Hello everyone,
You voted on Instagram for the topic of this newsletter. Between “working with Indians” and “talking about a new collection”, the result was… a perfect tie!
After a little while of creative procrastination, I finally realized that the two were linked and I decided to take you behind the scenes with India Sampati, with her challenges but also her projects.
Working with Indian artisans is a fascinating experience, but far more complex than one might imagine. Working remotely, without any real support on the ground, quickly becomes a real headache! Even if the people you're dealing with seem very responsive—they answer the phone easily and reply to messages quickly—that doesn't mean communication is smooth. Between the language barrier, the time difference, and cultural differences, misunderstandings are frequent.
I had already experienced difficulties with the sewing workshop: being there with them made everything simple—and Satnam's presence to communicate in Hindi had greatly contributed to this. But once I left, even though contact was frequent, everything was very different since I had no way of checking the merchandise, for example (I had a few surprises I haven't told you about…), and the deliveries were, let's say… unpredictable! That's when I truly understood the saying "out of sight, out of mind!"
The question of a new collection is therefore not on the agenda: this implies being on site to exchange directly with the workshops, supervise the fittings, make corrections, validate the prototypes… and above all order a minimum of twenty pieces per model, which is not feasible today because I am far from having recouped the first collection and I no longer have the capacity to invest.
But as you've understood, India Sampati remains an adventure that is very close to my heart: I'm not giving up, I'm adapting!
So, for this winter, I've designed a simpler, more realistic capsule collection, centered around warm, comforting, and typically Indian pieces that will accompany you elegantly through the cold season: pashminas, scarves and stoles, as well as block-printed duvets and throws. To fund this capsule collection, I'm launching a big ARCHIVES sale. These pieces will be offered with discounts of up to 60%, with an additional 10% off for those of you who subscribe to this newsletter using the code SAMPAFAMILY.
This is my way of thanking you for your support and loyalty, which helps me stay on course even in the more difficult times.
I think that's really what adventure is: getting up every day without
to really know what it will be made of, to discover its share of surprises – good and not so good! but also all the resources we have within us to respond to it… and that, in my opinion, is the true wealth that makes life “full”.
Thank you for being here, for following this path with me and for bringing this project to life.
With all my gratitude,
Chrystelle
India Sampati 💛
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