CONSCIOUS LIVING

This Indian entrepreneur is changing luxury manufacturing units in London for designers like Erdem and Molly Goddard

By Saloni Dhruv

31 October, 2022

Diana Kakkar, the founder and chief executive of MAES London, talks about building a luxury manufacturing studio abroad and the challenges that comes with it 

Diana Kakkar’s love for clothes goes back to when she was about five years old. “A family friend had a small atelier of seamstresses, tailors and embroidery artisans working on Indian occasion wear from her home and I found that very exciting,” she says. That same excitement is now palpable when she talks about her own atelier, MAES London. Founded in 2018 with her partner Joshua Rosario, the atelier–which gets its name from the word ‘seam’ spelt backwards–helps designers with the process of manufacturing, right from sampling and cutting patterns to providing a small production run of their collections. 

Unlike the horror stories you may have read about the exploitation and the poor  working conditions of manufacturing units in most South Asian countries, Kakkar believes in building a close-knit family that is ethically and sustainably mindful about each other and the planet as well. That’s why, if you scroll through MAES London’s Instagram feed, you’ll find glimpses of the inner workings of the studio with utmost transparency. Been born and brought up in India, Kakkar gets candid (over long email threads and virtual conversations) about building a business in a foreign country, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, her ambitions, ideologies and plans for how she wishes the luxury supply chains in the fashion industry to look like.  

fashion

Launched in 2018, MAES London makes fashion manufacturing accessible to emerging and established fashion designers

You have extensive experience of working behind the scenes in the fashion industry. How did that help you take the plunge to set up your own manufacturing studio?

My industry experience came in after I graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology with a degree in fashion. I went on to work for designers, managing their production, all the way from the design to finished delivery. Through working with factories all across the world, I could see first-hand that managing a product from conception to delivery is hard—it costs money, mental health and time, especially when things don’t go according to plan. 

My time working at Erdem was very formative. However, I felt there was a gap in the market for a manufacturer who understood how much work went into designing a garment and who respected the designer’s vision, yet equally had the skills to translate that design into reality. This is the foundation of MAES London—we are a manufacturing studio that speaks the language of fashion and partners with designers to make their dreams come true.

The luxury garment manufacturing studio is located in North London and specialises in designer womenswear

MAES London does everything from sampling and development to small production and consultancy

A lot has been written about the working conditions of garment manufacturers, especially in certain South Asian countries. How do you wish to change the way clothes are manufactured?

If you look back over the past century, garment manufacturing was actually celebrated globally until the 1960s to 1970s. Industrialisation and consumerism meant the supply chain was then pushed to ‘cheaper’ developing countries. When a decision is made based on price, then very often the people who work on the clothes–and our planet–bear the brunt of that cost.

I want to challenge the status quo; I want people to ask where and how their clothes were made. The power to implement transparency in the garment industry lies in the hands of the consumer. I would also love for designers to openly share the extensive steps that go into the making of their clothes. Luxury is synonymous with craftsmanship and artisans, and highlighting this will not only empower the people buying their designs but will also celebrate the team who support the designers.

Amongst the many successful designers you work with, you also have a small percentage of young and emerging designers. How does that help you in terms of business and growth?

MAES London was set up to bridge the gap between manufacturers and designers. We do this with designers such as Acne Studios, Erdem, Molly Goddard and Halpern, but at the same time we want to support and encourage young businesses and designers to build their foundations for the seasons to come. 

Some of our biggest clients will hold less than 10 per cent of our annual capacity, so we are very democratic with how we choose to work with our clients. We look for mutual respect and partnership with them and build on this season after season to make it a successful collaboration. Our main goal is for MAES London to be synonymous with luxury manufacturing.

"I WANT TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO; I WANT PEOPLE TO ASK WHERE AND HOW THEIR CLOTHES WERE MADE. THE POWER TO IMPLEMENT TRANSPARENCY IN THE GARMENT INDUSTRY LIES IN THE HANDS OF THE CONSUMER."
Diana Kakkar

Embracing transparency in manufacturing, MAES London's business is run from a light-filled studio with a highly-skilled team

MAES London’s Instagram feed shows glimpses of what it's like working at a manufacturing unit. Was this transparency a conscious decision?

Hundred per cent! Transparency is at the heart of MAES London. The Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Dhaka in 2013 shocked the world and kickstarted a revolution. People became more aware of where and how clothes were made. At MAES London, we do our utmost to make our team’s working lives the best they can be. We support their growth in the business and career path and take care of them in times of need, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Instagram feed is a direct reflection of our business. 

The media has often only portrayed the dark side of ‘factory life’—businesses that exploit people and the planet. We are working to challenge this stereotype and to show how manufacturing can be a positive business and a valuable career in fashion. Transparency is essential to change the conversation and we need the media to pick up on these positive news stories more to create awareness and to celebrate manufacturing as an alternative career in fashion.

What has been the biggest challenge for your business?

Building a business comes with its own set of challenges, but doing it in a country you are relatively new to is another story. I didn’t have a safety net, so the risks were high and there was no plan B. Mixing that with Brexit and the pandemic pushed me to establish deep roots in the community to give me a strong footing. I reached out to mentors, set up relationships with the local supply chain and cold-called clients. Making a business plan, projecting a cash flow and understanding the paper work around the business was definitely testing.

Their roster of designers include Acne Studios, Erdem, Molly Goddard and Christopher Kane, among others

"I would also love for designers to openly share the extensive steps that go into the making of their clothes," Diana Kakkar

How do you see your company growing in the near future?

I am fortunate to have a great team who believe in the mission of MAES London and always go that extra mile. This has helped us grow consistently over the past few years. The majority of our work is with designers at the London Fashion Week but we have extended our services to Paris and parts of Europe too. Organically scaling the business operations will be a priority, but I aim to work closely with the British Fashion Council and other government bodies to create an incubation fund to help designers navigate the challenges around manufacturing and the supply chain. 

Globally, the fashion industry has a labour force of 3,384 million. Its value is equivalent to three trillion dollars. There is a huge opportunity for fashion entrepreneurs to be successful while also contributing to the economy. We want to help them seize this opportunity by making their supply chain lean.

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