Q&A with Amanda Kartikasari

Style, Living, Impact

Purpose, a result from series of redirections and life discoveries.

Hi, Amanda! Happy to have you here. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

My backgrounds in management and fashion became the fundamental to start Purpose. I was dreaming of a life where fashion is circular and people share sustainable values in the way they consume and waste.

Please tell us more about your work with Purpose.

I work with other three co-founders based on three pillars: Style, Living, Impact. By means, we are not only selling secondhand fashion as a way to extend life cycle, but hopefully by collaborating with other eco-conscious organisations, we can also create a community that promotes a mindful way of living thus create positive impact in fashion industry.

What has been your motivation?

In 2015, after majoring in entrepreneurship and studied fashion design, I co-founded a fashion brand “Seraglio Couture” and worked as the creative director for almost four years. During this period, I bumped into horrifying fabric waste problems that I found in my workshop. I thought, if one brand produces so much waste, how would the whole fashion industry be? I think the Earth will not survive if society does not work together to adapt and change the way we manage our waste.

In late 2018, I took a leap of faith by ending my brand to explore business by shifting to the financial industry. I started to rethink my values of life, redevelop the way I live, and I found that true happiness does not come from how rich, successful or famous I am. It’s all about doing an individually-assigned purpose as the Earth’s inhabitant. It only depends on how intentional we go toward it that the paths will show, the doors will open, the right people will come.

What do you see as challenges?

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We have to go through some pruning processes. It is tough, especially in the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. Given the uncertainties, we were stuck in living the reality, namely working for income and managing stress. However, open communication was our key to overcome uninspired or overwhelmed feelings.

What do you hope to achieve with NIF?

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Purpose is on initiation stage. We are launching a website and the pilot project, a Summer 2020 collection “MAZE”. I would gratefully say that collaborating with NIF has helped us from testing the feasibility of the ideas, firming up the brand identity, sorting out priorities, to making a doable action plan.

By collaborating with NIF, I hope that Purpose can really create impact by building a relevant community to go toward the vision: a change of lifestyle and a circular economy in Indonesia’s fashion industry. I also hope to empower and groom other enthusiastic talents to grow and be impactful to Indonesia with NIF.