Meet Nana Sacko, the Mama Making Magic with Second-Hand Finds and Botanical Dyes
Photos by High Mind Studios for Sacko
I started avidly following Nana Sacko when I discovered her earthy tonal posts featuring her two adorable children and her talent for hand dying their clothes the most beautiful natural hues. With a background in fashion and material development, she started experimenting with different techniques and pigments and fell in love with the process.
After continuing to receive requests to purchase what she was creating, Nana decided to take her passion project to the next level and launch Sacko. With sustainability on her mind, this vintage loving Mama started scouring the Swedish west coast, where she lives, for preloved treasures she could give a second life. She finds organic when she can and otherwise uses only natural materials and deadstock.
Her online shop launched this week and features small batch one-of-a-kind items. Nana hand dyes using 100% natural plant extracts from things like eucalyptus, turmeric, onion skins, marigold flowers and fresh roses. The launch includes lots of t-shirts and an assortment of onesies, shorts, accessories and one-off pieces. The size range is 0m-6y and prices are around $15 - $40 each. Additionally, there is a second-hand as is section too.
Below, Meer Guide had a chance to talk to Nana about her process, passion for up-cycling and launching Sacko. shopsacko.com
Nana Sacko
WHAT STARTED YOU ON YOUR FIRST TIE-DYES FOR YOUR OWN KIDS?
When I became a mother the second time around I had everything I needed when it came to clothes. Everything from my first child would be passed down to my second. Some of the garments I was simply tired of but they where perfectly fine garments, so I started to remake some of them by giving them new colour and experimenting with different tie dye techniques such as shibori and bundle dyeing.
Second hand garments are a huge part of both my own and my kids wardrobe and I have a background working with textiles, so remaking what we already had came naturally and felt better than buying a lot of new stuff. There is so many good quality garments out there that can get new life by being up-cycled.
Nana and her two children
HOW DID YOU START EXPERIMENTING WITH THE DIFFERENT PLANT DYES AND HOW HARD IT IS TO GET THE COLORS RIGHT?
I fell in love with the natural dyeing process using what I had around me both when it came to the garments and using our food scraps, flowers and plant extracts. I was amazed how much color you could get out of onion skins for example. For me the unexpected result of never knowing what you will get was so thrilling.
I think the most challenging part when it comes to colours is that natural dyes are very sensitive and react to everything from temperature, pots, the water in your area and so on. If you want to repeat the same thing twice you have to be very precise documenting each step. I feel most creative when I can free flow and be spontaneous, which results in totally different colours, pattern and creations every time, which is fine in the small scale I’m practising. I think an open mind and patience really helps and you have to accept that natural colours is a living color that only can be controlled to a certain extend.
Some of Sacko’s dyed textiles
WHAT KIND OF TOOLS DO YOU USE TO CREATE SOME OF THE PATTERNS?
I love to work with natural materials as much as possible also when it comes to my tools. I use a lot of wooden kitchen tools, clothes pegs, stones, flax thread but also rubber bands, pipes, and of course as many big pots as possible. There is really no limit to it, anything that will help me do the job.
Some of the tools Nana uses for Sacko
YOU RECENTLY DECIDED TO LAUNCH YOUR OWN SMALL BATCH COLLECTION, SACKO. WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO GO FOR IT?
I started to share some of my work on instagram which became my visual diary while exploring the the world of hand dyes. I got a lot of positive response from it and some people reaching out wanting to buy what I made. I started to send gifts here and there with the things we didn’t use ourselves, however this was not so sustainable for my own pocket. I wanted to do more of what I love so starting a small webshop felt like a good way to start and grow organically. Sacko is my creative passion project which I’m running during my maternity leave when I have some free time.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE COLLECTION?
Sacko is a small batch of hand dyed items which have been dyed by hand in my kitchen using 100% natural plant extracts. I also hand pick second hand garments on the Swedish west coast and these will be curated and sold as unique sustainable pieces. You will get genderless quality garments for the little ones using natural materials and earthy tones. Each and every item has been cared for and loved, which is the beauty of small scale.
Sacko t-shirt and short
WHERE ARE THE MATERIALS YOU DYE COMING FROM? ARE THEY ALL SECOND HAND OR ARE YOU ALSO SOURCING SOME SELECT FABRICS?
The garments I use are often second hand or already existing garments like deadstock. There are so many garments out there already which can be taken care of and updated to meet our current needs. I’m eager to find more ways to remake and reuse what’s already out there, being a part of circular fashion.
Sacko t-shirt and leggings
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO TRY TYE DYING AT HOME?
I would encourage you to start with what you have in your kitchen or if you are lucky enough to have a garden. Some food waste such as onion skins, avocado skins/stones, turmeric and marigold flower can give rich colour. I actually have my entire family saving their onion skins for me. It is such a nice feeling every time I get a paper bag with their collects knowing this can be turned into beautiful colours with some love and patience. Protein fibers such as wool and silk soak up color much easier than for example, cellulose fiber, such as cotton. I am self taught, so the only way I know is to throw yourself out there and start exploring and have fun with it!
SACKO
You can find the full collection at www.shopsacko.com and follow Nana’s journey on her personal account @nanasacko and her online shop @shopsacko.