E35 | Meet Danielle Chiel: Changing Lives One Hand-Knitted Garment at a Time

Today’s guest is Danielle Chiel, an Australian entrepreneur who founded KOCO (Knit One Change One). Danielle, through KOCO, is seeking to change lives one hand-knitted garment at a time.

She currently employs 200 Indian ladies from various villages in India, to hand-knit garments for her; but her dream is to expand the business and employ 10,000 women.

KOCO hand-knits garments for global fashion brands - they produce fashions and homewares that customers love, by working with women in the rural villages in the south of Tamil Nadu.

At the same time as giving these ladies employment, KOCO provides them with an education and all the training they need, in order to become world-class handknitters.

On today’s podcast learn:

• Where Danielle’s love for knitting came from.
• How she is building a women’s only business which is hand-knitting the world together.
• How she started after she swore never to go back to India after a disastrous holiday there.
• Where you can find out more information about the lady that hand-knitted the jumper you are wearing.
• Why consumers have to drive the necessary change in order to strip back the strict confidentiality agreements that brands insist on, to reveal where their clothing is made.
• The trials and tribulations of getting a new business off the ground in a country that doesn’t speak your language.

Links:

• KOCO