From passion project to fashion brand

• Flamingo SL soars in the small-scale clothing industry, with sustainability at its core

Flamingo SL, an online-based clothing brand, started off as a passion project between two friends. The brand is essentially a small-scale fast fashion brand trying to make waves in a heavily saturated market.

Flamingo SL was launched on 18 December 2020 by fashion designers Dhananjaya and Sachin and patternmaker Parashakthi. Both Dhananjaya and Sachin had always dreamt of launching something they could call theirs, and upon realising that their skillsets paired off well, the two described their partnership to be “a match made in heaven”.

Since Flamingo SL kickstarted just as the pandemic hit our country, the founders had to jump over dozens of hurdles and battle obstacles that any small-scale business would face during an ongoing pandemic. Elaborating further, Sachin said: “Production delays were our worst nightmare. It was a huge responsibility to keep our community safe in the process of running this business. Also, having to solely rely on social media for sales was a challenge.” Sachin explained that since the market is already saturated with so many other small-scale brands, making their mark in the industry was tougher than they thought, yet they moved ahead headstrong.

Talking about their vision for the brand, Sachin explained that their aim is to make global trends accessible to the public at an affordable price that won’t break the bank while also adding their unique touch to it.

On the topic of what makes their brand unique, Sachin stated that it was their attention to detail, quality, minimalism, and most importantly, their attention to maintaining their brand’s aesthetics that made them stand out. He commented:  “We’re working towards building our own aesthetic signature. Meaning, you take one look at one of our pieces, and instantly recognise it to be an authentic Flamingo SL product.” He also commented that from researching current trends to sketching, trial, and error, and fabric sourcing, they constantly churn out new designs while keeping track of the ever-changing fashion world. “Time is of the essence in this process – from designing, sampling, fit-ons, to the final product.”

He added that they also utilise deadstock fabrics for a more sustainable approach. On that note, we also asked him how important sustainability was for Flamingo SL, to which he replied, that as mentioned, utilising deadstock fabric has been one of their key approaches. “As two avid nature lovers and conservationists, sustainability is at the forefront of our brand. We use bags and hang tags made out of recycled cardboard and paper.” He also informed us that all excess fabric from their production is reused to make scrunchies and rugs so it doesn’t end up in landfills. While it may look like a small step in practising sustainability, they believe that they are headed in the right direction. Sachin added that they are actively looking at cultivating other practices, like introducing e-invoices instead of printed bills.

We asked Sachin if he could share some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, to which he said that while it may sound very cliché, not giving up is the basic science behind any small-scale business. He added: “At first, you may be investing more than you get back in return. But this is only the start. The more passionate you’re about what you do, the more you push forward and break boundaries and reach higher.” In his opinion, hard work and effort are a must. One really needs to break a sweat and eventually, he explained, you and your brand will definitely reap a bountiful harvest, so, hustle harder!

At the moment, Flamingo SL does not have a physical store, but they do have some exciting plans for the year ahead. Sachin told us that they are planning a few pop-ups next year and they’d love to see their customers at these stalls. He added that their very own website is in the works, which will make their customers’ online shopping experience swifter and effortless.