It’s been thirty years since I was here – wow! And now I’m back in this incredible part of India. It’s as warm as it was the last time I was here. Hot and humid, but also incredibly nice. Once again, I’m amazed by the jungle of banana trees, coconut palm trees, and trees whose names I don’t know. As always, we see women in colorful clothing along the roads, often carrying a baby on their backs.
It’s been thirty years since I was here – wow! And now I’m back in this incredible part of India. It’s as warm as it was the last time I was here. Hot and humid, but also incredibly nice. Once again, I’m amazed by the jungle of banana trees, coconut palm trees, and trees whose names I don’t know. As always, we see women in colorful clothing along the roads, often carrying a baby on their backs.
Keralas Backwaters
– a unique system, where freshwater from rivers meets saltwater from the Arabian Sea on the other side of the beach barrier in the Indian state of Kerala. Here, there are beautiful lagoons and a labyrinth of canals, rivers and lakes.
We’ve got a wonderful group of eight people – last time, it was me, my husband Björn, Ulli, two models and Björn’s photography assistant. Now we complete the photo shoot in three days – back then, we had more than a week! We stayed in a bungalow that time – now, we stay in a big, beautiful hotel. I remember that it was incredibly hot, and we took a siesta for a few hours in the middle of the day. Such wonderful memories!
Keralas Backwaters
– a unique system, where freshwater from rivers meets saltwater from the Arabian Sea on the other side of the beach barrier in the Indian state of Kerala. Here, there are beautiful lagoons and a labyrinth of canals, rivers and lakes.
We’ve got a wonderful group of eight people – last time, it was me, my husband Björn, Ulli, two models and Björn’s photography assistant. Now we complete the photo shoot in three days – back then, we had more than a week! We stayed in a bungalow that time – now, we stay in a big, beautiful hotel. I remember that it was incredibly hot, and we took a siesta for a few hours in the middle of the day. Such wonderful memories!
Day One
On our first day, we stay close to the hotel. We find these beautiful yellow bamboo trees as the perfect backdrop for the yellow long cardigan in this collection.
We see a few long, narrow fishing boats and ask if we can include the boats in the pictures – and they say, sure! At five o’clock, the fisherman shows up at our hotel. We get really beautiful photos of Sofia sitting at the bow, wearing an embroidered blue blouse.
Day One
On our first day, we stay close to the hotel. We find these beautiful yellow bamboo trees as the perfect backdrop for the yellow long cardigan in this collection.
We see a few long, narrow fishing boats and ask if we can include the boats in the pictures – and they say, sure! At five o’clock, the fisherman shows up at our hotel. We get really beautiful photos of Sofia sitting at the bow, wearing an embroidered blue blouse.
Day Two
On day two, we head out in a classic shikara boat. We choose a small shikara, and we go out just as the sun is rising. All we brought to eat was a bunch of bananas, as well as lots of water bottles. Jeanette hangs up the clothes and we prepare for the first pictures of the day.
The boat glides across a big lake and through a few narrow channels. There are beautiful boats everywhere that might also be homes. We see men wearing lungis and women in saris in every color imaginable. The beaches are busy and bustling. A man is swimming – a woman is hanging laundry – children are playing – dogs are barking.
Day Two
On day two, we head out in a classic shikara boat. We choose a small shikara, and we go out just as the sun is rising. All we brought to eat was a bunch of bananas, as well as lots of water bottles. Jeanette hangs up the clothes and we prepare for the first pictures of the day.
The boat glides across a big lake and through a few narrow channels. There are beautiful boats everywhere that might also be homes. We see men wearing lungis and women in saris in every color imaginable. The beaches are busy and bustling. A man is swimming – a woman is hanging laundry – children are playing – dogs are barking.
Dress Cross
We see intensely green rice fields – we have to stop and take some pictures! But the fields are a few meters down and getting into them isn’t easy. They’re also full of water, so we stay on the elevated paths running through the fields. The new yellow dress looks incredibly beautiful amid all that greenery.
Dress Cross
We see intensely green rice fields – we have to stop and take some pictures! But the fields are a few meters down and getting into them isn’t easy. They’re also full of water, so we stay on the elevated paths running through the fields. The new yellow dress looks incredibly beautiful amid all that greenery.
Catch of today
Our next stop is a little restaurant along the canal. We get to see the fish we’ll be eating – talk about “catch of the day.” In addition to the plate of fish, we also have big, grilled shrimp. We drink coconut water, which has a different, slightly sweet flavor. Not everyone in the group is as bold as Mats and I are, who fearlessly try everything that’s offered.
Catch of today
Our next stop is a little restaurant along the canal. We get to see the fish we’ll be eating – talk about “catch of the day.” In addition to the plate of fish, we also have big, grilled shrimp. We drink coconut water, which has a different, slightly sweet flavor. Not everyone in the group is as bold as Mats and I are, who fearlessly try everything that’s offered.
Day Three
On day three, we head to Fort Kochi, a few hours away from the Backwaters. We find buildings here in yellow, green and pink, and we get really fun photos with big birds and green flowers.
Now it’s time for part of the team to go to Delhi. The rest of us head to Salem to see how our woven fabrics are made. Salem is the hub of textile production and weaving in India. It’s going to be fascinating, as I haven’t been back in many, many years.
Day Three
On day three, we head to Fort Kochi, a few hours away from the Backwaters. We find buildings here in yellow, green and pink, and we get really fun photos with big birds and green flowers.
Now it’s time for part of the team to go to Delhi. The rest of us head to Salem to see how our woven fabrics are made. Salem is the hub of textile production and weaving in India. It’s going to be fascinating, as I haven’t been back in many, many years.
At the Weaving Mills
We visit several different weavers – small artisan workshops, medium-sized factories with power looms, and a really big one with everything from a spinning mill to dyers and weavers. We discuss certifications and other kinds of permits that are now required in the area of textile production. I must say, I’m amazed at how quickly everyone has adapted to all the requirements from the EU, among other places. Water treatment has been a focus in recent years. No factory can be run without a closed water system that has been certified.
At the Weaving Mills
We visit several different weavers – small artisan workshops, medium-sized factories with power looms, and a really big one with everything from a spinning mill to dyers and weavers. We discuss certifications and other kinds of permits that are now required in the area of textile production. I must say, I’m amazed at how quickly everyone has adapted to all the requirements from the EU, among other places. Water treatment has been a focus in recent years. No factory can be run without a closed water system that has been certified.
Bit loom
I’m really curious about the bit loom weaving mill. All the new checks and stripes are hand-woven there. I see old-fashioned wooden looms, just like we have in Sweden for traditional weaving.
It’s fascinating to see this great craftsmanship that lives on today. And even though it’s incredibly hot outside, it’s nice and cool inside the artisan weaving mills.
We head back to Delhi for our evening flight from Coimbatore. We land in the middle of the night and check in at the Hyatt Regency. I’m back in my room, 617 – everything feels homey and lovely. I sleep well on the pillow I brought with me – nice and low.
Bit loom
I’m really curious about the bit loom weaving mill. All the new checks and stripes are hand-woven there. I see old-fashioned wooden looms, just like we have in Sweden for traditional weaving.
It’s fascinating to see this great craftsmanship that lives on today. And even though it’s incredibly hot outside, it’s nice and cool inside the artisan weaving mills.
We head back to Delhi for our evening flight from Coimbatore. We land in the middle of the night and check in at the Hyatt Regency. I’m back in my room, 617 – everything feels homey and lovely. I sleep well on the pillow I brought with me – nice and low.
Coimbatore
In the morning, I sketch some checked and striped garments before I forget everything I’ve seen and been so inspired by. I name these checks and stripes Coimbatore – a lot of checks and a lot of colors!
I browse a bit through the SUMMER CATALOG 1989 and remember the trip we took back then. And I understand how significant changes for the better have taken place in India since then.
