Salena (third from left) showing SMG volunteers how to deconstruct old jeans before the fabric can be used for upcycling.
MORE than 20 Star Media Group (SMG) employees volunteered their time at a social enterprise in Klang to help turn old denim into handcrafted bags as part of a community outreach effort.
The event at Suri Lifestyle’s headquarters in Taman Teluk Gadong saw volunteers removing stitches to dismantle about 300 pairs of donated denim jeans for upcycling.
The initiative was part of SMG’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme to empower single mothers and support the B40 community through sustainable practices.
A volunteer using a seam ripper to unpick stitches of an old pair of jeans.
The used denim will be repurposed into handmade tote bags by Suri Lifestyle, a social enterprise that employs 30 to 40 women on a full-time and part-time basis.
Suri Lifestyle founder Salena Ahmad, fondly known as Sally, said the effort also helped bring attention to the craftsmanship involved in making upcycled products.
“This gave SMG employees valuable hands-on experience in how bags are made from upcycled jeans.
“Through this process, we hope to raise greater awareness within the community that producing upcycled handbags requires skill and effort.
Suri Lifestyle employees sewing the denim fabric into tote bags. — Photos: YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
“It also gives SMG employees an opportunity to engage directly with a social enterprise that turns recycled materials into meaningful products,” she said.
Salena explained that a pair of men’s jeans could typically yield enough material for two tote bags, while a slim-fit pair of women’s jeans is enough for one bag.
SMG Brand Studio senior general manager Elicia Wee said the initiative was part of the company’s broader commitment to social impact.
“With Suri Lifestyle, it’s more focused on helping single mothers and others in the B40 group.
“Hopefully, our initiative with them will help take a load off their shoulders,” she said.
Operating since 2016, the enterprise focuses on turning secondhand materials, mainly denim, into various handmade crafts.
Earlier on June 20, SMG had organised a denim donation drive to source for the material from employees and nearby communities at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya.
