The Silk Road Paris on ELLE France.

Excerpt from ELLE France (Version English - original in French)

 

Link to original Extended Version here 

From fast-fashion brands to high-end ready-to-wear, a considerable number of clothes in our current wardrobe are manufactured in regions of Asia. However, there is little chance that they come from local brands, let alone from sustainable and artisanal productions. Despite being underrepresented in the Western and European markets, South Asian fashion is brimming with unique talents and distinctive identities.

It is with this realization that Yamini Banker, originally from Jaunpur, India, and having worked for prestigious Parisian couture houses, wanted to launch her platform dedicated to ethical and contemporary South Asian fashion, alongside Soumil Sharma, an architect and design researcher from Jammu and Kashmir.

Like a 2.0 version of the Silk Road, The Silk Road Paris aims to connect South Asian creators with the European market and its consumers, who are still too closed to the diversity and richness offered by fashion from South Asia. Currently offering a selection of five women's, men's, and/or gender-neutral ready-to-wear brands, this unique marketplace prioritizes South Asian labels with strong identities, driven by a powerful cultural heritage, and shared fundamental values such as local production and artisanal craftsmanship.