8 questions to celebrate International Women’s Day

1. Can you tell us first how has Pink Maharani’s adventure started? What does “Pink Maharani” mean?

Pink Maharani’s adventure started in 2014, when me and my ex-cofounder met in Geneva. She was indeed very keen on textiles and basically introduced me to this concept – I studied biotechnology and had no idea about how to work with cashmere 6 years ago.
On the other hand, I was very interested in social business and when me and my ex-cofounder split up a few years later, I really wanted to create a business with a higher purpose, with a higher meaning.
The name “Pink Maharani” is a combination of “pink”, which stands for the city of Jaipur, a very royal city that is all painted in pink and that is also part of the India’s Golden Triangle with the Hindi word “maharani”, which means “queen”. The idea behind this name was to evoke the uniqueness of each scarf we are producing and that were once upon a time only reserved for royalty.

"The name “Pink Maharani” is a combination of “pink”, which stands for the city of Jaipur, a very royal city that is all painted in pink and that is also part of the India’s Golden Triangle with the Hindi word “maharani”, which means “queen”"

2. What are the main goal of the brand?

I always say we don’t just do scarves: we offer quality, meaning and purpose. We all have enough clothes and scarfs in the world and to that extent, we don’t need anything else… But I truly believe that we are all looking for sense, purpose and connection. Our main goal is to provide our customers with the finest cashmeres that have been entirely handwoven by our artisans thanks to their incredible passion and know-how. There is always a dedicated artisan, a story and a meaning behind every product; each embroideries are unique and are telling a human story of connection and hope. And many clients indeed truly connect with the stories of our artisans through their scarves that, as one of our customers once told me, “feel like clouds that can make you fly”.

3. Why and how is Pink Maharani supporting girls and women around the world?

Women are the future and I think that they have a very unique voice that has to be heard and shared. But I also think that it is a mission we have to share with men also. In fact, I have stopped talking about women empowerment since my vision has evolved into a more holistic way to consider the questions about equality gender and women empowerment for example. I think we have to support women but we have to include men in this struggle. I do believe that this is the only way to change things and to make a real difference in the future.

Concretely, more than 70% of our artisans in Kashmir and other regions are women and we also have mostly women on the managerial level in Geneva. Most of our clients are also women.

4. Can you tell us a little bit more about the projects “One shawl – One girl – One year“ and “One shawl – One girl – One therapy“?

We support many other projects but the “One shawl – One girl – One year” program is our very first project. Basically, the idea is that for every Pink Maharani shawl you buy, you are directly supporting one girl for one year in a country like India. A few millions girls around the world indeed still do not have safe access to sanitary protection during their periods, for example. And this often leads them to jump out of school. During this year, we will provide these girls with the necessary materials but also with education and knowledge about what is happening to them and their bodies, about menstruations, taboos about sex and abuses. Today, we have more than 2’000 girls who are following the program: it is one of our most successful one.

The “One shawl – one girl – one therapy” project is a new program that is providing boys and girls who have been abused with art therapy in order for them to recover and to get back to a normal life as quick as possible. The more serious cases with deeper traumas also can have access to a therapist. We also provide them with sexual education, speaking about topics such as taboos and abuses, where we explain what it is correct to do (from a certain age) and what is not. This is a more complex program that is helping boys and girls to feel good and safe about their bodies.

5. Which concrete progress have you noticed on gender equality and women empowerment thanks to these projects?

With these programs, we have noticed that the girls (and boys) are much more confident about their bodies but also in the way they act and in the way they speak… These programs are offering them a safe space to express themselves – that they often do not have in their families – and to speak about taboos, bodies, reproduction but also sometimes about confidence and ambition. During these sessions, they know that they can say anything and the therapist helps them realize that what they are wondering about or what they are feeling is something entirely normal. Then they also realize they don’t have to be shy or afraid about what they are anymore, and that makes them feel accepted and safe. There is an increase in confidence and in empowerment thanks to these programs, and we believe that education is going to make a significant difference in the lives of many girls and boys.

6. Do you have an inspiring women’s or girl’s empowerment moment you can share with us?

I have indeed a very strong and emotional story to tell you. For a couple of years, me and my colleagues from Switzerland and Germany were travelling with one of our NGO to a very small village in India. There, we went to a school, in a class of 14-15 years old boys and girls to speak about the Indian culture and so on. I was here to translate and as you can imagine, I was the only brown-skinned person among my white colleagues. Suddenly, as we asked if there were any questions, one girl raised her hand and said: „Yes, I have a question. But not for the „foreigner“. I have a question for you.“ And so she explained: „In fact, many people from abroad have already come to us to talk about many things but this is the very first time in my life that I see someone like me: an Indian woman from the same background as me, standing in front of me and speaking their language. So are you telling me that, if I want to, some day, it could also happen to me? Are you telling me that I could for example study abroad?“ At this moment, I became very emotional and I said: „Well of course, it is also possible for your… It is possible for anyone, actually…“. She made me understand that fighting for my personal dreams could inspire other girls and women and, in that sense, she made me understand the importance and value about being a role model. Unfortunately, I haven’t written down her name and I have no idea where she is now. But I really hope she is still fighting for her dreams…

7. What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

To be really honest, I think that every day should be „Women’s Day“. Of course, it is good to have an official day to celebrate all the accomplishments and to speak about the work that still needs to be done regarding gender equality, women’s empowerment, etc. But to me, one day in a year is not enough and I really wished we could raise awareness about these issues every day. I think we, as women, deserve this space and I wish we could celebrate all the women in our lives every day, thinking back to our mothers, aunts, sisters, colleagues and friends, who have brought and still continue to bring us so much.

8. Do you have a personal message to all the women out there on the occasion of International Women’s Day?

Yes, and it is a very simple message, based on my own experiences. I would like all the women out there to remember just 3 things:

1. Dare to show up
2. Stay authentic and show vulnerability
3. Shine your light

The first message is based on the story I told you earlier with the girl I met in that school, who has dared to show up to ask me that question. What if she had not dare to speak up for herself at that particular time? I think we must always remember that we all wake up every day with a choice to show up for our roles and responsibilities. This girl stepped out of the shadows and in that sense, she took responsibility for her own life. We can leave a trace and inspire other women, be it our daughters, sisters or friends only if we dare to show up!

The second message says that we do not have to be shy about showing our vulnerabilities. I think our vulnerabilities are actually our strength as women as they make us more sensitive in order to face any problem or challenge with a holistic mind-set. We should not afraid about showing weakness because that’s what makes us truly human…

The third and last message is something I would like to tell everyone, women and men: shine your light! To put it in other words: always choose to be kind! I strongly believe that we have so much light inside ourselves so even if there is very much darkness in the world, always choose to shine and to be kind!

"Shine your light! To put it in other words: always choose to be kind!"

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