Manakaa means "bead" in Hindi. The right title for a project whose concern is not only the product itself, but also the appreciation and support of everyone involved in the production and the fair and ecological use of resources.

Local foundation work.

We are committed - with our partner and silk supplier COCCCON Crafts & Loom - to the expansion of educational offers for families in the village of Maranghatu in the state of Jharkhand, India. For this purpose, we have set up a foundation together with other partners that equips the village schools there. Our elaborate bead embroidery and the entire silk production also take place there.

Non-violent Silk.

We only use non-violent organic Silk - also called Peace Silk or Ahimsa Silk. The biological and non-violent breeding of silkworms takes place without the use of pesticides, fungicides or gene sprays. And unlike traditional methods, non-violent Ahimsa Silk is made without killing the silkworms. All silk moths are allowed to hatch and reproduce, the silk is processed from the cocoons left behind. In some cases, the cocoons are carefully cut open and the butterfly is given help with hatching. Since the cocoons are free of impurities, there is no need for chemicals that are normally used to kill germs or remove impurities. The hatched silkworms contribute to local pollination and thus significantly support the local botanical life cycle.

The silk farm has been completely renatured by COCCCON since 2011 and converted to sustainable and ecological production processes. In the meantime, COCCCON is the world's largest producer of fairly produced, non-violent organic Silk. In addition to banning all chemical substances, COCCCON is promoting silk weaving on handlooms to create jobs in rural India and reverse migration from the big cities. The spinning and reeling is either fully processed manually or with solar machines. This means that 70% of the spinning and weaving process is carbon-free. In addition, water consumption in the production process is minimized as the used water is recovered by filtering the old used water and the residues from the degumming of the cocoons are used as compost for agriculture.

Sustainable Cashmere.

Our Cashmere Jumpers are made entirely by our partner Bodio's in Mongolia - the procurement of raw wool from Mongolian nomads, the spinning of the wool, the knitting of the sweaters and the embroidery with MIYUKI glass beads.

Bodio's was founded by J.Ulziibodijav, a Mongolian Normandy from the Gobi desert. He started his business as a cashmere trader. After two decades he founded his own knitwear factory. By paying above-average market prices and wages, he tries to influence the market positively in a non-commercial way, to make a contribution to society and to take a pioneering role in setting new standards for responsible business practices in Mongolia. The result is 100% high-quality cashmere that is valued by customers and is one of the best in the world.

Glass bead embroidery.

We use high-quality MIYUKI Glass Beads from Japan for our elaborate bead embroidery according to old Indian craftsmanship. MIYUKI's history goes back almost 80 years. It begins with Seiichi Katsuoka, who devoted his life to learning the art of glass bead making. His son, Hiroshi Katsouka, founded the company in Hiroshima in the mid-1930s and quickly became a renowned manufacturer of glass beads. MIYUKI glass beads are considered a "world standard" due to their high quality, brilliance and uniform shape.