I decided the time was right to finally to meet our vendors and artisans in person and take the opportunity to gather inspiration for next summer's collection, so I jumped on a plane to Delhi and took a car trip to Jaipur, the home of our incredible makers.
Jaipur is the hub of the jewellery and textile industries and I revelled in textile heaven, markets full of stones, and the local cafe scene. It was so great to meet up with Shanon, my sourcing agent who has also become a dear friend.
Shanon is American but has lived in India for over 20 years and speaks Hindi, her and her partner looked after me for the entire week, taking me to amazing bars and cafes, iconic historic places including Amber Fort (this is a must!), I did a couple of Pilates classes and finally got to meet and connect with all my makers, which was such a highlight for me.
Our artisan partners value small batch production and immaculate attention to detail just like we do so it was such a joyful experience to watch them working and discuss our samples they were working on. I spent hours pouring over amazing semi precious stones for next summer and have come away bursting with creativity. I've put together a bite-sized Jaipur travel travel guide for you.
L: Stunning motifs at Amber Fort | R: Textures and colour palette inspiration
L: The Johri Jaipur | R: The Liv Hotel
Beautiful colour & people of India
Jaipur:
How to get there:
Where to stay:
L: Dear friends Shanon & Nasir | R: Bar Palladio
L: Marika wandering alley ways and door ways | R: Another incredible doorway
L: Meeting our makers | R: Creating our Precious Charm Necklace
Where to eat:
L: Block printing workshop at Creatis | R: Indigo dying at Anokhi Museum
L: Shopping at The Palace Atelier | R: Table decor at the gorgeous The PDKF Store in the City Palace
L: Palace of Mirrors within Amber Fort | R: Incredible hand painting at Amber Fort