The Story of Indilisi Hand Knits - by Safia Minney, Founder, Indilisi
This collection introduces Fair Trade Group KTS, which produces handknits to keep you cosy and warm in the cooler months.
Experienced artisans in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, take about 4-5 days to make each hand-knitted sweater or cardigan.
→ KTS, Nepal
I’ve worked with them for decades, and together we have pioneered better supply chains, higher wool standards, safe dyes, and better wages for artisans. KTS also supports a small school, a library, and cultural and health support for workers. The Fair Trade project began with the Khadgi Family, who were Freedom Fighters and supported the “untouchables” by providing work for women and schooling for their children. Today, they make beautiful hand knits for conscious customers worldwide, and they are a pioneer in Fair Trade.
→ Inspiration from the ancient world
Our knitwear inspiration comes from the exquisite, intricate wood carvings and collection at the Patan Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that will knock your socks off! The palace compound that house the museum, Keshav Narayan Chowk, was built by the Malla dynasty in 1734 and was meticulously restored and reopened in 1997. See here!
We were excited to capture the relief work with handknitting stitches that also trap your body heat and keep you cosy. My personal favourites are the Basket Stitch Cardi, the Two-tone hand-crocheted Cardi, and the Waffle Long Cardi. I also adore the Slipover tabards as they are like wearing a hug!
→ Design for Change
If you know me from my days running People Tree, you may also know that we were one of the first Fair Trade companies to employ professional designers and technicians to work alongside artisans and craftspeople. We pioneered product development and design based on artisans' traditional skills, sensitive to what can change in handcrafted products, how the climate affects natural materials, and cultural ways of living. We created tech packs for handcrafted products, graded them, and ran workshops on tailoring skills and quality, so we knew our customers would fall in love with their purchase.
Each season, we’d start the critical path, or production schedule, 18 months before companies that make mass-produced products. That way, we could make products by hand and source organic cotton and other environmentally friendly materials. My passion for handicrafts such as handweaving, handknitting, and hand embroidery probably comes from enjoying my grandmother's embroidery and, as a child, watching my neighbour, a carpenter.
Making things by hand, with care, and using organic and biodegradable materials has always been my passion - but to make it succeed commercially isn’t easy, customers have to love the design, quality and know they will get a lot of use from it.
It’s also good to know that making things by hand through Fair Trade provides valuable income and livelihoods in rural areas, giving women flexibility to work around family commitments and build economic independence. I hope you love the Indilisi hand knits as much as we do!
SHOP HANDKNITS
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