A Conversation with Kaenaddict: On Breathing New Life, Story Telling, and Problem Solving

Secondhand, used, and thrifted things have been an interest of Sopyan Triatmaja since the very beginning. Growing up, he sees treasure in things that are considered trash by other people. “My brother used to make computers and created a lot of waste. Then I started to use those wastes to make my school assignments,” said Sopyan, who graduated from Mercubuana University.

From making art installations, he then got more focus into creating more functional and practical things. Thanks to his major in Product Design and his love for thrifted clothes, he started to develop the blueprint of Kaenaddict.

Starting with his internship at STUFFO that has been upcycling used plastics and banners into fashion accessories, he learned that this practice could also reduce the environmental impact from fashion products.

“From 2015 I learned from Bang Emji (Founder of Stuffo) about the upcycling process and how to work on different waste materials,” Sopyan continues.

After years of training, he finally launched his debut collection as a response to the annual flood in Jakarta. Living and growing up in a Kedoya, an area that almost every year got hit by the flood, Sopyan presented the collection as an alternative to solve the waste problem as well as presenting his neighborhood.

He tried to develop a story by creating patch patterns referring to blocks in Google Maps. He mapped the flooding area and created different patterns highlighting the impacted area with a crafty aesthetic.

Later, this method was implemented in most of his projects. One of the goals is to highlight the location where the fabric is sourced to make certain pieces, adding a unique and special touch to them.

This practice of breathing new life into used fabrics as well as the story telling of every fabric used is what intrigued us to do collaboration projects with Sopyan and Kaenaddict. His value to each and every piece of fabrics has inspired us to keep doing what we do to also keep utilizing the already available surplus fabrics instead of keep producing new materials.

We understand that it is not an easy feat to create an alternative way to produce fashion that is more circular and responsible. That is why we are so eager to engage with many communities and people that are doing the same thing in hope to create a bigger more significant impact. Pushing forward circular production as a norm, instead of only an alternative, one step at a time.