issues in terms of manufacturing. The main impact was the closing of shopping malls. Sagaseed pieces are stocked at The Green Collective at Funan Mall, and customers have not been able to touch and feel the fabric of our products during this pandemic season. They’ve also been unable to try on the pieces. To cope with these changes, I tried to be more active on social media by sharing customer testimonials, reducing the minimum order for free shipping, and extending the exchange period from a week to two months.
As a mum and entrepreneur, what is your biggest tip to get the balancing act right? Is it really possible to have it all?
Haha, I will be honest here, it is really tough! I have a full-time job on top of managing Sagaseed, so juggling my two jobs along with my role as a mother of two young children (one of whom is an infant) has been very challenging!!! I work on Sagaseed only at night, when work and chores are done, and kids are asleep.
Be kind to yourself and know your priorities.
As women, we often load our plates with so much, yet feel like we are not doing a good enough job. I think one can have it all, but how much you want out of each pie comes down to your priorities. For me, family will alway be top priority, and if necessary, all else will take a backseat.
To end, please share us your dreams/goals for Sagaseed!
My short-term goal is to increase the reach of Sagaseed as a brand, so that more people will get to know about us and appreciate our brand purpose. In the longer run, I hope to open a physical space for Sagaseed, so it can help women feel the difference during pregnancy and motherhood.
Exclusive for A For Apothecary readers:
Sagaseed is giving a 10% discount for you. Use <AAXSS10> at checkout. This discount code is valid until 15 August 2020 (not applicable for Twin Packs).
Instagram @sagaseed
Written by Benita