After my mum died, the world felt a bit blurry. I was walking around in a fog of grief, functioning but not really feeling. Then, like something out of a movie, I got an email.
"Want to come to India on a fashion tour to meet manufacturers?"
It felt random. Too soon. Too big. Too... much. But the idea wouldn't leave me alone. I emailed back, saying, "I can’t come unless my husband can come too." (it has been a lifelong dream of his to go there). They said yes.
So we packed up our grief, our curiosity, and a whole lot of hand sanitiser - and went.
Finding something new (among the chaos of Delhi traffic)
India is like being hit in the face with colour, scent, and noise - in the best possible way. It was hot and intense and alive. I was still sad, but I wasn’t numb anymore. I was feeling again. And weirdly, all those feelings made space for ideas.
I met manufacturers, I learned how to source fabric, how to look for quality, and how to ask for what you want (even when you feel like an imposter). I pitched my unlaunched business in tiny manufacturer boardrooms. I met other (AMAZING) women on the tour, and we bonded hard over business dreams, loads of alcohol, and even more naan.
And let me tell you — the food? Oh my god. It healed things I didn’t know were broken.
The flaps of Luckies
Somewhere between Mumbai and Delhi, I realised I could do this. I could make the product I’d been dreaming of. Underwear that doesn’t judge you for having discharge. That doesn’t stain. That’s comfy and cute and clever.
India didn’t just teach me how to manufacture. It reminded me that I was allowed to want things. To build things. To be a bit outrageous.
That trip gave me the skills - and the shove - I needed to launch Luckies. It also gave me the best chai of my life from a street corner (still dreaming about it).