A new line
Dresses
of Exception
in Silk
La Couture by Soi is a new limited edition line of hand-embroidered silk ceremonial dresses that combines creativity and exceptional know-how. We have been imagining and developing it for 3 years now. The cuts and details have been carefully and delicately thought out to make each dress extraordinary.
Each model requires more than 50 hours of work and has been handmade in only 30 numbered copies.
EXCEPTIONAL EMBROIDERY
More than 50 hours
of work
The story continued in India, a country with an embroidery tradition, in a workshop hosting a cooperative of women who master a range of traditional disciplines such as dyeing, beading and embroidery.
These manufacturing techniques combined with strict quality control have resulted in an unprecedented level of excellence.
THE DRESSES
Applied Embroidery
These dresses take more than two and a half days to make. One of the first steps in the making of a dress is the dyeing. Three different dye baths are required to obtain the three colours of the dress.
Each piece of silk is therefore dyed by hand one by one. Once the panels have been dyed, they are assembled to obtain the pleat, which is very complex because each panel must be sewn by hand. The bird is cut out by hand and the yoke is then sewn onto the silk dress according to the design.
The embroiderers have mastered one of the most meticulous techniques: applied embroidery. This discipline consists of placing the silk inserts on silk to form a pattern.
THE DRESSES
Beaded
These dresses take more than a day and a half to make. The embroiderers use a technique called Ari: each bead is hand-crocheted in the pure Indian tradition, alternating designs of small coloured flowers and simple motifs. The beading on the belt, collar, sleeves and back neckline has been meticulously worked.
A TASTE FOR DETAIL
Numbered Works of Art
All the pieces are numbered in only 30 copies by these talented women whose meticulous gestures have transformed our sketches into works of art. They are also signed by the artist Julia and sold in a slipcase.
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The Workshop
Since 2005, the RUAAB workshop of the SEWA Delhi cooperative, located in Rajiv Nagar, on the outskirts of Delhi, India, has been home to 12 women with recognised and traditionally skilled embroidery skills. They create garments with beautiful hand embroidery. RUAAB's work consists of connecting these disadvantaged women with international markets without intermediaries.
To support these women, SEWA Delhi is setting up embroidery centres close to the workers' homes. This allows the embroiderers to work directly from their homes, and thus to benefit from a certain flexibility in their working hours.
RUAAB guarantees:
1. A fair and regular remuneration
2. Favourable working conditions
3. Access to social welfare services
4. Ethical and transparent sourcing at no extra cost
5. Training on patterns and embroidery details.
6. No child labour
SEWA is a member of the National Homeworkers Group (NHG), which promotes and guides responsible action by companies in the homeworking sector. The group develops good practice guidelines to share with its members.
