Kartika Putra & Jessie Helyar, Co-founders of Wolftress

Jessie Helyar and Kartika (Tika) Putra founded Wolftress, an Australia-based clothing brand, to celebrate the skills, trades, and indigenous artisans of ancient cultures through fashion. Tika and Jessie live in Sydney, and their jobs take them all over the world. Here, they share travel tips, what they’re currently reading, and why it’s important to keep traditional skills alive and thriving…

How did you two meet? And how did the idea for Wolftress first begin?

Tika was on a solo leg of her South American backpacking trip, and at the same time, Jessie was travelling through Colombia. Jessie had traveled as far north as possible but was avoiding going home to Australia. So, when Tika said she was heading to Ecuador to live on the coast for a month, Jessie jumped right in. It was close to Christmas and we were each in desperate need of a partner-in-crime through the whole festive season.

It wasn’t until we were broken after New Year’s and escaping for a little life and health recuperation when we started discussing textiles and ethnic minorities and the beauty that people back home in Australia were missing out on. The conversation of Wolftress just naturally grew from there. It was exhilarating to meet someone who was just as excited and committed to trying out something new.

Funny thing: Tika had temporarily lost her voice when we first started talking about Wolftress, so much of the conversation was through whispers and writing.

What are your responsibilities at Wolftress? How do you split up tasks?

Tika: I handle communication, blogger outreach, and website maintenance. I cover the consumer-facing end of Wolftress. We both have very strong ideas on the concept of Wolftress and we work really well together to get our ideas across to the audience.

Jessie: Yes, we work very closely together. We will come up with ideas and concepts together and then divide and conquer. There is a lot of research involved in finding not only a traditional skill but one that can work into modern day fashion; we both do a lot research. (During our last trip to China, we learned about traditional skills that had already slipped away and other skills that we greatly appreciate but are not able to use in Wolftress collections.) In general, I cover the manufacturing and production of new products at Wolftress.

Why is it important to you to grow awareness of different cultures, designs, and traditional skills from ancient cultures that have been passed down through countless generations?

T: We’ve seen first hand the devastating outcome of lost skills. They disappear and the locals have to revert to skills that aren’t native to their culture instead of continuing to create using their traditional skills. In many circumstances, cultures identify with specific, traditional skills and people within those cultures who are skilled in an area are respected and celebrated.

J: If we don’t support and share these stories, beliefs, and skills they may be lost forever. What makes this world such a beautiful place is the cultural diversity. There is no “right” way to live, there are many. It’s such a beautiful, eye-opening experience to see how other people in the world live, and I think it’s so important that we don’t lose that.

What do you like most about your job?

T: Creating! Concept building–thinking about new activations. The travelling part is always a highlight, no matter how stressful and painful it gets. I also love meeting ethnic minorities and getting immersed in their world. Creating new things together and learning their ways and ideas of life is amazing. The world is bursting with wisdom, knowledge, and heart that needs to be discovered.

J: Each day is a new possibility. Where to travel to next? Who to collaborate with? We are forever meeting new and exciting explorers with unique stories to tell. We have such massive dreams with Wolftress and we are only just beginning to break through the surface. Everyday is one step closer to another great plan.

Did you ever think you’d be the co-founder of a startup and designing your own clothing line?

T: No! Growing up, my family lived in an open house where everyone shared rooms and international students would come and go bringing their knowledge of the world into our household. The majority of the visitors were students studying business and they put the idea into my young mind that being unique and being able to create and do what I love for the rest of my life is the most important thing. They would leave me with so much to ponder. But it’s surreal to be living a life where it’s my job to travel around the world and meet people from ethnic minorities and learn about their cultures. To set your own goals and set your own path is something that is so special!

What was your first job after Uni [college]?

T: I was an engineer. Funny that! I studied civil engineering with architecture in Uni. I wanted to create beautiful buildings and change the industry with environmental design. Little did I know that the industry is less glamorous than what I thought it would be and was stiff as a doorknob–the chances of changing the industry were slim to none, and I tried changing it for three years!

J: I wanted to travel and experience another way of life before Uni, so I actually took three years off before going on to study Fashion Design; I just wasn’t ready to commitment to more school after primary [school]. I tried some pretty random jobs but was always in hospitality; I like the excitement and the events.

What’s the most frequent question you hear about launching your own clothing line?

T: “Where is it stocked?” It’s such a boring question, and it’s a question to suss out how big we are in Australia (completely fuelled with judgement). The question that I wish I heard is “What’s the concept behind Wolftress?” That’s an awesome question because people get to hear our passion, the story behind wolftress, and the bigger picture. My Answer is: Wolftress is all about sharing hidden treasures from around the world, often the ones that need sharing in order to survive. We look for ethnic minorities to collaborate with, utilising their traditional textiles, skills to create empowering fashion pieces, and existing collections.

You travel often for your job. Have you picked up any good travel tips?

J: Everytime I travel I pack less than the time before. Less is best, I think. I always pack something really nice to wear as well, just in case. While traveling, I always hit a point when I’ve been on the road for a while and I want to feel a bit dressier for a day. Also, always learn a few key phrases before you go to a new place to show the people living there that you are interested in their culture and language.

Where did you travel to last?

T: I recently went to Sri Lanka for two weeks, exploring a small country that is bursting with culture. My whole time there consisted of surfing, eating, and exploring on repeat. I found amazing textiles and beautiful stories from that trip.

When are you post productive? Any tips on productivity?

J: I’m best when I sit down with Tika and we throw all our thoughts on the table. We feed off each other really well. A lot of the time our ideas go through the pump so many times that we don’t even know where they originated but they turn into something amazing. When I’m alone, I need good music to keep the creative juices flowing.

Tell us about a happy moment.

J: I love those moments where I feel complete though I have nothing. When you are on the road and you look around and wonder, ‘Where am I? OMG what am I doing?!’ You realize you’re in a secluded part of the world and you don’t know the language or where you’re going, yet everything is perfect. Travelling is full of these experiences where you realise all the possessions you thought mattered actually don’t–the smell of the air, the sounds of the street, the faces smiling at you. This makes the happiest moments.

What are you currently reading?

T: Color by Victoria Finlay. It was a gift and has the most amazing stories.

J: I just started reading a new book last night: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. When you have your own business you need something that can allow you to turn of your head and escape every now and then, and reading is that escape for me.