Follow Our Journey
cobblestone streets- what shoes are you wearing?
What shoes are you wearing on your European tour?
Can you be stylish and comfortable? I believe you can. This is key for visiting sophisticated cities, museums and beautiful art-based cities. Who wants to wear hiking boots into the Louvre or Uffizi Gallery?
Instead, opt for something like this!
February 26, 201400struck by wanderlust?
are you often struck by wanderlust?escape | wander | ask questions | be curious | dance all night | talk to strangers | be optimistic | relax in cafes | snap photos | do something that scares you | get lost | collect stories | laugh often | lounge | be a yogi | be helpful | get away | be better | be quiet {sometimes} | listen | love | explore
If any of these words are your motto or tune, or if you wish that they would be… our collection is for you.We are traveling the world, talking to beautiful souls and researching how we can bring you sustainable clothing. OFF the GRID collection is all about cozy, and adventure-friendly pieces that you can’t take your next adventure without.
Photograph: Medewi Point, Indonesia – where OFF the GRID collection was born.
February 26, 2014back to the drawing board…
So the great thing about being based in Sri Lanka and developing a clothing line, is that you always have constant support. Sri Lanka is a major garments exporter, and there are all sorts of really forward thinking campaigns happening to bring positive attention to the garments industry (check out Garments without Guilt and Design for Sustainable Development if you are interested in these sorts of things). With this kind of support we love being on this island; it may be small but the potentials are huge.Last week, we brushed up on our Fashion Drawing skills at Raffles. We spent the day learning the art and techniques of Fashion Drawing, and the importance of being able to communicate our vision to others in the industry. After all, you may have a brilliant idea but if you cannot sketch and get your idea across, it will be very hard to make your projects come to fruition.
The wonderfully talented fashion designer Dinesh Chandrasena spent the day with us and it was such an honor to be working alongside such an incredible internationally recognized fashion designer. We were a bit star struck:)
We know that the skills that we learned will help us better communicate with the talented hands that will come to stitch our designs- big learning day!
February 26, 2014in search for a name…
It was very important for us that we come up with the perfect name for our clothing line- that process led us to brainstorming for months. It seemed as if we never had the right name that sparked. “When is this battle going to end!” we thought.
It wasn’t until my step-mom, Kristin mentioned an excellent idea. She understood our vision to create a clothing line for people who want to go on an adventure and leave everything behind, whether that be for one week or years and beyond. She said that after listening to the new #Jettyrae album, she had found the answer.
Jetty Rae’s new Album, “Climbing Clouds” features a song called Off the Grid. It is “a song all about selling your house, burning your money and heading out west in a vintage Airstream camper”, as Jetty herself says. Take a listen and buy the full song here.
We love this, and we want Jetty to be wearing our OFF the GRID limited edition t-shirt when she heads out west on her next adventure!
We believe our collection will continue to be inspired by songs, places and characters we meet along the way.
Thanks again Kristin and Jetty Rae for your continuous inspiration and support.
February 26, 2014a warm welcome.
a warm welcome.
ahhh, the island life. so lovely so peaceful, so warm, and we fall asleep to the sound of the sea every night. I can’t believe we live here!
we are here in sri lanka to research and develop the first season of our line, “off the grid collection”. the collection is inspired by traveling, a blend of cultures and the people we meet along the way. this past year alone we have traveled to 8 different countries – malaysia, thailand, bangladesh, italy, indonesia, china, america, and finally sri lanka. we chose sri lanka to be the inspiration for our summer 2014 line. you will soon see why!
February 26, 2014Greetings!
MEET US!
We are Sara and Alex. Salex if you will. We travel. a lot.
Alex is a graphic and clothing designer. Sara is a filmmaker and artist at heart. Together we love to venture into the unknown, discover new places, people, cultures, languages, music and art.
Last year we were relaxing on the beaches of southern Bali after a long day of surfing. The sun was setting, and we were surrounded with glorious company. It was a reunion with old friends and new – of fellow travelers, old friends, colleagues and classmates. It was there and then that we decided to share one of our crazy ideas of starting a clothing line.
But this is not just any clothing line. We needed share our idea with the exact audience we wanted to “create” for. Fellow travelers, explorers, wanders and the curious mind alike. We figured it was perfect timing.
Hours went by, we shared ideas and everyone unanimously agreed that, “YES! We need better travel gear!” Everyone had their favorite t-shirt, but it had flaws. Everyone had that “wrinkle free dress” but it wasn’t stylish enough. Everyone had that hoodie, but it didn’t hold up. It was then that we knew we were onto something. But it would not be easy to make these staple goods “better”.
So here we begin. We are stepping out into the unknown, researching, sourcing, searching fabrics, researching dyes, yarn and designs alike. As we are in the very early stages of research, we would love to hear from you at anytime with your ideas. After all, it is YOU that we are creating for!
January 10, 2014