We named our brand ‘Rise the Community’, because it is built from, and with the power of a community. 

Ten years ago, when I first arrived in India as a volunteer, I experienced a real culture shock and struggled to understand the vast differences between my home in Australia and the bustling community of Faridabad, an hour from Delhi. 

It has been a huge learning curve for me and continues to be a wonderful journey, but now when I visit India, naturally my mind focuses less on the differences, and more on the similarities, because there are so many.

The Faridabad community is full of colour, vibrancy and soul, with many different languages, religions, and political views. Each family lives in such close proximity to each other, and it appears that it is both the similarities and the differences that make this community so closely entwined. It’s a community made up of families with many generations under one roof, and it’s a place where everyone gathers for a common reason – to broaden horizons. 

Poverty is no stranger to Faridabad, and sadly families live below the poverty line, struggling to thrive. However, this community is strong, and together they help one another to rise up and face every challenge. Their sense of determination, compassion, encouragement, modesty and ambition is greater and deeper than I have witnessed, and they truly inspire me daily.

The incredible women from Rise the Community first decided they would like to learn to sew back in 2015. Since then, this project has blossomed and horizons have broadened, and the women have collectively registered their own business – ‘The Pererna Hub’. The name Perena means inspiration, and this sewing house is a way to improve their employment opportunities and their lives. 

It has been an incredible journey, with so many lessons for both them and us along the way. As we navigate sourcing organic fibres, learning about sustainability, cultural differences, and building a self-sustaining, community-owned business, we know there will be so many more lessons to come. It’s been challenging at times, but the women of Rise are experts at learning, adapting, striving and succeeding at whatever they do. 

Through working with this community over the years, I have come to appreciate what community truly is. It’s people you can always rely on, who will encourage you to keep going, support you when you need it most, make your burdens easier to carry, and look after your kids when you are running late! Community is who we rely on because we know deep down that it takes a village, not only to raise a child but for everyone in that village to thrive. 

So, thank you to the Faridabad Community for showing us what strength, determination and resilience really mean and thank you to our own community, the people who believe in supporting “Rise the Community” and each other from across oceans.

We are lucky enough to have one of those friends who is so incredibly inspiring, brave and strong. A friend who not only amazes you but has one of those stories that you’ll probably always find hard to believe and because of that story it makes them even more wonderful! So we asked her what made her so strong and what Women’s Empowerment meant to her and this is what she said…

“Women’s empowerment for me is a feeling; a feeling of freedom and liberation. A feeling of power, courage, bravery, strength, acceptance and joy”

I believe empowering women means unapologetically embracing and loving exactly who we are; with all of our perfect imperfections, rejecting unrealistic ideals and false expectations and taking control of and creating our own unique and limitless lives.
Empowerment is a process of remembering the superpowers we have forgotten about or been told we don’t have. It is a powerful process of building up the part of ourselves that fully chooses us and stands up for what we truly want and deserve.

An empowered woman is someone who is not afraid, who believes in herself wholeheartedly and who stands up for change, equality, peace and love.

To be empowered is a new feeling for me.  It has taken a lot of time, healing and ‘unlearning’ of societies conditioning. After an excruciating journey of self-hate and anorexia, I have finally rediscovered my worth and my immeasurable power. I have found my voice, I am learning my boundaries, needs and wants, I have a newfound appreciation, love and gratitude for my incredible body and all it has been through and I am beginning to no longer feel ashamed for the way my body looks or how it is perceived by others and it truly is liberating. 

I am now determined to make my pain my passion and empower women and girls to step into their infinite power and to never be anyone but exactly themselves!

(Insert Explicit Word!!) **** the ‘shoulds’ in life!
Be who you want to be, do what you want to do, go get what you want to get!!
I support you. We are all in this together!!!”

In a world of fast fashion, where landfills are overflowing with textile waste that seeps into our oceans, and piles of discarded clothes are burnt, polluting the air we breathe, we make a strong commitment to doing better. 

Sustainability is a key pillar of Rise – it underpins every decision we make as a business. We are aware of our responsibility to ensure that the impact that we have on the world is positive and sustainable. That’s why our collections are made from 100% organic cotton, using plant-based dyes. As we grow, we will be transitioning to our ultimate goal of producing biodegradable and compostable clothing that is 100% compostable after a lifetime of use. 

We take our responsibility toward the planet seriously and are committed to challenging the status quo in the fashion industry. Rise is all about empowerment, and that means we have a commitment to see the planet and it’s people thrive. 

Please choose wisely when it comes to the clothes you buy – you can be part of making sure our beautiful planet is here for many generations to come. 

Rise the Community is committed to: 

Minimal Quantities – To ensure we are only creating pieces that will be sold not sored (This is why each collection has very limited pieces and we sell out so quickly).

Empowering Women – By creating employment position that allows Women to be there for their families and career

Minimal Waste – We only use plant-based dyes, organic fabrics and recycled packaging.

Encouraging Preloved Purchase – Unlike most brands we love and encourage you so sell your Rise pieces, once outgrown and provide a platform for you to donate back to the community again, email us to find out how.