Today we meet the wonderful Brigitte Singh. Her story is straight out of a fairy tale book. We have always been in love with Brigitte’s work and prints, so we jumped on the chance to work and collaborate with her. Some pieces we bought directly from her, like her wonderful coats and quilts. And on other pieces, we worked with her on creating new shapes using her beautiful textiles. What was amazing when we launched her line, a lot of local clients were happy to access her again. As they told us there was a shop in Kuwait that used to sell her work in the nineties! Let’s meet this treasure of a woman. Find her beautiful collection here.
What year did you arrive in India?
I arrived 40 years back on the 8th of October 1980 as a student with a scholarship to study the techniques used in miniature painting.
Did you know immediately that you were in love with block printing, or did you take the time you needed to explore?
I discovered block printing in Sanganer on my way to fetching special paper done for miniature painters. Sanganer craft industry was by tradition into block printing cotton and paper making for books and artwork. I was enchanted to discover fabric printing and immediately took to it. To play to start with and then without much thinking about it I found myself very busy with it. What fun it was! And a way to become autonomous financially, having decided to settle in India with my beautiful husband, Surya Vijay Singh.
Your workshop is by far one of the most beautiful we have ever come across. We understand you want to become completely ecological, do you think this is an extremely far fetched idea, or something tangible.
I would have loved to go 100% ecological however it would take another life to do so. That’s why I wanted you to take over from now. It is possible and as in any serious project, one has to be involved 100% to realize it. I have tried to be as good as I could and within my reach as I was alone with my dream, and sometimes lonely and a bit isolated. Which is what saved me too, allowing the story to unfold day after day working at it slowly.
4. One piece of advice you can give a young person starting out in the field of craft and design?
Just do it!
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s lovely collaborator!