Bongénie
Geneva, Switzerland
Rue du Marché 34, 1204 Genève
From July 1 - December 31
complimentary shipping & easy returns
“It's more important to be kind than to be right. Many times what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens.”
Buddha.
This is our story
pink maharani was started in Geneva on the conviction that finest fashion, authentic impact and wisdom can be created by upholding craftsmanship, and putting humans, animals and the environment first. We strive to make the finest artisanal products, which are beautiful, impactful and gentle reminders of deeper wisdom.
Our weaving techniques have remained true to their roots and traditional wisdom passed down over generations. We blend the old, classic techniques with the European flair making every piece one of a kind and timeless. We specialize in handwoven ethical cashmere products and occasionally add fine soft cotton, silk and suri alpaca among other fine fibres to our collections.
pink maharani’s journey started as an experiment to source the finest handwoven cashmere (traditionally known as pashmina) from its root source in conflict-plagued Kashmir. Adventurous, challenging and obscure beautifully sum-up the founding years of the company. Thanks to the European design flair of Thais Grange (ex-cofounder) and the social entrepreneurial drive of Narmada Ramakrishna (active cofounder), pink maharani has grown, trans-morphed and continues to evolve. These ladies sowed the seeds but it is the constant willingness, cooperation and trust of the 150+ artisans we work with across India, Peru, Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, that has helped our tree root deeper. The core team of pink maharani which includes, Benjamin Schmid, Lisa Bolz, Imran, Amin, Lateef and our sales team are the ones who uphold our values everyday to the highest degree, constantly reminding us that we are not just a “fashion” company.
Our fabric of change builds bridges and connects us as communities to pursue something that is bigger than ourselves.
Find out more about our Artisan agreement, Code of Conduct and ESG Commitments in the link.
Also available to read and download our mettā muse SA company wide Impact Report 2022.
These are our values
Creating and maintaining peace of mind
We, both as individuals and a company are so invested in this value that we re-produced it as a product tag (as in the picture - "True luxury is to find peace of mind "). Hoping that the product tag will trigger deeper insights in our customers. As a company we continually strive to pay our artisans and partners fairly, well above the market price and make sure their place of work is safe and secure. We go a step deeper in addressing their mental and emotional stability for their peace of mind, by encouraging dialogue with our partners with transparency and trust. This important value was triggered by a rather uncomfortable and stressful situation that Narmada, our CEO experienced. You can read about her experience here.
Love for the finest fabrics, things and aesthetics
We scout every nook and corner looking for the finest in fabric, weaving, embroidery and other techniques that can be translated into a wearable piece of art. This journey as always led us to parts of the world that usually is the originator of this technique or type of crafts(wo)manship. This way we stay true to the evolution of the craft and support it grow further rightfully in its region of origin. This is also a tested way to avoid producing fakes items. Equally we scout for the best designs and inspirations that transcend this reality sketching a piece of re-morphed art for the everyday.
Humility & dignity
Our motto throughout has been “ we do not look up nor look down on anyone” We believe in authentic equality. Our current structures and systems enable us to create an unconscious bias to respect people with authority, wealth, status, power, specific race, gender and knowledge. We do not agree. We believe in order to create a more humane, peaceful and prospering society we need to dismantle these power structures and instil humility in each of our action. We define humility as an act to allow everyone to be, feel, express and act that is in alignment with the universal goodness. Humility to us is having both easy and difficult conversations eye to eye and being able to walk away esp. from the difficult ones with a renewed sense of empathy and understanding. We strive to operate on this model where allowing humility to flourish in our partners allows for dignity. According to our research and survey’s, all artisans esp. the ones at the bottom of the supply chain crave respect, dignity and appreciate for their work, sometimes more than the financial validation.
Being kind
The quote from Buddha “It's more important to be kind than to be right. Many times what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens.” To us being kind goes beyond being polite or holding the door open. Kindness to us is not just in an “act” but in our entire being. We operate our company on the basis that kindness dictates the terms of our agreement rather than money, status, perfection or even better skill. We rather work with someone who is kind to oneself and others than someone who can offer us a perfect solution or the best products.
Unconditional giving
We have repeatedly addressed this in many of our newsletter articles that our project partners are the ones doing exceptional work on the fields removing stigma and taboo around topics less spoken off. We give back generously but also unconditionally as we believe in there judgement and passion for their work. We do not believe in micro-managing the funds we donate, as our relationship we have built with our partners goes back many years and countless hours spent on agreeing and disagreeing on our common vision for the betterment of humanity. Although we don't expect much, we are promptly always delivered with impact reports and the value of our support. Many a times, we believe our rational objective driven mindset dictates terms that are not always in the best interest when seen from a bird's eye perfect. This mindset we believe is subconsciously sown in due to mistrust. We realized there is no room for mistrust if we operated on the values of transparency, honesty and empathy. This is what we do and how we operate.
Being aware of our mortality
This is not a very uplifting value to have as a company but as Steve Jobs said in his famous commencement speech, "knowing we all will die one day can be extremely free'ing, you are already naked and there is nothing to loose". We absolutely and unconditionally agree. If it were not for this limited existence, we would not see, experience, embrace, create and be grateful the same way. This value encompasses a lot of sub-values such, loving what you do, being present in the moment, showing up for people in need, forgiveness, taking risks ... etc the list is quiet endless. The key to this value as a company is that we reflect on our big decisions, next steps and our reactions, keeping this value at the back of our minds. This shapes our business decision-making into a long term marathon rather than a quick 'n' dirty sprint. A greater freedom can be achieved if enough time is spent reflecting and contemplating this value.
This is our team
Narmada
Social Entrepreneur
Co-founder and CEO
Benjamin
General Manager
Joanna
Sales & Operations Director
Lisa
Designer
Ivan
Merchandising and Sales
Sanjna
Merchandising and Sales
Tommaso
Pearl
Merchandising and Sales
Social Media
A few women embroiderers and weavers representing
our vast network
pink maharani chosen and trusted by:
The BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt promotes responsible leadership and inspires leaders worldwide to work towards a peaceful, just and sustainable future. Narmada, our CEO has been selected to be part of this unique responsible leaders network among a diverse and inspiring few from around the world.
pink maharani has been selected has one of the top 20 companies from Europe as an Industry Disruptor in the Fashion Industry for driving Women Empowerment Principles forward towards a equitable and sustainable fashion industry initiated by the UN Women alongside The DO School, H&M, Tchibo and Bon Prix .