RŪPA Journal
Explore the RUPA Journal — your go-to source for stories on sustainable living, ethical fashion, and artisan craftsmanship. Dive into behind-the-scenes insights, conscious lifestyle tips, and the journey of naturally hand-dyed textiles. Stay inspired and connected with our community of makers and changemakers.
What does it actually take to run a small fashion brand?
A clothing brand is mostly the parts you never see. The cloth is maybe a third of it — the rest is the commercial decisions, the marketing and the in-person selling, spread across Indonesia, Perth and Melbourne. The honest map behind RŪPAHAUS.
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The Kanekes weave on backstrap looms under inherited rules that decide what they use and when they can work at all. We source from them only part of the year — and that constraint is exactly why the cloth is what it is. The fuller story, through Sid.
Why does handwoven cloth have knots?
Run your hand over handwoven cloth and it catches — a small knot here, the tension shifting there. Those marks aren't faults to apologise for. They're the record of a person at a loom, and the exact thing a machine is built to erase.