The first week of my CraftHER 2025 summer took place in Kochi – the commercial capital of Kerala, India. Though this week has been an opportunity to get acclimatised (the humidity is incredible here), it has nevertheless provided plenty of time to learn more about sustainable women-led crafts and chances to show courage and say yes to new things.

CraftHER is a central LiA project, which means that I am joined by four other scholars. Over the past week, we have gotten to know each other, and I am looking forward to spending the next five weeks with them. The support of the other scholars and the programme team is incredible, and I now have a good understanding of the deliverables required of me.

One of the highlights of this week was visiting Save the Loom, a social enterprise dedicated to uplifting women through traditional weaving techniques. We had the opportunity to discuss the founder’s motivation for starting Save the Loom: rebuilding looms destroyed during floods in 2018, as well as the importance of natural fibres in climate considerations. We also had a chance to try our own hand at weaving, which gave us a greater appreciation for the talent of weaving and the time required to create a piece of fabric.

On Friday, we had the privilege to be invited to the opening of a new woman-owned boutique, Milan Design. The store was so beautiful and the people so welcoming. We were even invited to come back to the party that evening, which gave us the perfect opportunity to wear a saree and dance the night away. Though it took some courage to say yes to the invitation, I am so glad I was able to attend the event

We have now arrived at Chalakkudy, where we will stay for the next week for our engagement with Forest Post, an enterprise that produces sustainable, natural products made by women from remote forest villages with locally harvested resources. I am excited to learn more about the sustainable production methods used by Forest Post, and how this may inform my personal project.