Our Signature Turn-Down Waistband
A turn down waistband in our pants and skirts is fast becoming one of our signature design features.
With 6 designs now (and counting), it's pretty obvious we're huge fans.
Thankfully, so are you!
The Origin Piece
Our obsession began with our Mantra Pants.
In 2010 we used to sell a similar style, but in loomed cotton and with a ribbed turn down waistband - we absolutely loved them! Our maker would often change the colours without asking us though, and we became frustrated with the unpredictability. Over time we ultimately stopped ordering them.
Until we resurrected them during a covid lockdown, but this time with a new partner, and also with organic cotton - we were onto a winner!
MANTRA PANT RANGE
BLACK
COBALT
TAUPE
DUSTY MAUVE
BERRY
OATMEAL
"The one thing all our turn down waistband pants and skirts have in common is the beautiful organic cotton fabric. This fabric lends itself beautifully to a textured aesthetic and layered look; it's light enough to wear comfortably all year around, yet heavy enough to sit perfectly flat when turned over at the waist." - Mel
Freedom Pants Inspo
In the early 2000's I owned (and lived in) two pairs of turn-down waist pants from Thailand that I bought at Mindil Beach Markets in Darwin ... they were my everything! I travelled all through Asia in them, and only gave them up when we discovered the 'Ali Baba Pants' that were everywhere in India at the time.
Years later after wearing our Mantra Pants, I randomly remembered about my old fave's, and started to wonder where they ended up. Finding no answer I decided to design them for myself and be able to wear them again.
I drew up the pattern, and emailed it to three of our partners in Nepal, to see who came up with the best version. I received two back 😅 and my favourite were the pants we now sell, and call the Freedom Pants. While they didn't arrive with the drawstring I asked for, the beautiful fabric and design perfection sealed the deal.
FREEDOM PANTS RANGE
BERRY
SUNDAE
DUSTY MAUVE
CAPPUCCINO
SAGE
FRENCH BLUE
SKY BLUE
BLACK
"I wore the initial Freedom sample around everywhere that Winter ... literally only took them off to wash them. I absolutely loved them but needed to check that the quality was there - the stretch fabric needed to be able to handle the weight of the waistband in day to day usage. I knew it was perfect in the Mantra Pants, but the fabric was thinner in these pants and I was a teeny, tiny bit sceptical. Once I saw that it withheld wearing and washing like a pro, we introduced these pants into our collection right away to share this amazing piece" - Mel
sonder skirt
The Sonder skirt waistband is a single turndown layer, rather than double like all our other pieces. This means it's quite streamlined and allows this piece to lend itself to a more body-con silhouette (if you prefer it like that).
It's also perfect for wearing with midriffs or tube tops as there's less 'bulk' in the waistband.
It's just such an all-round versatile skirt, with countless different ways to wear it really well.
SONDER SKIRT RANGE
TURMERIC
OCEAN
SKY BLUE
DUSTY GREY
DUSTY MAUVE
BERRY
BLACK
"Something we weren't prepared for when we introduced our turn-down waistbands, was the amount of people who told us how perfect they were for pregnancy. It makes sense with the double band being more supportive on the belly, but we were still surprised when we read the reviews, emails and people telling us in-person. We absolutely love it, and it proves even more how versatile this waistband is" - Mel
BRAND NEWNESS
This Summer sees the introduction of three new turn-down waist designs; two pairs of pants and one skirt.
We've used the same beautiful colour palette for all three, and plan to add to the colour range each year.
Our Cropped Freedom Pants are the same design you love in the originals, but a shorter length for Summer activities.
Our Sanur Pants are everything you love about the Freedom Pants and our Palazzo Pants - all mixed up together to create this amazing new pair of pants!
Our soon to be released Madrid Skirt is an oldie revamped - we fixed it by adding the turn-down waistband, reducing the leg split, and perfected the sizing. We can't wait to show you this brand new (old) piece!
(Pop over and sign up to be notified when it drops).
Welcome to the Surya family!
Thank you for all your amazing support on this journey - we couldn't do it without you. We're so glad you love our pieces and look forward to sharing more with you soon.
Until next time,
