Designers all over the world scrambled to do last-minute fittings, accessory pairings, and music selections as they prepared to unveil their new collections this fall. From her home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Rachel Faller, who received her BFA in Fiber from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2008, did the same.
Faller arrived in the United States last week for a one-and-a-half month stint to participate in independent fashion events on both coasts. She presents her line of organic, fair-trade clothing at L.A.’s Green Initiative Humanitarian Fashion Show on Oct. 16—as well as at other shows in Boston, New York, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.
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For Faller, however, the glitz and excitement of the fashion world is just a side note to the accomplishments of her sixteen-person staff: nine HIV-positive women, one sewing instructor, two shopkeepers, one project director, two eager interns, and herself.
Two years ago, Faller, 23, founded a forward-thinking boutique in Cambodia called KeoK'jay—“fresh” in Khmer, the official language. Faller first conceived of KeoK'jay when she and a friend visited Cambodia in 2007. Fascinated by the country’s culture and traditional fabrics, she hatched a post-college plan to return to the country to study traditional textiles and fair-trade business models.
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During her senior year, she continued her research and interest from afar, making work about the 1975-1979 Cambodian genocide, in which 1.7 million people lost their lives. She presented this work to the public in her commencement exhibition. Three months after graduating, Faller was on an airplane, heading back to Phnom Penh on a Fulbright scholarship to begin ten months of research and start her business on the side.
Most of the women Faller employs are widows who must choose between daytime jobs or caring for their children. Faller developed designs and techniques that the women would be able to produce at home with very little equipment. Through her growing familiarity with the culture and the community, Faller was inspired to craft contemporary accessories, clothing, and gifts out of traditional, organic, and recycled materials. Many of the fun, contemporary, bohemian designs feature prints that are hand-silkscreened with dyes made from Cambodian plants and minerals. Others are embellished with embroidery and patchwork appliqué.
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“Quality is very important,” Faller explains. “Many of the crafts here are not well-made. We wanted to make quality, contemporary products. This way they are more exportable.”
With ten months of fair-trade and textile research under her belt, Faller’s business has taken off. KeoK'jay products can be found in shops in Australia, Norway, and Massachusetts, as well as in her two Cambodian boutiques, KeoK'jay main in Phnom Penh, and Circle boutique in Siem Reap, which Faller owns with another designer.
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Eventually, Faller says she’d like to transition out of the day-to-day aspects of the business and encourage the staff to sustain the business on their own. She has taken on additional side projects, most recently in India, hoping to give the KeoK'jay sewers more independence, but she admits there is no clear end in sight for her involvement.
“I am coming to terms with the fact that it is necessary for a Western-based designer to be involved to make internationally marketable products,” she says. “The design training is just not available in Cambodia.” For now, she continues to be inspired by the strength of her co-workers and plans to stay in Cambodia as long as it takes to see the business thrive.
