Have you noticed our new collections from India?
In 2024, Johanne Helger was on a mission for Ecouture – a trip to India to forge new contacts and find the perfect partners. We are committed to being completely transparent and would like to introduce you to the wonderful men and women who sew our clothes. So here is a travelogue about those who create your clothes – from our sewing workshop in Delhi to the artisans in Jaipur.
Business trip to India!
I’m so glad I finally managed to get away to India – again. It had been 10 years since my last visit. I’d been thinking about it for years… But this time, I’d actually had a visit from the Attire sewing workshop here in Copenhagen first. And that clearly made a difference!
I set off full of enthusiasm. Then I saw it: beautiful craftsmanship, lovely natural materials – and the chance to have it all produced sustainably. “Yes, madam.” This is where it all begins!
My beloved ‘little’ son came along as my personal bodyguard, and he looked after us very well. He turned out to be a fantastic travelling companion – brilliant at finding his way, always cheerful and brave. He didn’t let himself be put off by the utter chaos and throng of people that characterise most of India. You shouldn’t worry about that when travelling there!
Meet the sewing workshop in Delhi
We visited several factories in both Delhi and Jaipur. The factory I have chosen to work with is located in Delhi – on the outskirts of an industrial estate. One of the things that caught my interest at Attire was their strong focus on sustainability, good working conditions and women’s rights. They work with an organisation that helps poor women from rural villages to find work and secure a stable income.
And as an added bonus, the CEO is a young woman! She’s the one I deal with for all my communications. Lovely!
When you buy clothes from Ecouture, you can be sure that they have been produced under some of the best conditions we can offer.
This is how your clothes are made, under some of the best conditions we have. So take good care of them! There are lots of people who have WORKED HARD to create them!!!
From Delhi to Jaipur – a journey through contrasts
The journey from Delhi to Jaipur took eight hours by car. We drove out of a foggy, cold metropolis, through smog, dust and poverty. We passed through bleak, ghostly ‘Fallout’-like areas, where people wrapped in blankets wandered restlessly, looking utterly lost. But the further we travelled into the countryside, the more the mist lifted. The sun began to break through, the mountains appeared on the horizon, and the air became cleaner and warmer.
Suddenly we were surrounded by cows, goats, dromedaries, monkeys and elephants. They were wandering amongst all the people living by the roadside, past roadside stalls and small petrol stations. It was quite a sight driving there, amongst the thousands of yellow, dusty lorries – decorated with colourful flowers and trinkets – lorries that drive in and out of Delhi and Jaipur every day, carrying textiles, raw materials and everything else produced here – to the whole of India, to us and to the rest of the world.
At last we arrived in Jaipur, where we could take in all the sensory impressions.
A mixture of hope and frustration
I returned home full of enthusiasm and brimming with new ideas. India is a veritable mecca of beautiful craftsmanship and sustainable materials. But at the same time, it was also a reminder of just how unequal the world still is – how far we still have to go when it comes to the climate and equality.
Oh… but we’ve still got such a long way to go!