Kumudini Welfare Trust is a social business in Bangladesh. People Tree partners with Kumudini to make gorgeous block-printed and hand-embroidered dresses and tops, reviving traditional skills to make unique contemporary designs.

What makes Kumudini unique?

The artisans at Kumudini produce garments with techniques rooted in the ancient textile heritage of Bangladesh. Kumudini specialises in products in cotton and silk and are especially known for their bright and beautiful colours. Kumudini uses safe dyes made from natural products such as flowers, leaves, barks, and roots of plants and trees, as well as environmentally-friendly azo-free chemical dyes.

The Makers

We spoke to Lukman Hossain, the Senior Hand Block Master who says he feels very proud and happy to work at Kumudini: “It is the ideal company and the overall atmosphere is very good.”

His daily work routine allows him to take care of his family and still spend time with them:

“I wake up in the early morning and start the day with a Namaj prayer. I take my grandson and granddaughters to school and I return home for breakfast. I set off at 8:45am to start work at 9am. I have one hour lunch break at 1pm and I work until 5pm. At 5pm I head home, it’s not too far from the office. I like to spend time with my family and friends in the evenings, go to the market to do the shopping and have a dinner. I relax watching TV and I go to bed at around 10pm.”

Siddharta, the manager at Kumudini resumes our partnership:

“People Tree’s orders are vital to Kumudini, me, my family, my colleagues (…). Producers are very much benefited through People Tree by completing their orders and tremendously improving their livelihood. They are gradually increasing their earnings, educating more by gathering more knowledge, upgraded communicating skill and modernised changing in their behaviour. (…) People Tree orders empower people socially and economically and (…) I can boldly say it that by educating ourselves we can be improving our life style at all sides and make ourselves honoured in our life and society.”

How does Kumudini make a difference?

Kumudini promotes traditional crafts in Bangladesh, supporting craftspeople across the country - particularly women - to provide them a regular income and access to medical treatment.

Profits from Kumudini are reinvested to assist in the running of a 600 bed hospital that offers nursing training and free healthcare to low income families in Bangladesh.

In addition to producing clothing for export, Kumudini has shops in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Chittagong in Bangladesh that sell their handicraft accessories and garments.