INDIA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FASCINATION

Brinda Gill talks to Caroline Poiner, founder of the social enterprise Artisans of Fashion (AOF) and business enterprise Cloth & Co, based in Sydney, Australia, shares her thoughts on collaborating with textile artisans in India to create collections for the global market

- Brinda Gill

WHAT DREW YOU TO THE TEXTILE AND FASHION INDUSTRY?

I grew up in the textile/fashion industry in Australia so textiles have always been a big part of my life. The business was a third generation textile import business, mainly importing from Britain and Europe until my father inherited the business. He started to import from other parts of the world including India. Many years and many stories later, I decided to discover India and her textile treasures for myself.

WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF INDIAN TEXTILES?

India has always been a fascination, ever since I can remember. With such a rich and diverse culture, my travels throughout India only enhanced my passion for textiles and interest in the artisanal techniques. There is a strong connection with India and the Australian fashion industry, but this was mainly through export houses. This relationship was something I was keen to explore: how I could connect the designer and the artisan to cocreate, open a designer's eyes to this incredible world of handcrafted textiles. To me, it was an opportunity for designers and craftspeople to gain an understanding of each other’s skills and create something truly authentic.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO ESTABLISH ARTISANS OF FASHION (AOF)?