“Every brand has a pivotal moment in its story. The artisans of India became mine.
While our birthplace was Australia, it was in India that I truly found my creative feet. It is my spiritual home. A wonderland of artisans, an oasis of textiles, a place of deep friendships and long business partnership. India is the second chamber of my CAMILLA heart.
My brand was built on experiencing the unexpected with travel as my muse. I strive to honour the people and places I have been fortunate to visit, and this authenticity, integrity and craftsmanship carries through my entire process. Not just my designs, but the way they are printed, cut, sewn, embellished and embroidered. The storytelling needs to burst from every seam, on canvas’ crafted by hand.
In the early days I travelled to India in the hope of finding local artisans that could realise this vision. At a time where almost anything could be replicated and craftsmanship was being abandoned for commercial gain, I sought something utterly original. Made intentionally. Made slowly. Made with love.
Finding a creative partner is like falling in love, and on that first trip I fell deep, meeting Jaggi and his family. We spent hours chatting passionately about creativity, art and design. While not core to their offering then, I convinced them to give garment manufacturing a go. We began with ten local beaders and embroiders, and almost two decades on, we employ over 1200 people – including 900 artisans.
We are so intrinsically linked that our signature CAMILLA totem, the Jaggi Head, was created to honour Jaggi and his ever-growing team.
I’ve always seen CAMILLA as a platform for change. It’s easy to do the right thing when everyone is watching, but it’s more important to stand up for what you believe when no one is paying attention. Because of this partnership 1200 people have steady, skilled, ongoing, well-paid work that offers opportunities for advancement. The impact of this on a community level for Gurugram, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh cannot be underestimated. Together our CAMILLA collective are supporting critical, positive, generational change in India.
Thank you Jaggi. We grow together.”
