The Secret Sari Dress is …
A beautiful and clever wrap-dress, made from gorgeous Indian saris that folds into a small and neat pocket.
Produced using either pure cotton sari fabric or synethic mix sari fabric, each dress has been loving stitched by young women from our Maker Groups throughout a number of Indian states, where there are little or no employment opportunities, especially for women.
This powerful and unique dress is so versatile! Unfurling from it’s little pocket into a great, stylish dress for the beach, or festivals, to look gorgeous at home, or in the garden, this dress adapts to a myriad of occasions and is small enough to fit into hand luggage!
How the Secret Sari Dress came to life...
In 2015 we were approached by a wonderful women who presented us with a leather suitcase full of beautiful saris that had belonged to her mother. She then went on to talk about how she wanted to use these colourful and meaningful drapped dresses to empower women and asked us to help her.
We were delighted to be given this challenge, so close to our hearts. We did have a contact with a charity in India that worked tirelessly throughout 5 Indian states to rescue and rehabilitate women and children rescued from situations of human trafficking and we were looking at ways we could work together. We had initially thought that the groups of rescued women could make Secret Pillows for us to earn an income but we found these were a little too big and bulky and began to think of a good alternative.
In an inspired moment we suddenly thought about the donated fabrics that could be used to make a completely new Secret Product and the idea for the Secret Sari Dress was born... Working with one of our Customers, we came up with a pattern and began to train the women in how to make the dresses. We then took the dresses to market and were absolutely delighted when the sales soared.
The story evolves...
The Secret Sari Dress has since gone from strength to strength and has found fame in the Rock and Metal world and has became known as the ultimate festival dress. As word about the story behind the Secret Sari Dress spread, we were approached by fabulous, strong and empowered women from the industry who wanted to lend their support and our #SheRocks campaign began. Click here to read the full story. We are so proud that the Secret Sari Dress can be seen at many gigs and festivals around the globe.
We needed to make more dresses and that's when we met Molly who had her own sewing unit in West Bengal where there is a frighteningly high rate of trafficking, where young women without an income are at risk of falling into the hands of traffickers. Molly provides young women in the area with stitching work to earn money to support themselves and their families, making them much less vulnerable to these external forces.
And the story continues...
What ours our customers tell us…
I wear my Secret Sari Dress every day on holiday. The fabric has all my favourite colours in it and it so easy to wear in and out of the pool. Good bye heavy, wet beach towel! Charley, UK Customer
We love hearing what our Customers have to say about their Secret Sari Dress and how they wear theirs. Let us know at workwithus@secretprojects.org
Frequently Asked Questions about the Secret Sari Dress...
What is a Secret Sari Dress?
A Secret Sari Dress is a simple, yet gorgeous dress made from a sari, that can be worn on the beach, at a festival or party as well as at home and in the garden. Made by young women who without an income can be a target for trafficking gangs.
What are they made from?
Secret Sari Dresses are made from either pure cotton or a synthetic mix.
What sizes do the Secret Sari Dress come in?
- Extra Small (UK size 4-6; US size 2-4) approx. 116 cm x 100 cm
- Small / Medium (UK size 8-12; US size 6-10) approx. 146 cm x 100 cm
- Medium / Large (UK size 14-16; US size 12-14) approx. 176 cm x 100 cm
- Extra Large (UK size 18-22; US size 16-20) approx. 206 cm x 100 cm
How do I wash my Secret Sari Dress?
All Secret Sari Dresses can be machine washed at 30 degrees.
Dresses made from cotton can be ironed or put in the tumble dryer.
Synthetic mix dresses are best dried on a rack at room temperature. A very cool iron can be used but test a corner first.
Please remember that Indian Saris are delicate and last longest if you use a gentle washing powder or, better still an 'eco washing egg' of some kind.
The gentler you are as you wash your dress, the longer the colour will last and the longer you will be able to wear your beloved Secret Sari Dress.
How do I fold away my Secret Sari Dress?
Please click here to watch a film showing how to fold your dress away.