Elly Adventures
SEWA – The Self Employed Women’s Association
Nov
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Being able to work with small family businesses, NGOs and artisans is what truly drives my passion. Producing in small quantities not only ensures a unique product — it also means every single piece I sell is ethically made, by fairly paid hands.
Choosing the right partners is no easy task. Although I support workers of all genders and backgrounds, as an independent businesswoman with a strong team of female workers around me, I feel a particular pull towards supporting other women workers around the world. It is one of the reasons my partnership with SEWA India has become one of the most meaningful relationships in my working life.
What is SEWA? The Self Employed Women’s Association
SEWA — the Self Employed Women’s Association — was registered in 1972 and today has a membership of over 1.5 million women workers across 16 states in India. Hugely inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership during the textile workers’ strike of 1917, SEWA continues to live by Gandhian principles:
- Satya — truth
- Ahinsa — refrain from harming (non-violence)
- Sarvadharma — all faiths are equal
- Khadi — the propagation of local employment and self-reliance
SEWA’s philosophical roots run deep, and their ongoing commitments are powerful. They work to strengthen women by establishing a common identity as informal workers, while making the rights, needs and visions of each individual a priority.
Every woman who joins SEWA is welcomed into the association, empowered through education, taught a skill and shown how to manage her own work. She is embraced — often for the first time — in the warmth of financial security, and encouraged to become a leader within her own community. Full employment and self-reliance are SEWA’s goals for every one of their members: economic security, food security, social security, and the mental and financial independence that changes lives.
“Every piece you buy from the SEWA collection directly supports the women who made it — women who have been empowered through skill, given financial independence, and welcomed into a community that believes in them.”
My introduction to SEWA
An introduction to SEWA over ten years ago, through a dear friend, was the beginning of a wonderful working relationship that I treasure to this day.
I visit the women at SEWA whenever I am in Delhi, and I adore every moment — sitting cross-legged on the floor, laughing with them, watching them bring my designs to life thread by thread. The pride these extraordinary women take in the intricate embroidery they create is truly heart-warming. Many of my designs are inspired by my grandmother’s embroidery, and the beauty of the finished pieces — combined with the story of how they come to life — often brings tears to my eyes.
SEWA’s hand embroidered homeware
SEWA makes many of the pieces in our homeware collections — each one lovingly hand embroidered with motifs including doves, fish, eyes, elephants, cacti and more. The attention to detail is extraordinary, and the colourful French knot edging is simply beautiful.
Some favourites from the collection:
- Lavender Pouch — delicately embroidered and utterly lovely
- SEWA Tea Towel — including the rather brilliant Fuck-It embroidery for embroidered on it, perfect for a child’s room
- You & Me By The Sea Cushion — sweet little fish with sequins for bubbles
Shop all SEWA ethical homeware →
SEWA’s hand embroidered clothing
The SEWA collaboration extends to clothing too — and if you love embroidery as much as I do, you will adore these pieces. Intricately embroidered scarves with flowers, birds and bugs; shawls with floral embroidery.
Why it matters
Every piece you buy from the SEWA collection directly supports the women who made it — women who have been empowered through skill, given financial independence, and welcomed into a community that believes in them. That is what ethical homeware and ethical fashion should look like.
Support fair trade. Choose handmade. Know the story behind what you buy.
Discover more about our NGO partnerships — read about WIF, the Women’s Interlink Foundation, and the other extraordinary communities we work with at La Galeria Elefante.
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