A ‘crazy’ spontaneous decision to follow a wedding invitation to India led to Michaela to sit down with local women and have a chat on sewing patterns, and whoupla “that’s what I enjoyed doing in my teenage days,” she laughed, adding Bavarian style to the Indian sketch. “Let’s try this,” her new friends responded, grabbed some fabric and ratatat, Kalima Design was born.

They were clear on this: if we do business, we permit nothing ugly – no poisons, no poverty, no exploitation, no deception of customers – we do everything honest, friendly and beneficial for everybody involved. In short, better than ‘organic’ standards.

Who else do we need? Cotton, straight from the field. Natural colors? Yes! Straight from plants, dyed with sun and salt over six to ten weeks by traditional master dyer Gaur Kuchhal of Asuvastra. A stampmaker. We got one. Tailors. We got them! Michaela arranged legal formalities in Germany and off it went.

She has since made two or three visits to India per year, sells on markets, via boutiques and online and takes good care of “her families” affected by the pandemic, which Michaela knows very well, since she – hold your seat – works half-time as a nurse in intensive care. Yes, she set up Kalima Design next to her profession, putting all her Heart in and looks forward to adding Red Brigade Trust tailors to her network.

What a gem, what a story! These are extraordinary times that we can stand by our values once we learn to use our tools – and it’s up to you to seize this beautiful opportunity!