aksalab designs is a firm believer of artisanal fabrics and meticulous garment construction. The point of intersection of these values is ‘India’ .
With the Modi government’s initiative to ‘Make In India’, the doors for a holistic and sustainable development opened for us.
Geoffrey Planque over a decade of visiting India has developed an interesting mix of manufacturing in India and finding markets for these goods, including Europe that appreciates high quality and luxurious fashion products.
We started working with kalamkari artisans to develop scarves for the French market. Eventually we brought other textile weaves like pochampalli Ikat, kantha from Bengal, mashru from Gujarat into our textile basket.
During the last two years in the pandemic, Geoffrey Planque, the creative director of aksalab designs decided to sample and develop hand woven fabrics with weaves in Pathan and Kanchipuram to support the craftsman. He is also developing embroidery in Kashmir with independent artisans.
All these efforts were towards a B2B marketplace, where it creates value for his Indian craftsmen and unique pieces for his European market.
The efforts have emboldened us to reach out to Indian companies and develop a more collaborative business out of India.
We are currently in talks to develop a joint-venture with an Indian garment and clothing firm to fully realise our efforts and the immense potential of ‘Make in India’ and grow aksalab designs into a unique voice in luxury clothing and slow fashion.
At the heart of our work is the hand of an Indian craftsperson.