With 21 years of experience in the ethical fashion and textile industry, Jacobswell is an established fair trade fashion production house in Bangalore, India, supported by a committed UK team.

Whether you are an international company or an emerging independent designer, we can oversee a design from conception through to production.

We are passionate about providing empowering opportunities for vulnerable women and employ graduates from vocational training courses aimed at young people with few employment prospects. The ongoing personal and professional development of every team member is our priority.


Our beginnings

 

The Jacobswell journey began in Mumbai in 1994, as an NGO-led exploration into meaningful employment opportunities for women living in slums and those vulnerable to different forms of discrimination, abuse, violence and exploitation.

From humble beginnings in the form of a tailoring unit engaging in embroidery, pattern making, cutting and machining, the Jacobs Well project quickly grew, creating an in-house brand of products and setting up a further training and production unit in Bangalore.  An intensive three-year training programme was established to improve quality and production skills; this met the needs of high-end brands within the global market, including Levi Strauss with whom we partnered for several years.  Our women trainees began on simple projects including greetings cards, home accessories and bags until they developed the skills to work on more demanding products such as couture wedding dresses and home furnishings.

 


Jacobswell today

Jacobswell grew from strength to strength and ultimately registered as an independent Indian company in 2012.  Our production house is based in Bangalore, south India, from where we continue to train and employ vulnerable young people from low socio-economic backgrounds who often have few employment or training opportunities.

Our team works confidently with independent designers and larger companies in both local and overseas markets.  As the ethical fashion movement gains momentum worldwide, we have had the pleasure of working with brands from countries as diverse as Hong Kong, Ireland, Australia, Switzerland, the UK, USA and the Netherlands.

As Jacobswell continues to grow, new training and production initiatives are being explored and our hope is to set up partner organisations with the same high standards in further communities across India and Nepal.


Fair Trade

Having been pioneers in the ethical fashion movement more than 20 years ago, we are proud to continue playing an active part as more brands and consumer voices celebrate a fashion industry that prizes fairness at all stages of the production chain.

With sustainable principles at the heart of our endeavors, our membership to the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) in 2009 gave Jacobswell the recognised credibility to highlight our good practice.  We full subscribe to the 10 Principles of Fair Trade and as a WFTO member you can be reassured that:

– We never employ or outsource to child labour
– We always pay fair wages
– We have safe and good working conditions for all our workers

In addition to WFTO membership, Jacobswell is registered with the Ethical Fashion Forum and we regularly take part in both virtual and in-person conferences and panel discussions as an established voice on production in India.

Most recently, we have added our voice to the much-needed Fashion Revolution, an international campaign founded to commemorate the Rana Plaza factory disaster of April 2013 and push for a radically reformed garment sector that truly values its artisans.  The annual Fashion Revolution Day encourages consumers to ask the question “who made my clothes?” and provides an opportunity for brands and producers alike to share more about the talented people who contribute to the making of each piece of their clothing.  Do have a look through all the Fashion Revolution Day posts on our blog – we were thrilled to collaborate with several clients and shine a spotlight on our skilled tailors.


Company details

Jacobswell is registered as a Private Limited Company in India and has Directors from both the UK and India, enabling a successful fusion of expertise.  The team is supported by an advisory board in the UK who offer experience across many fields including financial management, health and development issues, design and production management and global corporate management.

Jacobswell GSTIN: 29AAOPI8841ZA

Read more about our team here and do contact us with any further questions.