House of Indi - Company of the Year - Manufacturing

Company: House of Indi, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Company Description: A clothing garment, with custom and international orders. Concentrating on bridal wear for destination wedding brides. We support women's business, employee women, provide equal women's rights, pay, and management roles. Ethical and sustainable fashion is what we strive for, working on a circular fashion wheel chart. We currently loan out sewing machines for women at home due to pandemic lockdown.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Manufacturing - Small

Nomination Title: House of Indi

Our core business is in Women’s Fashion and Bridal wear manufacturing. We are a women-centric business that supports women from all walks of life to learn and start their own sewing business, we provide a learning environment, then we provide a sewing machine on loan for thesewomen to make outfits on a sub-contract basis for our international orders.

The business was started by its ManagingDirector Indi Yapa Abeywardena with her passion for fashion, which was bestowed on her by her mother, who passed away when she was 10 years old. This business and service is her way of staying in touch with her mother spiritually and helping thousands of other women to make a difference for their family, livelihood, and empowerment.

Since starting with 1 sewing machine about 10 years ago alone by the MD, the business has grown slowly and steadily over years to currently have 20 full-time staff, another 25 subcontracting staff, with the combined support of over 1000 people depending solely on the income generated by this organization.

We strive to offer equal pay, women in management along ethical and sustainable clothing to the world.

1. 2019 was a huge year with House of Indi moving locations of its factory to create a classroom style, to better train its staff, with classroom facilities to learn sewing and pattern maker skills.

2. In 2020, with the first pandemic lockdown, we started our program of "loan sewing machines" to women in need to start their own home business at home, previously we have got them to come and work at our factories but with us loaning sewing machines to home, this has given them work hour flexibility, stay at home safe environment while still providing for their familyincome.

3. Early 2021House of Indi was recognized as the winner of the Resilience Sri Lanka award from SLIM Brand Excellence. This award was given for surviving the pandemic during 2020, without closing the business down, without laying off staff members, and providing social responsibility as an SME business in Sri Lanka to its workers and society.

4. House of Indi founder and Managing Director Indi won SME Small businessGold for Outstanding Women Entrepreneur of the Year from Women in Management for her work towards helping her staff with full salary during the lockdown time, finding a solution to work from home, distributing food hampers for people of need without looking at any benefits, not just to her staff but the general public too.

5. Implementing Circular Fashion Chart to make sure our process of staff are handled ethically, our manufacturingis sustainable, reuse, recycle and upcycle.

1. the training schoolThis enabled us to start a training school for women with on job training. School leavers, unskilled girls, teen pregnant moms, widows, etc.

2. For us to give a chance to some of these women, who are the sole breadwinner of the family is an unbelievable feeling that can be expressed. its Significant in their eyes and smile of these women, who see the hope of a second chance to build a career, earn an income. the "Loan a Sewing Machine" was a huge success that we hope we can expand because there is so many more whose in need of one. It's unique because we are the only organization in Sri Lanka to do it.

3. Winning 2 awards after surviving 2020 lockdowns, gave us and our staff a morale boost, a sense of accomplishment to fight 2021 and beat Covid19. It also made paths and network connections to help people in need, we were able to secure funds from investors to buy sewing machines.

4. We learned from the Pandemic, life is short, we need to be kind to Mother Nature and our People. The fact we could move away from fast fashion and care for the manufacturing process through Circular Fashion Wheel. We were able to secure more manufacturing orders from buyers who wanted to help us not only for our sustainable goals but to the ethical side we are invested in.

Links & Attachments:

-https://www.houseofindi.com/indi/world-of-hoi/
-http://bizenglish.adaderana.lk/house-of-indi-and-its-founder-indeevari-yapa-abeywardana-clinch-honors-at-prominent-awards-ceremonies/
-https://www.themorning.lk/take-baby-steps-indi-yapa-talks-about-her-most-recent-recognitions-and-more/
-Women at Traning Image submission at the Garment Factory (On the Job Training) Images
-Women at work at Home during lockdown (Loan a Sewing Machine Project) Images
-Staff Celebration of Awards Images
-Distributing Food Hampers during Lockdown for Staff and General Public images
-Certificates handover for Service Excellence during Covid19
-Free Masks to Front Line Staff During Lock Down Project