Ever since it was established in 1999, Epice has chosen to offer a unique perspective of its design studio in Copenhagen combined with the ancestral know-how of its weavers in India. During their travels and stays throughout India, Bess Nielsen and Jan Machenhauer, co-founders of the Epice brand, found the very best artisans to make their first stoles.
Indian weavers
“Weaving, embroidery... can only be done in India. We tried in France and other European countries, but the result lacked poetry, not to say folly” confides Bess.
Weavers are a highly respected group in India and are usually organized around villages. The men are on the looms and the women are responsible for making the yarn bobbins. Among other things, these white yarn bobbins are used for jacquard weaves. The nobility of their dexterity is fully expressed. After carefully considering the size, thread, colour and association of original patterns, the pieces are woven and printed by hand. The weavers will spend a whole day weaving a 2-meter piece of cloth when the weave is not too complex. But when a stole combines silk and cotton, or requires a jacquard weave, the time spent working on the stole is at least a day and a half.
“We particularly like a weave with a jacquard border - the jacquard pattern is woven in colour using dyed yarns and the white fabric is then printed between the two borders” explains Jamal Nielsen - the brand’s CEO. Each piece is unique and designed to be a piece of art. When they are not working for Epice Paris or another brand, these artisans continue to masterfully weave traditional saris.
But because they are becoming too expensive for the local market, which prefers machine-made saris, they are increasingly hired to work in the building trade where they perform thankless tasks, far from the noblesse of their expertise. Which is why the manufacturer who subcontracts weaving for Epice commits to buying the entire production, irrespective of any rejects based on the brand’s criteria of excellence. With regular production for more than 20 years, in its own way Epice Paris has helped keep this exceptional craft alive and given its weavers and their families a living.
