OUR STORY

Based in Singapore, Baliza is a fashion and lifestyle label crafting distinctive, summer-ready

collections for women. An ethical brand inspired by exotic destinations and celebrating heritage

craft, our artisan prints are brought to life in Jaipur, India.

“Creating a better world, one garment at a time”

Based in Singapore, Baliza is a fashion and lifestyle label crafting distinctive, summer-ready collections for women.

An ethical brand inspired by exotic destinations and celebrating heritage craft, our artisan prints are brought to life in Jaipur, India.

From dresses with pockets for everyday wear to beach-worthy kaftans and cover-ups, our designs are made from premium organic cotton fabric that’s better for you and for Mother Earth.

What’s more, our flattering pieces come in one size and fit a UK 6 to 16. This helps us reduce waste while empowering you with inclusive options that look good, feel good and do good.

WHERE YOUR CLOTHES ARE MADE MATTERS

We need to learn to love our planet and our people, every small step can truly help make a difference.

Our Philosophy

Slowly Made

We’re a slow fashion label and proud. Beyond creating unique designs you’ll reach for again and again, we approach everything we do with respect for people and the planet.

First off, our collections are made in limited runs, meaning we only create a few pieces per style. We also produce as demand rises from stockists or events. We carry a perennial collection of classic designs available online and in stores and add new styles twice a year. All this helps us to avoid overproduction, reduce textile waste and minimise our carbon footprint.

Also, each piece celebrates the subtle beauty of hand crafted design. Our artisans use skills like block and screen printing to bring our in-house prints to life. From carving out individual blocks to the print drying process, every step of our production is carried out with care and huge attention to detail. As they’re handmade, our designs often have subtle variations. We think these nuances add to their special charm, as no two pieces are ever entirely alike!

Empowering Lives

As an ethical brand we have a big purpose beyond profit. Numbers are important to any business, but the lives we improve — our social impact — is the benchmark that matters most.

Our designs aren’t produced at a big factory. They’re produced at Ladli, the vocational training arm of charity I-India, an incredible organisation that rehabilitates disadvantaged adults and children living on the streets.

At Ladli’s centre in Jaipur, individuals are given safe shelter and trained in artisanal skills like sewing, embroidery and block printing. They can also take lessons in other key areas like financial management while their children receive a holistic education at their school. With your help, to date we’ve supported over 390 artisans and the education of over 3,000 children.

Our ultimate goal at Baliza is to be a catalyst for change in the lives of our artisan partners.

We’re continually humbled by the role Ladli plays for hundreds of individuals in Jaipur, and it’s why we’re always proud to share the story behind who made your clothes.

Learn more about our work with Ladli.

Sustainable Practices

Our team is passionate about producing in an eco-friendly way and maintaining a cleaner supply chain.

One of our biggest commitments is using organic cotton. Not only does it feel beautifully soft on your skin, the plant is grown without harmful pesticides which is kinder to crop soil. What’s more, our designs are printed with herbal dyes, meaning no harmful chemicals go into the production process.

In order to be as zero-waste as possible, we also use our fabric off-cuts to create fun, colourful accessories for each collection. From reusable garment bags to scrunchies, head-bands or earrings, we find creative ways to make sure none of our fabric goes to waste.

MEET OUR TEAM

Gema Santander

Founder & Designer

Born in Spain into a family of tailors, Gema was brought up by the ocean and nature — her

main source of inspiration. An economist by training but a creative at heart, she started making her own clothes when she was 16, guided by her grandmother.

She worked in investment banking in London, but after moving to Singapore in 2009 she woke up to the true effects of fashion, one of the world’s most polluting industries. She was also concerned about the lack of care many had for the clothes they wore and the disregard of who was making them. This called for a change, and she wanted to be a part of it. She founded Baliza in 2012 and has been creating products that change lives ever since.

Madhumita Goswami

Creative Director

Madhu is a crafter at heart. Her happy space is when she can make things by hand be it on her small loom or designing on her computer, preferably with her pet Dalmatian, Patch, sleeping on her lap! Myriad projects and crafts have her interest all at once, but her mastery of hand printing methods like block printing and screen printing are her secret strength.

At Baliza she wears many hats – marketing, merchandising, social media and content creation, surface pattern designer. Like in any small business she manages her time between all these functions seamlessly.

Originally from Mumbai, India, Madhu has been in Singapore for the last 6 years. Formerly from an advertising and communications background, Baliza is not her first brush with entrepreneurship. She successfully ran her own retail venture for 12 years in India.

Darshna Goswami

Project Coordinator at Ladli

With a master in Mathematics, jumped into Ladli 11 years ago because of the impact Ladli has on the lives of the people when they gain work and skills from it.

As a project Coordinator, Darshna is involved in creating platforms for the women to learn new vocational skills that promote employability amongst them and helps expand the group into more women and children who could benefit from the project. She also checks, curates, and controls projects taken with Baliza to ensure design implementation, and quality.

It started small, but now I am trying to expand and delegate my tasks to others, and it’s beautiful to see how grand the project is becoming, simply because of that dream of making a difference, one individual, one child, and one garment at a time.

Kamla

Sequence work manager

She is a migrant worker from one of the poor states of North India. Married to a casual worker, she had been spotted at Sodala slum community 15 years ago when she was working making some blue pottery key rings.

In the process of establishing Ladli in Sodala area, the Ladli team met her and then formed a group of adolescent girls and women for imparting training on craft development. Despite being semi-litterate, she managed to lead this first group of 25 women and maintain attendance, stock and payment records herself. After many years of hard work, now being a master artisan, she is adept at sampling, grasps the quality and design requirements fast.

She has turned out into a breadwinner of her house and takes care of all household expenses and already arranged a wedding for her daughter.

Vishnu

Block printing manager

Ladli managers met Vishnu several years ago at Jhag village when he was preparing for Government Job examination. At that time he was very worried about his own future but also for the wellbeing of his two young daughters.

He Initially joined Ladli for a specific project for 2 years, but during this period he indulged so deeply into vocational training and livelihood projects that he is now performing any number of tasks– whatever must get done. If sampling fabric needs to be printed, Vishnu is called.

He has two grown children, and while his work at the Ladli made it possible for them to pursue regular education. Ladli is like a family for him!

Master Ji

My father was very good tailor so I was following their path since childhood & due to family background I was very fond of this profession. I worked in many tailoring shops as a cutting master but not enjoying to be work there and even didn’t found happiness & satisfaction. One day I came to know about Ladli vocational training centre for orphaned & destitute youth then I decided to join Ladli. I am working in Ladli from last 12 years.

Kirti

Production Supervisor

Kirti is part of the Ladli family. She and her husband always felt like they were under water, but they were very much determined to provide their children a decent life one day.

Before joining Ladli, Kirti sewn women's garments for her neighbors but this work was not enough for survival. At Ladi, she started out sewing bags initially, but gradually she moved to a supervisor role, and kept being promoted until she became a master trainer and in-charge of stitching units.

Now, Kirti earns more than a fair wage – she’s earned the respect of her family. Her husband now supports her work and appreciates her new modern skills in garment production. She’s the “strongest member of her family” and a role model for the women in her colony.