Glasgow School of Art graduate Molly Russell founded Pink City Prints whilst living in Jaipur, spending days drawing inspiration from her surroundings and working alongside the craft communities. It was here that she became committed to supporting the artisans responsible for creating our pieces and preserving their craft processes.
“India has such an immensely rich culture of craft forms I’m constantly finding new processes to work with. It’s so inspirational, my senses are alive and I find beauty everywhere but craft is dying out, we must do all we can to use and promote them.“
Each Pink City Prints piece has been worked on by hand; whether handspun, printed or embroidered, using techniques which have been passed from generation to generation. It is a privilege to work alongside such talented craftspeople, and to be able to support their livelihoods.
An embroidered dress can take up to three days to complete. Block Printing is a little quicker, but this can only be completed during certain times of the year due to weather conditions. Hand Looming is an extensive process which requires great patience; the weavers often work in groups in their homes, building a community whilst they weave. Each different technique takes years to master, and requires high levels of skill and concentration.
The pieces are then stitched in light, airy workshops where each employee is treated with care and respect. Working days are eight hours long with regular breaks, holidays given and salaries are at least double minimum wage. Each factory operates with an open door policy, meaning that Molly can visit whenever she chooses to, working with the teams to ensure the best quality and check in on how the employees are doing.
