Our Team

Jacobswell is managed by Elizabeth Isaac, who is a skilled fashion designer and trainner. She has an experience of over 20 years, She currently oversees a team of 10 production staff in the Jacobswell unit that cateer to domestic and international clients.

I grew up in a very creative family. My mom always made dresses for my sister and me. She even knitted our warm clothes. Growing up, I was so influenced by the beautiful things that she used to make, I would pick up her leftovers and make stuff for my dolls. I then began making clothes for myself every weekend and the summer holidays.

I would flip through catalogues day and night. The moment my mother would leave to work, I would go to her cupboard and start browsing through the fabric closest and use it up to create the design I picked. Many times I would mess up with the machine, but she gracefully would call the mechanic and get it repaired. I would not leave the side of the mechanic to see how much I can learn to fix the machine in case I messed it again when there won’t be help available for me in the middle of my sewing. 

Then came a time I would rip my favourite outfit that I had overgrown, iron it out, and use the same as a pattern to create a bigger outfit. It soon became a passion to make my own clothes. My friends would ask me to make clothes for them too. And soon my hobby turned into a small business and I never again depended on my parents to buy me new clothes.

Several years later I studied under a Thai woman who taught me all the fundamentals of designer tailoring. This strengthened my already existing talent.  I then went on to training at an NGO. After my mother-in-law became very sick, I left the NGO to start my own business so that I could manage my time. This was the beginning of my career in teaching fashion design. And today, I’ve trained over 200 students who are now professionals in their area of business.

With a background in fashion and design, Brenda began her career teaching Art & Design and Textiles in the UK for over 17 years before taking on a full time position with Jacobswell.  Prior to her current role as Managing Director, Brenda was actively involved with the team for many years; she first travelled to Bangalore in the year 2000 to spend six months securing a contract with Levi Strauss for an early group of young Jacobs Well tailors.  That short sabbatical was inevitably extended and Brenda set up a three-year professional training and apprenticeship programme for aspiring tailors.
As Jacobswell grew, Brenda developed exclusive high quality products for an in-house fashion label and built up an impressive clientèle who wished to work with an ethical fashion house, providing employment and training opportunities for over 1000 young people from marginalised communities in south India.

Brenda provides extra value to Jacobs Well with her specialist knowledge of design and production in India and UK import procedures and acts as a consultant to a wide number of designers and companies. As a regular advisor to development projects across the globe, Brenda currently divides her time between her home in England and India.