Earlier this year I bought a one-way ticket to India.
Five weeks. A concept, a vision, and no guarantee it would become anything real.
But the story actually starts two months earlier.
On a layover in Brussels, on my way home from Senegal, I complimented a woman's coat. We got to talking. Her coat was made by an artisinal women's cooperative I wanted to work with in India.
I took it as a sign to commit to this business (easily convinced), and shortly after I had an introduction to Parigna who would become Sovereign Studio's designer.
I took it as a sign to commit to this business (easily convinced), and shortly after I had an introduction to Parigna who would become Sovereign Studio's designer.
I didn't know it then. But that airport conversation was the first thread.
Pari's entire practice is built around preserving sustainable and artisanal craft in India — the relationships and techniques that are quietly disappearing as fast fashion accelerates. She finds the makers, protects the methods, keeps the lineage alive.
And she lives five minutes from my grandparents' flat in Mumbai. Out of all of India.
Through Pari's network, we found our manufacturer and fabric mills. Artisans working with traditional handloom fabric mills, weaving cloth by hand rather than machine. The difference is something you feel the moment you touch it.
The five weeks looked like: packaging runs across the city, negotiating with suppliers over WhatsApp, fabric samples spread across every surface, and moments of complete awe at what was coming together.
It wasn't just about making something tangible. It was about forging my own relationship with India too. A country that is in my blood but that I was finally meeting on my own terms.
This was the first sourcing trip of many. Don't miss out on the next one.
With love,
Anushka
