Hand Looms
We have been working with skilled artisans in India for more than 10 years and cherish the lovingly, hand-made feel of the designs our Indian partners create with us. India has a long-standing history of textiles and where possible we opt for handmade textiles over industrialised ones. Tigerlily’s unique hand looms are a coveted feature of each collection, sitting alongside our signature printed fabrications. We hope this small component of our collections continues to grow and support India’s handwoven heritage of looming.
Authentic punch cards (pictured on the right) are still part of this traditional process in creating the jacquard designs. Each card is individually hand punched based on our unique designs.
Warp machines in action weaving the cotton yarns. The methods of weaving are still very much as the original techniques.
Many of the weaving villages are built on a long-family tradition where the skill of hand looming is passed down through the generations. In the image above some of our markers are using the artisan technique of coning the yarns in preparation for the loom machines ~ fitting in a cheeky grin of course!
We love the heritage of hand looms and ensure that they are a part of the collection every season.
Our Relationships
We are so proud of our long-standing relationships (10+ years) with most of our supplier base. Visibility in the supply chain goes far beyond knowing the owners of the factories. Our Management, Design, and Production Teams regularly visit the offices, factories and even some of the mills that produce for Tigerlily (often 4 times yearly). We engage with 10 boutique-midscale factories for 90% of our production.
Factory Audits
We have been conducting 3rd party audits of our factories for over a decade. In 2015 as part of our growing commitment, we appointed globally recognised auditors, Bureau Veritas, to continue our quest for greater visibility. Bureau Veritas has supported our journey for continual improvement in quality, environmental compliance and social responsibility.Evaluation is based on our code of conduct, containing standards equivalent to SA800 and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP).
Our Production
Our suppliers are intrinsic to all that we do and these relationships have been built with a shared respect. Our Product Development Team are passionate about improving efficiency throughout the entire process – from design, development, sampling, pre-production and shipment stage. We promote environmental responsibility and are trialling new materials and processes alongside our partners.
Hand looming is still the largest cottage industry in India. Each state in India has a particular individual hand-loom to offer, with unique motifs, designs and colours.
We create the colours and palettes for every hand loom that we design. The design, handle and texture of the cloth takes much longer to develop than many of our textiles. Using the hand-woven machinery allows for unique outcomes, but the beauty of the cloth can be months in the making.
Our printers work with water based inks which are friendlier than solvent based inks. On the right we see traditional methods are still used in the finishing of fabrications.
To read more on ethics & sustainability in our key areas click below...
