Mandala Apparels produces organic and fair trade garments and soft toys. The Women on Wings business partner recently inaugurated its second stitching unit which provides work to ± 170 women. In the new stitching unit, out of 210 stitching machines, 70 machines are dedicated to producing stuffed animals like tigers, giraffes and dinosaurs for a USA based company which donates a toy bear to a child in need with every purchase from its customers. The cute toys not only bring happiness to children around the world, but also to the women who make them.
Incorporating employee engagement
Anjali Schiavina, founder and CEO of Mandala Apparels, aims to engage the people that work with her. Mandala, which operates from Pondicherry, southeast India, has a holistic integrated supply chain, from the organic cotton female farmers to the women who make the garments and soft toys to the final product. Anjali: “I want to see how fashion can become responsible not only to the environment but also to the people who take great effort to make the stitched garments. It’s more than just about giving a living wage. It’s also about giving them support, and welfare programs on a day-to-day basis.”
Branding Mandala
To ensure this, Women on Wings and Mandala recently worked together to review the past year and work on the roadmap towards 2019. Mandala has huge ambition for growth. Tanveen Ratti, consultant at Women on Wings and Ellen Oord, e-commerce sales and marketing expert at Women on Wings worked on defining a brief for Mandala’s branding. Ellen: “It’s important to create a strong brand with a house style that translates into all levels. From social media, stitching units and office environment to worker uniforms. This will add value to the existing products which are of really great quality. Ultimately, it will all result in increasing sales so more women can be employed.”
