028. Gauri Sharma & Anant Ahuja: On Vertical Integration and Sourcing Indian Cotton

This is part two of our conversation with Anant Ahuja and Gauri Sharma of Shahi exports, one of India’s largest garment manufacturers. We get into more detail about Shahi’s decision to become vertically integrated. Why was this something that made sense for the company? And how has it shaped their ability to test various sustainability initiatives?

We then get into their relationship with cotton farmers, and chat about why and how they’re supporting Indian cotton growers to improve their yield and quality.

And of course, it’s impossible to talk about cotton these days without also getting into what’s happening in China. Anant and Gauri offer their take on how that’s impacting Indian cotton, and how difficult traceability really is.

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Want to dig deeper ?

Find out more about Shahi Exports and their partnership on the SAP project with HKRITA.

Though we didn’t have a chance to talk about it in the interview, we’ve done our fair share of fan girl-ing over another project Gauri co-founded: SUSS. It’s a community and movement to drive conversations, build collaborations, and inspire action on sustainable fashion in India.

Learn more about farmer suicides in India.

Photo provided by Shahi Exports