Gita

Kovalam, India

Gita is a single mother who runs her shop in Kovalam with creativity and care. She makes malas, does tailoring work and sources good quality itmes from around India to stock her small enterprise.

Hari at The Village

Kovalam, India

Hari and his partner Christine run The Village, a boutique concept store in a leafy garden two minutes walk from Kovalam beach, offering the brightest and most beautiful custom made hand block garments from Rajasthan, alongside bespoke holiday experiences in Kerala.

kala kosh

Mumbai, India

Aiswarya and Manish make beautiful 'treasures of art' to order - Heart Kovalam loves their handmade and bound watercolour journals

Lucky Tsering

Kovalam, India

Tsering is a Tibetan refugee, who was brought up and educated at The Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala. She makes these beautiful malas in her small shop in Kovalam, chanting the mantra for the Buddha of compassion for every bead that she threads, so that it becomes a spiritual mala.

Nasir

Jaipur, India

Nasir and his family have been producing traditional hand block printed fabrics for 4 generations. They are dedicated to their craft and aim to make the most of their skills.

Rahim

Kovalam, India

Rahim sources his products from family businesses in Kashmir and around India to ensure the best quality and sustainability

Raja

Kovalam, India

Raja has had a tailoring business in the leafy back-lanes of Kovalam since 1989 and has customers from all over the world. I have known Raja for 25 years and he has sewn countless items for me, from traditional Kerala outfits to shorts, cushion covers and yoga bags.

Renuka

Kovalam, India

Renuka is from Karnataka and has had a shop in Kovalam for more than 20 years. She takes pride in sourcing her products from high quality arts and craftspeople.

Sabari

Kovalam, India

Sabari's tailoring shop is in the middle of village, however he lives more than an hour's drive away. With the lack of tourists he mostly works from home, however he made some special trips to Kovalam to stitch our lovely garments and also to sew school uniforms for the start of the new school year.

Suku

Kovalam, India

Suku worked as a tailor for many years in the Gulf before returning to his native Kerala to set up shop in Kovalam. The takes great pride in the quality of his stitching and has made many different items for me.

Thankappan

Kovalam, India

Thankappan runs Kavita Tailoring with Suresh and together they help me create the loveliest of items from an assortment of gorgeous materials and sari border trims.

Vijay and Gita

Kovalam, India

This lovely couple source their goods from around India, connecting with local artists and craftspeople. They have a shop in Kovalam, an Aladdin's Cave of delights. During lockdown, Vijay set up a small stall on the beach front, in the hope of catching some passing trade.