India

ARTISAN BUSINESS
PARTNERS

COMMUNITY
WORKSHOPS

YEARS OF
PARTNERSHIP

We partner with Artisan Businesses run by local entrepreneurs who share our passion for creating opportunity in local communities. India is our largest partner country. Today, in 55 Community Workshops across India, Artisans work to create the stylish accessories our customers love. We specifically seek out Artisan Businesses who focus on providing dignified work to the most vulnerable members of their communities—especially women.

OVER 7 MILLION PEOPLE IN INDIA
earn an income in the artisan sector, helping keep the country's rich craft traditions alive

570 WOMEN SUPPORTED
by Noonday's orders in 2018

Artisan Stories

Sham

Sofiya

Sunita

Techniques

Handmade Metal & Glass

In India, craft is a tradition that has deep roots in local communities. In a spirit of collaboration, our Artisan Partners harness a variety of techniques from all over India. They use recycled glass and metal whenever possible to create styles that are both sustainable and beautiful.

Hand Cut Leather

For generations, artisans in the sand-swept region of Rajasthan have practiced the art of leather tanning. Our Artisan Partners work to preserve this unique heritage – and help it evolve. While traditional tanning uses harmful chemicals, our Partners have developed a special tanning process using local plants. The result is a collection of handbags that are both beautifully designed and ethically crafted.

India on Flourish

STYLE & STORY: INDIAN LEATHER BAGS

SEARCHING FOR WORLD CHANGERS: INDIA AND BEYOND

HAND-CRAFTING HOPE IN INDIA

OPPORTUNITY AND NEED: TRAVIS WILSON’S JOURNEY TO INDIA

FROM DISEMPOWERED TO POWERHOUSE: MEET SUNITA FROM INDIA

#NOONDAYSTYLE IN THE MAKING: DELHI, INDIA

#NOONDAYSTYLE IN THE MAKING: DHOKRA IN INDIA

CELEBRATING OUR FIRST ARTISAN SUMMIT IN INDIA!

Inside India

India is the second-most populous country in the world, with 1.2 billion people.

India has made great contributions to higher math, invented chess, and is home to the world's largest film industry (Bollywood).

It has the world's third largest economy, but remnants of the traditional caste system means that there are great disparities between the wealthy and the poor that are difficult for lower-caste Indians to overcome.

Indian women are commonly discouraged from working outside the home and face gender discrimination, particularly in more traditional rural regions. People with special needs face similar challenges finding fair work and are often stigmatized because of a lack of understanding regarding their differences.

COUNTRIES & TECHNIQUES
Afghanistan	Hand Embroidered Textiles
East Asia	Gold Plating
Ecuador	Natural Seeds
Ethiopia	Upcycled Artillery
Guatemala	Handwoven Textiles, Beadwork
Haiti	Upcycled Metal, Hand Cut Leather
India	Handmade Metal & Glass, Hand Cut Leather
Kenya	Brass
Nepal	Traditional Metalworking, Inlay
Peru	Hand Embroidered Textiles, Brass & Sterling Silver
Rwanda	Dutch Wax Print Fabric
Thailand	Porcelain, Gold, Rice Paper
Uganda	Paper Beads, Ethically Sourced Horn
Vietnam	Ethically Sourced Water Buffalo Horn, Marble, Metal