About Jacobs well?
With over 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 program 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 greeting 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, the Netherlands and France.
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.