Saheli Women is an ethical fashion social enterprise founded by Madhu Vaishnav in Rajasthan, whose mission is to teach women a trade & traditional skills, financially empower them, and advocate for them. A committed project run by women for women.

Marie, Louise Misha’s founder, and Claire, executive director, were won over not only by the talent of the women who work there, but also by the strength of a project in which every woman receives a fair wage, chooses her working hours and accesses health and education programs. 

At the heart of the beauty of this co-capsule, these pieces, these skills, these details, there are smiles, encounters, songs, the scent of flowers and chai tea. There are women. 

After obtaining permission from her family to work even though her marriage contract forbade it, Madhu Vaishnav worked as a teacher, an English student, a translator and then a social worker working with women and children in the slums around Jodhpur. Wanting to get a degree in social work, she then went to the United States to study at the University of California in Berkeley. It was upon her return that she decided to set up her own organization in Bhikamkor, the rural village of her husband's family, inspired by the determination of the women in the village to provide for their families with little means.

The genesis of Saheli Women: Madhu and 4 other women, 100 dollars and a small premises of 10 square meters. When Madhu realized that all the women in the village had a sewing machine (as a wedding dowry), she had the idea of ​​​​orienting her business towards fashion and learning textile-related skills. An idea that will help her achieve her dream: to allow women to access financial independence!

“100% of the children of Saheli women now go to school (and thanks to their mother, not their father!) These women are investing in the happiness of their children.”

Madhu Vaishnav

“A woman knows that the preciousness of a garment reflects her own preciousness and her way of thinking. So it is not just a question of appearance. Hence the importance of producing less but better, of consuming less but better.”

Louise Misha & Saheli Women share a passion for craftsmanship, as well as its preservation and transmission. Hand embroidery, weaving, vegetable dyeing: three exceptional skills are highlighted in this capsule. Cushion covers, pouches, blouses and shirt dresses: precious and infinitely unique pieces to discover. No two pieces are alike! Their irregularities celebrate the beauty of imperfections and the poetry of the hand.

“When Marie arrived with her project, I was delighted that she was interested in all of our know-how. And especially in the weaving loom because it was the very beginning for us, we hadn't even finished the training she decided to trust us anyway! I am really grateful to her. I think Louise Misha really understood our mission.”

To teach the women of Saheli Women the different sewing techniques and the know-how that are the soul of each of their creations, Madhu recruited several trainers. What a challenge for these women to meet the demands of rigor and precision required by this apprenticeship! Madhu shows great admiration for their perseverance on a daily basis. These women who often cannot read, write or count manage to appropriate a whole universe of numbers, measurements and sizes.

“I didn’t know that one day I would be able to make fabric. I am so amazed by this journey, from the little thread to the finished garment, it’s amazing!”

Anita, head of the loom team

It is on this large, impressive machine that a woman comes to thread each thread into the needles of the machine, in accordance with the planned design. It takes about two weeks for the preparation part! Then, for a single dress for example, the weaving on the machine (activated by hand and foot) and the sewing represent about 6-7 days of work.

A stencil made from the desired design is placed on the fabric and covered with indigo, which allows the outline of the design to be printed onto the fabric. Then, the women embroider the pattern by hand from this outline. A Louise Misha x Saheli Women embroidery takes about 2-3 days of work.

“For the plant dyeing, however, we improvised, we interpreted this know-how in our own way by playing with the flowers, by doing several tests. There were quite a few failed attempts but it was a very fun, experimental and creative learning experience!”

Marigolds & roses bought at the market are spread on the fabric with a unique blend of natural, rare and precious powders, allowing to fix the colors. The fabric is folded and boiled for a while, then opened and shaken: we discover its unique and poetic pattern in a shower of petals! It takes 4-5 hours of work for each fabric.

On each piece of the capsule there is a label with the portrait of the woman who made the garment, from A to Z, because each woman masters all the know-how and can therefore make her piece in its entirety.

“I believe in the importance of female leadership because women think differently. They are motivated above all by joy, laughter, music, flowers: a female leader brings a lot of happiness to the people around her.”

Beyond the clothes, we fully embrace Madhu's vision and commitment to female leadership. We were touched by her powerful and sincere words and by the corporate culture she has managed to establish: each woman can choose her work and vacation hours, can bring her children, breastfeed whenever she wants... A framework that allows them to reconcile professional and family life, to emancipate themselves and become leaders, on their scale. A framework that echoes the Louise Misha adventure, mainly led by women, and driven by the desire to celebrate women, to encourage their talent, their courage, their audacity, their freedom and their creativity.

The fashion imagined by Saheli Women is imbued with a strong connection to the earth and a great respect for the environment. Madhu explains to us in particular that 50% of the fabrics used come from reused saris and that no plastic packaging is used. A commitment that can be found in this collaboration, some of whose pieces have been made from upcycled fabrics and all of whose pieces are delivered in a fabric pouch that is also upcycled.