A Saskatoon-based fashion business owner is giving new life to worn out traditional clothing, but American tariffs are threatening the viability of her craft.
Originally from India, Satya Muktinutalapati reuses traditional saris to make skirts, dresses and other fashion accessories.
She started her business Rangeelaa about 10 years ago when she was living in Yorkton.
After moving to Saskatoon in 2019, she decided she wanted to produce her clothing by reusing traditional garments.
“We make all our clothing with the repurposed sari fabrics,” she said. “Our mission is not to waste any fabric.”
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She says this practice has allowed her to save about 6,000 saris from the landfill.
Muktinutalapati works in Saskatoon and has a team of 10 in India; the whole team takes pride in putting a lot of care into their work.
“This is slow fashion, nothing happens quickly,” Satya said, “They cannot make more than two in a day, so I am very strict about that because they have to personally take care of those fabrics.”
Recent American tariffs are putting a hit on Muktinutalapati’s business, with 80 per cent of her customer base living south of the border.
“We are paying tariffs up front and that is killing my margins, so this year I don’t think I made any money because of the tariffs,” Muktinutalapati said, noting she is paying an extra 30-35 per cent in customs fees.
Although Rangeelaa has had a tough year, she says her customers are supportive.
“I know we are creating great outfits, and my customers love love love and I have like loyal customers who have been buying since 2019, since I started this.”
And sometimes, she is able to teach people something new.
“They have become my friends after all these years. So initially they did not know much about saris, so I educated them.”
Watch the video above for more on how Satya Muktinutalapati creates her clothing.