A Journey into Sustainable and Regenerative Fashion

Wilde Hippi grew out of my own path through fashion, motherhood, sustainability and self-discovery. After more than twenty years in the global fashion industry, I realised there had to be another way forward, one rooted in sustainable, regenerative and slow fashion.

This space goes beyond style. It is about sustainable textiles, circular fashion, eco-conscious design and ethical fashion brands. It is a place for community, creativity and learning, where we reimagine fashion as something grounded in care for people, the planet and future generations.

From High Street to Sustainable Fashion in Singapore

My career began in London, where I designed knitwear and prints for major high-street retailers. For years, I worked in fast fashion without questioning the system. That changed when I moved to Bangladesh in 2011 and witnessed the scale of manufacturing first-hand, from spinning mills and dye houses to cutting and sewing units and warehouses of deadstock fabric.

Later, relocating to Singapore, I launched a zero-waste kidswear brand, transforming unused fabric into capsule collections. We supplied department stores such as OG and Isetan, showing that small-batch, sustainable clothing ideas could find a market. Yet I also encountered the financial realities of building a small-scale sustainable clothing brand: high costs, low selling price point, infrastructure gaps and systemic barriers.

These experiences shaped Wilde Hippi as more than just a label. Today, it is a sustainable fashion platform in Singapore, connecting people with thrift shops, clothing and dress rental options, upcycling workshops and local fashion brands, recycling, alongside global conversations about sustainable markets, fashion events and regenerative design practices.

Rediscovering Purpose Through Study and Storytelling

To realign with my developing values on textiles, I returned to study. I completed a Diploma in Fashion Business at TaF.tc and am now pursuing a Master’s in Fashion Sustainability at Falmouth University in the UK.

This academic journey opened pathways into sustainable fashion education, regenerative textiles education, circular fashion innovation and systems thinking in design. It deepened my interest in natural fibres, heritage crafts and natural dye techniques.

Wilde Hippi allows me to connect my academic work, hands-on making and storytelling in pursuit of a regenerative fashion future.

What Wilde Hippi Stands For

Heritage Skills for the Future

At Wilde Hippi, we keep heritage crafts alive by valuing the skills and traditions that shaped textiles long before fast fashion. From weaving, knitting and crochet to repairing garments with simple sewing techniques, these practices remind us that fashion can be slow, intentional and rooted in care. By supporting sustainable textile crafts, eco-friendly projects and mindful making, we protect cultural knowledge while creating space for creativity to flourish.

Regeneration Over Sustainability

While sustainability focuses on reducing harm, regeneration asks us to restore and renew. At Wilde Hippi, we explore regenerative dye gardens, natural fibres and community-led practices that go beyond limiting damage. From natural dye workshops in Singapore to research into regenerative textiles in the UK, we show how fashion can move from extraction to healing, creating systems that give back more than they take.

Community that Creates Change

Wilde Hippi acts as a community hub for sustainable fashion in Singapore, bringing people together to learn, share and experiment. We support clothing swaps, upcycling workshops and sustainable craft programmes, green gifting that turn ideas into action. Our community library project, Wilde Reads, offers a place to exchange books, share reviews and join discussions, while our outreach connects with schools, local designers and sustainable markets. Alongside this, we provide academic resources, reflections from my Master’s in Fashion Sustainability and opportunities to join book clubs and storytelling sessions.

Through these collective efforts, Wilde Hippi builds spaces where people do more than talk about change — they practise it, experience it and carry it into their daily lives.

The Future We Dare to Imagine

During my Master’s in Fashion Sustainability, I discovered a love for speculative fiction as a way of imagining change. One module challenged us to write a narrative of a future where fashion, community and the environment evolve in harmony. That exercise became the seed of an ongoing storytelling series I now call The Future We Sew: Stories of Regenerative Living.

Through this series, I use speculative fiction to share regenerative fashion storytelling based in my locality of Singapore, while connecting to wider global movements. By blending future thinking, circular design, and new paradigms in fashion, I explore not only how things are but also how they might become if we reimagined our systems, values, and ways of living.

The Future We Sew introduces possible futures shaped by collective action. It dares us to consider what we could achieve together if we committed to turning the climate crisis around — and to believe in the regenerative world we still have time to create.

Why “Wilde Hippi”?

The name brings together two ideas that shape this platform. Wilde reflects freedom, creativity and a return to nature, an openness to live outside rigid systems and rediscover what it means to create with care. Hippi carries the spirit of simplicity, community and conscious living, inspired by movements that challenged consumerism and celebrated alternative ways of being. Together, Wilde Hippi is about weaving freedom and mindfulness into fashion, craft and daily life.

I work under the name Tala, a pseudonym that gives me the freedom to share this journey with independence. Writing and creating as Wilde Hippi by Tala allows me to tell my story authentically, explore regenerative fashion with integrity and shape this platform as a continuing response to my learning journey.

An Invitation

Wilde Hippi is for anyone seeking slow fashion inspiration, reflections on sustainable living, insights into local sustainable brands in Singapore or regenerative design thinking in fashion. Whether you are repairing a favourite garment, experimenting with plant dyes or joining a community workshop, your actions matter.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you and building connections through making, mending and storytelling 🌿✨