An Indian entrepreneur, whose organic baby blanket Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle used to wrap up her son Archie during his first public outing last month, has defended the price range and pay of the workers in the Indian factories creating the artisanal range.
The 37-year-old chose Malabar Baby’s ‘Erawan Cotton Dohar’ costing $42 for baby Archie.
Finding fault with media reports that criticized the very low wages of the workers in Rajasthan who hand-crafted it, Anjali Harjani, the founder of Hong Kong-headquartered Malabar Baby, said that all workers associated with her brand are paid fairly.
“Malabar Baby worked hard to research the finest factories, both in terms of quality of craftsmanship but also respect for their staff, to produce our collections,” said Harjani, when the claims of low wages in the Indian factories creating the products were addressed to the company.
“Many of the factories it works with go further and are part of a collective that comes together to reduce environmental impact and preserve the art of hand block-printing. It works with factories owned by women where staff has been employed for many years, being paid fairly and working in good conditions,” she said.
The ‘Erawan Cotton Dohar’ has three layers of soft natural cotton sewn together to bring the utmost softness and breathability to a blanket.
The company says it is proud to be preserving the traditional art of block-printing, which goes through many skilled artisan hands.
“The dohar blanket takes between five to seven days to make and requires the work of highly skilled pattern cutters and block printers to produce. The dohar is sold for $42, which is far less than other similar products but Malabar Baby has maintained the price in order that more children can enjoy it,” explained Harjani.
The company was set up by the Hong Kong-based entrepreneur and named after Malabar Hills in Mumbai, the area where her family is based.
Markle, a new mother who gave birth to Archie in early May is fond of organic and sustainable products.
“Malabar Baby is a small, family-run business that prides itself on producing high-quality products which are slowly made in small batches. Its founder is passionate about encouraging people to buy less and buy better quality, but offering products at an accessible price point so they can be enjoyed by all which is why prices start from $18,” said Harjani.
Malabar Baby uses manufacturing sites across China and India and works off hand-drawn sketches which are traced onto wood and hand-carved to create the block prints. Its designers come from around the world, including the United States, Mumbai, and Hong Kong.
