Our Story
Bringing traditional skills into mainstream business while empowering women in fashion and textiles globally
Like many great ideas SPINNA was forged over a passionate conversation and coffee in a café in Paris, November 2009. SPINNA began life as a project run by Clothing Connect to engage with more women textile workers and company owners globally to encourage managerial and entrepreneurial development. In April 2010 Rupa Ganguli launched SPINNA as a unique foundation that has since run several programmes that further its vision of economic empowerment of women through trade and developing their businesses in the textiles and fashion sectors. This became SPINNA Circle.
SPINNA Circle is made up of a network of textile groups called ‘circles’ locally and globally. These work on a ‘hub and spoke’ approach and are connected through an online dedicated networking platform. SPINNA Circle supports the growth of women entreprenuers and artisans across the fashion and textiles industry by linking them and providing training, mentoring and business opportunities.
SPINNA Circle is based on the focus pillars:
Like many great ideas SPINNA was forged over a passionate conversation and coffee in a café in Paris, November 2009. SPINNA began life as a project run by Clothing Connect to engage with more women textile workers and company owners globally to encourage managerial and entrepreneurial development. In April 2010 Rupa Ganguli launched SPINNA as a unique foundation that has since run several programmes that further its vision of economic empowerment of women through trade and developing their businesses in the textiles and fashion sectors. This became SPINNA Circle.
SPINNA Circle is made up of a network of textile groups called ‘circles’ locally and globally. These work on a ‘hub and spoke’ approach and are connected through an online dedicated networking platform. SPINNA Circle supports the growth of women entreprenuers and artisans across the fashion and textiles industry by linking them and providing training, mentoring and business opportunities.
SPINNA Circle is based on the focus pillars:
- · Igniting Inspiration
- · Empowering Entrepreneurship
- · Furthering Fashion
For women designers, artisans and entrepreneurs, this is a dynamic and interactive organisation offering training, mentoring, and business opportunities online and offline.
For buyers, the organisation presents a source of new talent, skills and buying opportunities to expand retailers’ offerings and bring new exciting textiles and fashion to the customer.
For business professionals and experts, it is a forum to work as mentors and provide business inputs to women in this sector.
For supporters and partners, this is an opportunity to engage with development activities globally and locally and be able to have a tangible and sustainable impact through an established forum with a focused development mandate
SPINNA Circle has partnered with the US State Department to showcase women in fashion in Kyrgyzstan and worked with the United Nations Agency – The International Trade Centre (ITC) to connect women in fashion and textiles to global markets. SPINNA looks forward to developing more projects with development partners to link women to markets.
Internships and volunteering opportunities are available worldwide.
For buyers, the organisation presents a source of new talent, skills and buying opportunities to expand retailers’ offerings and bring new exciting textiles and fashion to the customer.
For business professionals and experts, it is a forum to work as mentors and provide business inputs to women in this sector.
For supporters and partners, this is an opportunity to engage with development activities globally and locally and be able to have a tangible and sustainable impact through an established forum with a focused development mandate
SPINNA Circle has partnered with the US State Department to showcase women in fashion in Kyrgyzstan and worked with the United Nations Agency – The International Trade Centre (ITC) to connect women in fashion and textiles to global markets. SPINNA looks forward to developing more projects with development partners to link women to markets.
Internships and volunteering opportunities are available worldwide.
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Our ApproachSPINNA Circle is a global networking and mentoring club with a focus on empowering and supporting women entrepreneurs in fashion and textiles. Join us to promote and connect research projects together to empower women in fashion and textiles globally.
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SPINNA Circle timeline – highlights over the years
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2009
The idea is born over a passionate discussion over a cup of coffee in a brassiere in Paris. It is incorporated in the Netherlands later in the year as the Womens International Textile Alliance 2010
The organisation signs on as founding partner of the Global Platform for Action on sourcing from women vendors Founding team and members come together in the Netherlands. 2011
SPINNA the brand is conceptualised as a label for the organisation SPINNA holds a first ever ‘buyer-mentor group’ activity at the UN Women building in New York and showcases 6 Peruvian women entrepreneur knitters at New York Fashion Week. They get in touch with and start conducting business with high end buyers directly for the first time SPINNA organises a fashion show with Peruvian and central Asian design techniques in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan SPINNA participates in Women Vendors Exhibition and Forum as the founding partner for the sector on fashion and textiles in Chongqing, China Organises an industry and expert roundtable to get inputs and insights from fashion labels to move ahead and understand market demand. An advisory group is created. 2012
A mandate for SPINNA is proposed, agreed and launched at the First Executive Roundtable in London in October bringing together key decision makers from fashion, interiors and textiles. SPINNA organises a launch in London and a live mentoring event at the HUB Kings Cross with buyers and young women designers from diverse backgrounds in London SPINNA Circle Ltd. is incorporated in London as a legal entity in December 2013
A Trans-Mongolian Express Fashion Party marks the beginning of SPINNA Circle’s main activities in London. A breakfast club is inaugurated SPINNA Circle starts working with NatWest bank to develop a bespoke business-mentoring programme, specifically tailored to the needs of female entrepreneurs in fashion and textiles. The first cohort takes place Launch of SPINNA Circle’s regional economic cooperation project in Central Asia, “Empowering women in Central Asia by building capacity and linking markets through setting up SPINNA Circle hubs,”supported fully by a grant from USAID Founder of SPINNA Circle is selected as one of the 40 social entrepreneurs in London to participate in the one year ‘Start up’ programme funded by Lloyds Bank and Big Lottery at the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) 2014
Over a 100 women artisans and entrepreneurs have been trained across regions of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan Central Asian women entrepreneurs come to the UK for the first time and meet businesses and brands, SPINNA Circle organises showroom event for the first time for Central Asian women in the Oriental Club on Bond Street SPINNA Circle has a first event in Scotland and connects with women artisans and entrepreneurs to explore the concept of developing a hub SPINNA Circle works with Anthropologie (The US retailer) to develop and market Ethiopian SPINNA Circle member’s woven scarves in their London stores and online in the EU with great success SPINNA Circle signs a second grant agreement with USAID to expand on the successful work in Central Asia and expand into Tajikistan: “Strengthening networks in Central Asia and developing markets for women entrepreneurs in textiles through SPINNA Circle” SPINNA Circle organises a first Christmas pop up event in London showing products of members from across the world SPINNA Circle NatWest joint mentoring programme continues in full steam with cohort 2 and 3 over 2014. Founder Rupa Ganguli develops and conceptualises ‘Wear-A-Story’™ the e commerce channel as a next step to SPINNA Circle. Wear-A-Story™is trademarked. SPINNA Circle starts identifying women members in Central America in Guatemala, El Salvador |
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2015
SPINNA Circle signs a Memorandum of Intent with the Middlesex University, London to work on collaboration and similar mandates together SPINNA Circle participates in CATF (Central Asia Trade Forum) in Almaty and organises a first Joint Central Asian Fashion event bringing together women entrepreneur designers from across all the Central Asian Republics of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. SPINNA Is awarded a certification of the highest recognition at the CATF by USAID for its consistent work in training, supporting and promoting women from the region successfully SPINNA Circle facilitates the collaboration and creation of a joint Uzbek – Kazakh collection by nurturing the relation between a Kazakh and Uzbek woman entrepreneur resulting in a first ever joint collection from the region using traditional techniques from both countries SPINNA Circle NatWest joint mentoring programme continues cohort 4 and 5 over 2015. SPINNA Circle has two more pop up events in London and starts marketing products over social media and online channels and enjoys great success in being able to start generating revenues. 2016
SPINNA Circle has a new office at Liverpool Street A first professional luxury showroom event in London with SPINNA Circle sees products flying off shelves. SPINNA Circle has a stand in Brussels at the European Commission High-level Conference on responsible supply chain management in the garment sector Brexit related uncertainties mean SPINNA Circle needs to adapt. SPINNA Circle, NatWest and Middlesex University put together a first time plan to set up a series of short courses scheduled to start in November for women entrepreneurs in the fashion and textiles industry and recent graduates on industry and export competitiveness. The pilot testing of e commerce works very well. The idea and concept of Wear-A-Story is further tested and budget requirements and further market research on e commerce is put in place as an integral part of SPINNA Circle’s strategy. A plan for prototype launch is put in place for early 2017. SPINNA Circle is selected to participate at the WTO Public Forum in September to host the session: “Leading the way for inclusive trade through innovation in fashion and textiles: can women entrepreneurs become the norm rather than remain an exception?” SPINNA Circle is also represented at the Forum with a stand through the event at the Atrium SPINNA Circle organises the first trans SPINNA Circle member project: Tajik Shirts bringing together the skills of SPINNA members across the UK and Tajikistan to develop first SPINNA Circle sourced and manufactured product with complete and thorough visibility of the total process from fabric to final product including photography SPINNA Circle has an exhibition of the TAJIK – UK shirt project in Central London showing both the artistic and commercial possibilities of such collaborations 2017
Inclusive Trade Ltd is incorporated and set up after all the validation and interest generated with the concept of Wear A Story as a channel to market for small artisan entrepreneurs to sell B2C. Four SPINNA Circle members are profiled and have a platform to professionally sell globally through inclusivetrade.com for the first time with their products tagged to the impact. SPINNA Circle is selected to participate again at the WTO Public Forum in September to host the session: ‘Fashioning a cultural shift through digital innovation by empowering SMEs, women entrepreneurs and artisans to move from ‘lowest price’ to ‘highest value.’ SPINNA Circle is also represented at the Forum with a stand through the event at the Atrium. Inclusive Trade enjoys a soft launch in the Gallery of the WTO and over a 100 people sign up as interested customers from around the world. Products receive great validation and interest from WTO staff and Forum delegates. inclusivetrade.com goes live as an e-commerce platform and starts trading globally in November. Founder Rupa Ganguli participates as a panellist and speaker about the case study of SPINNA Circle to Inclusive Trade and the trials and tribulations of e-commerce as a channel for small businesses TSDS event during WTO 11th Ministerial in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 2018
Over 500 unique items and 15 artisans now sell branded goods on inclusivetrade.com to over a 100 customers globally. SPINNA Circle is selected to participate for the 3rd time at the WTO public forum in October 2018 to host the session ‘How e-commerce could drive inclusivity and become a profitable reality for SMEs & MSEMs by 2030 - Exploring ‘digital de-colonisation’ for social benefit and successful cross-border trade globally.’ Partnerships with The Lodge Space, with a focus on live events and community pop-ups. Creation of the Friday club bringing together creative industry professionals and artists at inclusivetrade.com studio. Continuing to work to unite the offline and online communities of SPINNA Circle and Inclusive Trade together… |
What partners & members say...
“Having been on the receiving end of advice and support from some extraordinary people over the years, I am committed to try and help other women in business to succeed and develop their skills in turn. Empowering women is one of the most critical things we should be focusing on in business right now, and I’m delighted to help in any way I can.”
Gaby Cove, Head of Photo and Video for Conde Nast Digital
“Starting a business is easy but making a viable business is the actual challenge facing those starting out today. By working with SPINNA Circle we are able to blend the challenges that most businesses need to tackle and adapt to, with the specialist knowledge and contact network that is vital to a business entering the fashion industry.”
Nick Howe, Enterprise Manager, Diversity in Business at NatWest Bank, has worked for 18 years with businesses of all different shapes, sizes and sectors.
"Spinna Circle was a inique experience for me and for all the artisan women. It helped us to look at our skills with new perspective"
Dilobar Sanginova, founder, Women Development Agency (WDA), Khujand, Tajikistan
