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Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
Mar 16, 2020
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Kering to open embroidery atelier in India

Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
Mar 16, 2020

Kering’s sustainability drive has turned its attention to the group’s embroidery sourcing from India. The French luxury group, whose portfolio includes among others Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta, is going to internalise a sizeable part of the embroidery work handmade in India by some of its sub-contractors, setting up its own workshop locally. The objective is to address the needs of Kering’s labels, boost the group’s expertise in the field of embroidery and also improve working conditions among Indian artisans.


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“India is a centre of excellence for handmade embroidery, with an age-old tradition in this technique and scores of highly qualified craftsmen. The majority of the world's luxury labels rely on Indian expertise for handmade embroidery,” stated Kering in an internal memo, underlining how this activity is currently handled “by exporters with links to small local sub-contractors,” whose “working conditions are very poor, especially owing to low wages and inadequate health and safety policies.”

Efforts have been made in this area by several luxury groups in the last few years. Progress has been significant but too slow, in Kering’s opinion, and the group has decided to take more decisive action. Kering did not provide further details about the project, its location or the people involved. But it said it wants to set up its own operations in India, in order to “better control working conditions, wages, health and safety.”

“We do not aim to cover 100% of the handmade embroidery work required by the group’s labels, but rather to acquire first-hand, practical knowledge of this activity - both commercially and technically - so as to be able to collaborate more effectively with external suppliers, especially in terms of working conditions, wages, prices and contractual obligations,” concluded Kering.

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