Back in 2014 I was working in the city of London in a stressful job. In reality it wasn’t where I wanted to be. Up until then I’d had several careers ranging from hospitality to beauty to marketing and PR, yet I found myself in the corporate financial sector. It was the last place I thought I’d end up! Tired of the daily grind, long hours and boring to do lists, I questioned my future. Was this the reality of work until i would one day retire? My darling husband felt the same. We were both free spirits and being pigeon-holed felt restrictive and soulless.

So we both quit our jobs.

We’d always dreamed of travelling. You know, the kind of travel that’s inspiring, adventurous and frees your soul to explore who you are. So we did just that.

We’d only planned to travel for a few months, but ended up backpacking for a year. Starting in Nepal, we travelled across India, most of South East Asia and as far as New Zealand, China and Tibet. Whilst travelling I came across so many artisan communities of women weaving. Whether it was in the backstreets of India, amongst the remote mountains of Nepal or sleepy towns in Indonesia, I’d see women hand looming beautiful fabrics. Techniques that had been passed down through generations. I’d always loved handmade clothes and fondly remember my mum embroidering her saris with colourful threads. It was an inherent part of my Indian heritage. In between the joy and exhilaration of travel, I learned a bunch of life lessons. I learned to let go of a lot of things. Whether that was materialism, wearing the same clothes twice or not wearing make-up. I felt liberated. My backpack had taught me an invaluable lesson. I simply realised I didn’t need so much stuff.

By the time I came back, I’d profoundly changed. Everything was still the same at home, yet I’d changed. For at least a year I felt mentally displaced with an uncontrollable desire to leave and wander the earth again…free. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the women weavers i’d come across. After a period of soul-searching, I realised I could never go back to working in the city. So I took another leap into the unknown. I started Jewelled Buddha - An ethical artisan brand disrupting fast fashion one stitch at a time.

I’d come full circle.

Today I work with NGO’s, social enterprises and brands to bring the unique joy of heritage textiles and artisan made ethical clothing to a global audience. Wanderlust is at the heart of our collections. I want our customers to feel the wanderlust of the fabrics crafted in faraway places, the inherent beauty of artisan crafted materials and boho luxe style that combines a free spirit with sophistication and luxury. I think it’s important for consumers to know how their clothes are made and how they align with their values. After all, if our clothes represent our own personal expression and ethical values, it makes sense to wear clothes that embody that.