“Clothes aren’t going to change the world, the women who make them will.”
As a slow fashion label, our mission at Baliza is to create meaningful designs that tell a story. Not just the narrative of our brand inspiration, but of our artisans and their skills. A core part of our team, our makers bring our garments to life every season, while our social impact is to empower them with opportunities for a better life.
First off, each collection celebrates the beauty of all things hand made. Our clothes are created by our artisan partners at Ladli, a vocational training centre in Jaipur and part of NGO I-India. Our eye-catching prints, which reflect different inspirations every season, are designed by us and then hand block printed by adults that attend to learn this ancient skill (it’s harder than it looks to do well!) while their children receive an education at Ladli’s on-site school. Further details like sophisticated embroidery and embellishment are the finishing touches.
Each design is a labour of love. Our kaftans, for example, take eight weeks to produce. We design, purchase fabric, dye, bead and embroider every piece. In fact, the production of 20 kaftans pays for one months’ full salary for one of our artisans. Their wages are also three times higher than garment workers in the surrounding area.
Many female artisans attend Ladli for a few hours every day to earn a fair living wage, while also receiving emotional and financial support. This in turn helps their families and children to receive an education. As a brand run by women, we’re particularly passionate about giving back to women and young girls living in poverty. Through our work, we hope to be able to give them the opportunity to build a better future. To date, we’ve provided paid work for over 300 female artisans and 90 young adults.
So, the next time you see a product with the label ‘artisan craft’, remember that it means far more than just hand made. Artisanal workmanship conveys meaning, culture and heritage. That’s why we’ll always aim to provide dignified work that tells the story of the people making our clothes.
Discover our latest artisanal prints here.