A Thoughtful Thread yarns with: Natasha Knight of One Fable

Greetings! This week, we bring you the amazing Natasha Knight of One Fable, a textile business and lifestyle brand founded on sustainability principles. Fresh on the textile retail scene, and bursting with passion, we think Natasha and One Fable, have been - and are - really going places! 

Please join us in this delightful and insightful conversation with Natasha as she takes us through her own design and sustainability journey, and shares the wonderfully rich background and philosophy of One Fable.  We are particularly taken with her advice for people seeking to incorporate more sustainable and ethically-sourced materials into their making, and her closing  words!

As a prelude to the interview, we invite you to watch the preview below, which captures the essence of One Fable and Natasha's colourful internship in India (you can also view a longer version here in case of technical difficulties!). All the beautiful photographs shown were provided by Natasha. 

Tell us a bit about One Fable! 

One Fable is a Lifestyle Brand of clothing, home ware, accessories, and beautiful objects... We believe in quality over quantity. Basically, we are interested in working with small-scale production methods, limited edition design runs, and quality materials. My background is textiles and product design, so I develop and make the majority of products in my Sydney studio, but we also collaborate with talented artisans around the world, whose skill and experience outshine any mass-produced or machine-made product I've ever encountered!

We want to give the consumer a glimpse into the crazy world of textile production, so that they can make more informed decisions, and offer people a chance to be part of something inspiring… because following our dreams, and helping others along the way, IS our lifestyle!   

    

One Fable began as a narrative for your graduation project from UNSW Art and Design (COFA), where you studied a Bachelor of Design – can you tell us more about your studies and the amazing accolades you received?

The Bachelor of Design was a Beast!! It hurt, it challenged me, it made me cry, it made me laugh and made me grow… basically it made me capable of following my dreams, and strong enough to try. I had previously done three years of a Social Sciences degree, where I studied philosophy, sociology and psychology. I would definitely recommend doing this to anyone - even though my degree took longer to complete in the end, my understanding of the world around me, and the people within it, really made a difference when I went into design… I was coming from a different place than some of the other students. I understood a bit about the ‘context’ I was designing for. In the end, ‘One Fable’ received two awards - “The Design for Social Activism Award” from the R.E.A.L Foundation, and “The Workshopped Award for Outstanding Responsible Design”. I am really proud of these awards because they weren’t given solely based on what my designs ‘looked like’, but more for what they stood for, and what they accomplished.

As part of your studies, you spent around five months interning in India. How did that time abroad influence you and your work, and how have you maintained the connections and relationships you made there?

I chose to do my internship in India after I took part in an introductory three week textiles tour with my university in the summer semester. When I was over there as a ‘tourist’, my interest was piqued, and I knew that I would get far more out of my internship if I did it in India than I would if I stayed at home in my comfort zone. Luckily, my husband believes in my crazy ideas just as much as I do, and he decided to come along. I have spent my life travelling the world… I’ve lived in Brazil, Guatemala, India, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and Australia… and I think the only way to truly understand a new place is to spend time living there, because you don't understand the people, what their challenges are, how they live, and what they value unless you get off the tour bus. Besides, it can sometimes feel like all of our products come from the moon… we are surrounded by merchandise, but have no idea where any of our stuff REALLY comes from. So I wanted to get a sneak peek into the reality of consumerism… and let me tell you, it’s fascinating and scary! Delhi is a makers’ paradise… you can find any material, gadget, bead, fastener or embellishment you could ever dream of, but you can also find the dark side of consumerism as well. There is so much unnecessary waste and suffering. India put my project in a context of reality, and the people that I met there have become great friends.

How did you turn a university project into a business, and what are your broad goals for One Fable?

Well, I would be lying if I said that wasn't my plan all along. The thing is, I never really looked at university as being separate from my ‘real life’… I always saw it as a place that I could develop my practice, philosophy and network in preparation for a time when I was ready to launch off on my own. I knew that I had a great opportunity to use the expertise around me while I developed my ideas… I used uni as more of an ‘incubator’. So when I returned to Sydney from my five month internship in India and was faced with completing my graduating project, I knew it was time - even though I was terrified and didn't feel ready, I knew I had to jump in! I had the vision, I had the skills, and I had done my research. I was scared, but I also received a lot of helpful and constructive criticism along the way.

My broad goal is to continue to grow my business in a relatively organic way. I’m not in a rush. The people who buy my products get where I’m coming from. They can see and feel the difference in the quality of the material. I only work with fabrics that I can’t put down! They understand that you don't need to sacrifice style for substance… and they smile when they hear the story. They are the best customers one could ask for, because they choose with both their eyes AND their heart.

We love the name ‘One Fable’ – how did you decide on this name for your business, and what meaning do these two words hold for you?

The name ‘One Fable’ was chosen long before I knew what any of this would become. It was the name I gave to the blog that I started to document the design process and my trip to India. The dictionary describes a fable in a couple of different ways, and the definition that I first CLUNG on to was:

‘a fable is a story about legendary persons and exploits’…

Hahaha... I was pretty sure I wanted to do something amazing with this project! But in the end, after I went through the process of learning, growing, developing, falling and learning how to pick myself back up, I then moved onto a more humble definition, which says:

‘a fable is a story that teaches us an important lesson.’

Because ultimately, that was what one fable began as… a question… an exploration… I wanted to know how I could use my unique skills to make things better… even if it was just a tiny bit better. I wanted to know what I could do to help.

The word ‘one’ has two meanings for me. Firstly, it suggests the beginning of something, and the hope of a continuation… and secondly, I see the ‘one’ as representing all of us, and our interconnectivity. We all share one time in history… one planet… one outcome. We can no longer afford to see ourselves as independent of each other… my decisions affect you, and your decisions affect me. We are connected.

What do you see as being the key sustainability issues in the textile industry, and how do you think these can be navigated?

I think that we have come to accept things as they are without asking if we could possibly be doing things differently. We have been told that we should want MORE things, not BETTER things… and it makes me a little sad. It’s almost like we have accepted that this is just how things are done… but if you open a history book, you realise that this wasn't always the case - we have been fooled! People used to take pride in the quality of their products, the quality of their craftsmanship and materials… slowly, but surely, profit and quantity became more important than quality.

We live in the most amazing point in history… we have all the knowledge of the past, and all of the possibilities of the future. I think one of the key issues would be our collective complacency… we need to realise that our choices are determining what is available to us. If we are ok with paying for garbage, then that is what we shall receive. My suggestion? Just pause for a moment the next time you buy something and think, could this be made better? SHOULD this be made better? And then tell the shop owner/manager/designer why you didn't buy it. If we all started doing this, I bet things would change pretty quickly!

What advice do you have for people seeking to incorporate more sustainable and ethically-sourced materials into their making?  

I think that the word ‘sustainability’ has become a little confusing… it has become a word that suggests only using and buying ‘green’ products. But sustainability is a system of infinite variables. There are social, environmental, personal, political and economic aspects to sustainability. There is no ONE answer to any of this. There is only a culmination of many different decisions, made by many different people, about many different things. You will never find a solution that is 100% perfect, and that can make it feel pointless to even try… but my advice to those who want to? Just start. Period. Even if it’s not perfect the first time, each mistake is an opportunity for growth. One Fable is not perfect… it doesn't cover every variable or address every issue. But in the end, I realised that it didn't have to either.

Has there been anyone who has mentored you or particularly inspired you in your business?

Well, it may be a little cheesy, but the dedication for one fable reads:

for my mother - who taught me how to use my hands 

and

for my father - who taught me how to use my heart.

Whenever I’m not sure of what to do next, I just remember that.

What’s next for Natasha Knight/One Fable? 

Like I said, I want to continue to grow the business in an organic way. I want to develop my skills and aesthetic and have fun in the process. Money has never been the motivating force behind my life. I am happy to already be making a living out of One Fable, don’t get me wrong! But I’m also not going to compromise the integrity of the project. I am more interested in trying to leave things a little bit better than I found them, and work with people who share the same vision.  I think that the successful businesses of the future will be the ones who are interested in making things better for all of us, not just for themselves, and the startups that only care for profit are going to be left in the dust. We should aim to inspire and be inspired, because that is what life is all about! It’s about following your passions, growing, learning, loving and helping others. And in the end, we all have to wake up and look at ourselves in the mirror every morning… and I want to proud of what I see.

Where can people see and purchase your beautiful products?  
At the moment, you can follow us on our Facebook page as well as my Instagram @One.Fable.  Both accounts go through the products, the concepts, and the story… and if you are interested in buying anything, www.onefable.com will be operational soon! We are also taking part in two monthly markets - at Mosman and Kirribilli - as well as Finders Keepers. You can also feel free to contact me privately at knightnatasha@hotmail.com if you have any specific queries.

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

I guess I just want to say that I don’t think sustainability is about being perfect, or never making mistakes… I think its about TRYING. If we all start trying to make things better, each in our own unique way, everyday, then we will automatically move forward together. Large problems are not addressed all at once, and they are not addressed by one person. Problems have to be broken down into small pieces, and worked on from many different angles… and even then, there are so many different possible solutions. It’s about the small choices that we make everyday… and, as Abraham Lincoln said,

“The best way to predict the future is to create it”

So have fun with it!