Saheli Women

What Saheli Women does

Saheli Women (legally 'The Saheli Women Collective') is a privately held female social enterprise founded in 2015 by Madhu Vaishnav in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The organisation's stated mission is to financially empower women in rural Rajasthan through skills development and sustainable livelihood opportunities in slow fashion. Operations are anchored at a Jodhpur headquarters and two village production centres — Kali Beri for natural dyeing and block printing, and Bhikamkor for handloom and embroidery — employing a network described internally as 'over 100 women' across the centres.

The core product is full-service ethical garment manufacturing co-created with international fashion brands. Capabilities span the production cycle: textile sourcing, artisanal textiles (handloom ikat, khadi handspun cotton, silk weaving), traditional block printing (a Rajasthani technique dating to the 12th century), natural dyeing and eco-printing with botanical pigments, and embroidery techniques including shisha, rabari, zari, and sindhi. Each garment run carries a minimum order quantity of 50 pieces per style. Technology is intentionally artisanal and traditional, paired with modern sewing, quality assurance, packaging, and export workflows. The 2025 Saheli Kapas pilot adds upstream organic cotton farming and processing across 8 farmer households in Bhikamkor and Shri Ramdev Nagar, targeting full seed-to-garment traceability within a 5km radius; an IIT Jodhpur partnership is developing rural-scale cotton-processing machinery.

Revenue is generated through three channels: (1) B2B co-creation and manufacturing fees from international fashion brands including Louise Misha, ZAZI Vintage, El Pelut, Tado, and Lekha, with partnerships spanning the UK, USA, Netherlands, Germany, and Australia; (2) a five-day Artisan Immersion travel product priced at $950 per traveller for slow travellers, designers, and students; and (3) a 6-week online course, 'How to Start an Ethical Fashion Business with Saheli Women', taught by Madhu Vaishnav alongside guest experts Clare Press, Farryn Weiner, Jasmina Tims, and Eileen Akbaraly. Artisans earn at least 50% above regional apparel-sector wages and work 6-7 hour days, with on-site childcare, health insurance, and transportation assistance provided.

Name

Saheli Women

Legal name

The Saheli Women Collective

Website

https://saheliwomen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Saheli Women is a Rajasthan-based female social enterprise that co-creates ethical slow-fashion garments for international fashion brands using traditional Rajasthani crafts, while running artisan immersion experiences and an ethical-fashion business course.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethical Garment Manufacturing Services

NAICS

Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (except Contractors) (31525), Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (except Contractors) (315250), Cut and Sew Apparel Contractors (315210), Cut and Sew Apparel Contractors (31521), Apparel Manufacturing (315)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Knit Outerwear Mills (2253), Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Cotton (2211)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury & Couture / Small-Batch Cut & Sew (IMAOAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dresses, Skirts & Tailored Apparel Cut & Sew (Suits/Formalwear) (IMAOAEAF), Luxury Womenswear (CRAAAFAG), Denim & Bottoms Cut & Sew (Jeans/Trousers/Shorts) (IMAOAEAD)

Keywords

• Ethical fashion manufacturing
• Slow fashion production
• Artisan textile services
• Natural dye services
• Handloom weaving

Headquarters

HQ city

Jodhpur

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Garment Co-creation & Manufacturing Services: Saheli Women co-creates slow fashion garments with international fashion brands. They provide end-to-end services from textile sourcing and artisanal textile production to sample making, full production, quality assurance, packaging, and export. Revenue is generated through manufacturing fees for international fashion partners.
2. Artisan Immersion Travel Experiences: Cultural immersion programs for slow travellers, designers, and students, offering hands-on experience with traditional Indian handcraft techniques. Priced at $950 USD per traveller.
3. Ethical Fashion Education Course: A 6-week online course teaching aspiring fashion entrepreneurs how to build an ethical fashion brand, covering self-identity, sustainable fashion industry, branding, design, production, and reflections.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saheli Women is a female social enterprise that co-creates slow fashion garments with international fashion partners, providing end-to-end ethical garment manufacturing services including textile sourcing, artisanal textile production (handloom, block printing, natural dyeing, eco-printing, embroidery), sample making, full production with a 50-garment minimum order quantity, quality assurance, packaging, and export. The collective also runs an artisan immersion travel experience and an educational course on ethical fashion entrepreneurship, and has launched the Saheli Kapas cotton project for seed-to-garment traceability.

Product overview

Saheli Women is a female social enterprise that operates as a slow fashion manufacturing collective and ethical fashion service provider. Their core offering is full-service garment production for international fashion brands, encompassing textile sourcing, artisanal textile production (handloom ikat, khadi, silk weaving), natural dyeing, eco-printing, block printing, embroidery, sample making, full production runs (minimum 50 garments per style), quality assurance, and packaging/export. The business model centers on co-creating slow fashion garments with international fashion partners who design and sell the final products globally. Supporting services include artisan immersion travel experiences, professional placement programs, and a business course on ethical fashion entrepreneurship. The Saheli Kapas initiative represents a vertically integrated cotton supply chain project focused on organic farming and full transparency from seed to garment. They collaborate with international fashion brands including Lekha, Louise Misha, ZAZI Vintage, El Pelut, and Tado.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Saheli Kapas: Cotton project initiative empowering female farmers through organic farming practices and providing full transparency from seed to garment.

Products and services

• Ethical Garment Manufacturing Services End-to-end ethical garment production for international fashion brands, encompassing textile sourcing, artisanal textile production (handloom, block printing, natural dyeing, eco-printing, embroidery), sample making, full production runs with a 50-garment minimum order quantity, quality assurance, packaging, and export. Co-created with fashion partners in the UK, USA, Netherlands, Germany, and Australia.
• Artisan Immersion Travel Experience A 4-5 day slow travel experience for travellers, designers, and fashion students to learn traditional Indian handcraft techniques including embroidery, natural dyeing, and weaving directly from artisans in the Saheli Women village centres in rural Rajasthan. Priced at $950 USD per traveller, inclusive of accommodation at a hotel in Jodhpur, lunches, local transport, workshops, and souvenir materials. Minimum 2 travellers per trip.
• How to Start an Ethical Fashion Business Course A 6-week online course teaching aspiring fashion entrepreneurs how to build an ethical fashion brand, covering self-identity and values, sustainable fashion industry, branding, design, production, and reflections. Sold through the Saheli Women's Shop.
• Professional Placement Program A 4-6 month volunteer professional placement program involving client communication, production oversight, social media marketing, and social impact project management at the Saheli Women centres.
• Saheli Kapas Cotton Project Vertically integrated cotton supply chain initiative empowering female farmers through organic farming practices, providing seed-to-garment transparency within a 5km radius. Includes collaboration with IIT Jodhpur for designing semi-automatic rural-scale cotton processing machines (ginning, blowing, carding, spinning). Currently sends cotton to Gram Seva Mandal in Nagpur for blow-room processing as a transitional arrangement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wages at least 50% higher than regional average for similar work in India
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Ethical Fashion Brands (UK, USA, Netherlands, Germany, Australia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaheli Women co-creates slow fashion garments with ethical fashion houses and designers across multiple countries. These partnerships involve sharing cultural heritage and crafts, with Saheli providing full garment manufacturing from textile sourcing to packaging and export. The relationship is ongoing and strategic, forming the core business model.
• IIT JodhpurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with IIT Jodhpur to design semi-automatic, medium-scale machines suitable for rural use, supporting the decentralisation of cotton processing (ginning, blowing, carding, and spinning) at the village level.
• Gram Seva Mandal, NagpurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrently sends cotton to Gram Seva Mandal in Nagpur for blow-room processing and spinning due to absence of local facilities. This is a transitional arrangement as Saheli Women works to establish local processing capacity.
• IPHDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an impact project on the Saheli Women website alongside Saheli Kapas. IPHD (Institute for Planetary Horticultural Development) appears to be a related initiative or partner organisation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• People Tree: People Tree is a pioneering UK-based ethical fashion brand that manufactures apparel through artisan cooperatives in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Comparable in ethical apparel manufacturing with artisan groups, though broader in scale and combined with retail/brand operations versus Saheli's pure manufacturer/co-creator model.

Direct peers

• Freeset Global: Freeset is an India-based (West Bengal) ethical apparel manufacturer that employs women from vulnerable backgrounds to produce garments for international fashion brands. Directly comparable business model: B2B contract manufacturing with a social-enterprise structure, serving Western ethical fashion brands.
• Mayamiko: Mayamiko is a UK-Malawi ethical fashion manufacturer and brand producing small-batch garments with African artisan communities. Closely comparable to Saheli in combining traditional craft techniques with international brand co-creation, small MOQs, and a social-enterprise mission.
• Krochet Kids intl. Krochet Kids is a Uganda-based ethical apparel manufacturer employing women artisans to produce garments for international ethical fashion brands. Highly comparable in non-profit social enterprise structure, B2B contract manufacturing, and women-empowerment mission.
• Sudara: Sudara is a US-based ethical apparel brand that partners with sewing cooperatives in India to manufacture garments, providing dignified employment to women. Comparable in India-based artisan manufacturing, women-empowerment mission, and B2B/retail hybrid model.
• Baba Tree Textiles: Baba Tree Textiles is a Ghana-based artisanal textile manufacturer producing handwoven fabrics for international fashion brands. Comparable in handloom/textile artisan manufacturing and B2B sales to ethical fashion houses; differs in being fabric-focused rather than full-garment.
• Tonlé: Tonlé is a Cambodia-based zero-waste ethical fashion manufacturer that works with artisan communities to produce garments for international ethical brands. Comparable in artisan-driven cut-and-sew manufacturing, use of traditional techniques, and B2B partnerships with conscious Western labels.
• Rags2Riches: Rags2Riches is a Philippines-based social enterprise that co-creates fashion accessories and apparel with artisan communities for international brands. Comparable in artisan-network model, B2B co-creation with ethical fashion partners, and focus on women's economic empowerment.
• Spero: Spero is an India-based ethical fashion brand/manufacturer working with artisan collectives to produce slow fashion garments. Comparable in Indian artisan-network model, focus on handcraft techniques, and serving Western conscious consumers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/saheliwomen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saheli-women

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saheli Women