Silk Belt - Cotton Flower- This product have a story to tell...

In the last winter when we were on a working travel, to design the new Spring Cotton Collection in India we started a beautiful project with a small family and a green vision...

Beautiful recycled books was the outcome, if you want to read more see the link :

https://tantilly-shop.com/blogs/colorful-world-by-tantilly/the-change-is-here-we-love-the-earth

It was only inspirering us more!

One of the days i met Mojit , a very nice Indian man with a beautiful smile, that drive on a riksha. A riksha is a small car, used in India as a taxi.

I started to talk to him, and after a nice conversation i asked him some questions about castes in India.

Castes is a way in India to divide people between different status.

It depends on the caste that you are in, that decide where you live, work, with who you going to be marry, your status...everything... sound crazy? 

I thoughts so too, the concept that you are born and will die with your caste level and live by all the rules of your caste, and there is not a possibility to change something about that, So no dreams or changes in your life? Something sounds wrong to me...

To give you a good example.. if your father is a chai maker in the street, (chai is the main indian herbal tea), you will have the exact same profession, and your life will become as your father, and the same as the rest of the family... If she is a women probably her marriage was arranged with someone from a similar caste and the wife for example can help the husband/ her son in the small chai shop. 

Poor family's stay very limited because of that. And even if you will try to create other directions and ways in your life, you will find many blocks from everyone who lives according to the caste rules, and of the society.

Not easy to try to change your life direction? 

I didn't liked that idea at all!

AND NOW Back to Mojit the riksha driver...After a long conversion and hearing some new information about castes in India, i finded out that Mojit is coming from the caste of cleaners and all of his caste families leave in the same spot, like a small village, all of them cleaners, and that most of the settlements you can find are also divided by the caste.

If you stand in his place, no matter what you will try, the only job you and all of the members of your caste family can find, is cleaning.. its crazy, u just have to say that you are from that specific village, and automatic people know what is your caste profession.

Mojit almost did something impossible.. he worked so hard, that he succeeded to buy a riksha and to climm a little bit up in his status.

He inspired me!

Some friends joined me to a short visit to the village. 

Consider that cleaning is almost the only work that they can do, and the man is the first one in the family to go out and work. It was not nice to find out that some of the man can not even leave the house, because of old age, because of limitations of illness, and more reasons. As a man you expected to be the cost winner and to be responsible to take care of your family.. A big responsibility... 

I was really feeling with all of this people.. And as a women myself, even if you want to support your family, it's not normal as a marriaged woman to work outside of the house.

This is a man's job.

You can do your job in the house, but sometimes it's not enough... 

Groups of woman that can't work out of their houses...because they have male members .. Because of the society rules...Because of old age.. Because of illness or handicap.. 

SAB KUCH MILEGA!!

In Hindi, it means.... everything is possible!

When i asked the ladies in the village what would make them happy to do, i didn't get so much answers.

Then i asked them if they would love to learn to do some stitching art, I will never forget the faces of the woman :))#

It was a pure happines!!!!

One of my very old friends is a professional stitching master, he was very very surprised from my request to the woman in the village.

For him this work we give to the village woman it's changing the destiny of them, 'impossible h'e said!!

After a long talk, he started to see the story trough my eyes,  and when he saw I was consisted in my choice, he agreed with me. 

We made a sweet vision for Tantilly to create a colorful world by recycling, by love, by green products, by spreading colors, flowers and fun! 

He arrived to the point to teach those amazing woman to create a splash of happiness and colors, and now they are not anymore without work and they are very interesting to learn more!! What an amazing feeling that is, for both sides... 

They defenitly  breaked some castes rules, and now for me and for themselfs, they are proud artist!

They get very nice payments and work in their own time with much fun :)

A NEW FLOWER IS BLOSSOMED NOW ON OUR DRESSES AND SKIRTS !!!!

NEW recycled product - A lovely cotton flower that is attached to a small gentle silk belt,and can be used as a hairband, belt, neck accesoire, arm bracelet and many other beautiful ways.

We are so proud to achieve so many good goals for the nature, for these woman and for you to make you so colorful and happy.