How did your beautiful brand begin?
India is home to a wide array of communities, each having different handcrafting skills – a metaphorical treasure trove. As lovers of handicrafts we realised we could, in a small way, bridge the gap between artisans and international consumers, giving Indian artisans much needed exposure and opportunities. We also felt that women artisans would benefit from having jobs and the consequent financial independence. With this inspiration, we began our journey and started Daughters of the Ganges.
What drew you to the marginalised communities in India?
Unfortunately, with the introduction of fast fashion in India, many artisans are left jobless and penniless. It is heart-breaking to see skilled artisans doing underpaid jobs that don’t utilise their skills. So we decided to focus our efforts on such communities and seeing the big impact a small brand like ours has made, there’s no regrets and no looking back.
Give artisans a chance. You might find you feel good wearing products that are handmade with love.
Why did you decide to focus on jewellery?
We’re privileged to be able to begin our journey close to home, in small villages outside of New Delhi. Known for their ability to make quality jewellery, we decided to focus on jewellery as the starting point of Daughters of the Ganges. Going forward we’d like to explore other communities and their handicrafts.
What inspires your delightful designs?
Whilst we have an in-house designer, a lot of our designs are done in collaboration with the artisans; so some of the designs are inspired by the artisans themselves. Putting together contemporary western styles with age-old Indian techniques is a delight and a pleasure!
How is Daughters of the Ganges making a difference to the marginalised communities you work with in India?
To begin with, all our artisans are paid fairly. Women have flexible working hours and are given the raw materials so they can work from home. This ensures that women artisans can look after their children, and still be financially independent. Special training is given to individuals who’d like to develop skills, which can be used in the future, irrespective of their whereabouts. We also provide after-school programmes for the children of the artisan communities to ensure they have a bright future.
What’s your brilliant brand ethos?
We believe in maintaining a transparent jewellery making process. Every piece that we supply to our customers must be ethically made by hand, using environmentally friendly raw materials and fair practices.
What’s your vision for the future?
for you as a brand – We’d love to expand our range to more products including accessories, homeware, textiles etc.
for your makers – We’d like to train and employ more women artisans.
for the fashion industry – Transparency!
What is the one thing you would say to peeps considering the switch from fast fashion to sustainable and ethical fashion?
Give artisans a chance. You might find you feel good wearing products that are handmade with love.
What's your fave piece?
All our patina pieces, especially the Mehek earrings. We love the rustic and luxurious finish that this technique gives.
What’s your most popular pieces?
Which other sustainable ethical fashion brands do you adore?
We love Komodo and Just Trade UK. Not only do they have beautiful and thoughtful products, but the people behind the brands are also wonderful and very helpful.
