Mii: Where French Design Meets Bengali Craftsmanship
Seven thousand kilometres separated the two lives that would eventually become Mii. Lucie grew up in France, Bapan in Bengal, and the distance between their upbringings ran far deeper than geography. What brought them together was a shared course at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, studying Textile Design. What kept them together, after a trip to India in 2009, was something closer to alarm: they met artisans whose skills were being lost to economic necessity, forced to leave their villages for work that had nothing to do with the crafts they'd inherited.
Artisans creating considered collections at Mii. Above: Photo Benjamin de Roche. Below: Photo courtesy gf Mii.
Mii, short for Made in India, was Lucie and Bapan's answer to that problem. Instead of outsourcing production and hoping for the best, they built their own workshop from day one, keeping every stage under close watch so artisans could be paid properly and the whole process could stay visible to anyone who asked. In December 2023, that commitment took a more permanent form: a new workshop in the Bardhaman district of Bengal, near Bapan's birthplace, built with vernacular techniques suited to the local climate and filled with natural light throughout the working day. Embroiderers, block printers and screen printers share the space with modern machinery, though weaving stays exactly where it has always happened, out in the surrounding villages, on traditional looms, with families Mii has worked alongside for over a decade, season after season.
Les fleurs collection by Mii
The workshop's thinking stretches well past the loom. Wastewater passes through a natural filtration system of plants and bacteria before returning to production. An indigo field is coaxing back a dye crop that vanished from the region under colonial rule, grown now on the very land where it once thrived. Every garment leaves the workshop made entirely from natural fibres: cotton, linen, silk, wool.
"Greta" shirt and "Mona" skirt from the Mii Spring/Summer 2024 collection.
Selvedge readers have a chance to bring a piece of this story home. Our current prize draw offers a floral co-ord from Mii worth £500, comprising the "Greta" shirt and "Mona" skirt from the Spring/Summer 2024 collection. Lavender stems, hand-embroidered in cotton and silk, run from shirt to skirt in one continuous line, a small tribute to the French half of Mii's story (Lucie and Bapan still split their time between Paris and Calcutta, carrying both places with them).
Les fleurs collection by Mii
Mii keeps a garment's journey in full view, from thread to finished piece, hand to hand, village to workshop. For readers who want to know exactly where their clothes come from, and who made them, that kind of visibility is worth seeking out and celebrating.
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Further Information:
Enter the prize draw on the Selvedge website for your chance to win.
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Image Credits:
Lead: "Greta" shirt and "Mona" skirt from the Mii Spring/Summer 2024 collection.
All further images courtesy of Mii or as otherwise credited in captions.