Kundakala - Art empowering women
Kundakala C.I.C. is a multi-award-winning social enterprise dedicated to championing ethnic minority women to become more social, confident, and financially independent.
Through our tailoring and enterprise programmes, we help ethnic minority women on low-household incomes to become professional seamstresses. We then support them in starting their own micro-businesses.
As seen on
We are largely funded by grants and trusts, but here are ways you can support us too. Click on the button below to find more about our Threads of Support campaign.
“Kundakala” – means “art of Kunda”
Kundakala is named after the late Indian artist Kunda Kirloskar who wanted to empower women through her art. Founded by Kunda’s daughter, Poornima Kirloskar-Saini, Kundakala is both a mission and a message.
Our mission is to support ethnic minority women on the journey to financial independence by giving them culturally sensitive sewing training allowing them to preserve their traditions while integrating into wider society.
In this world of fast fashion, our women are encouraged to upcycle clothes and fabric to make new, interesting products. Kundakala reminds us once again that along with warmth and wisdom, our homes also contain wellsprings of opportunity and enterprise.
Awards
Our programmes
Make and Mend
Our entry level 6-month programme in which ethnic minority women from low income backgrounds are taught how to use a sewing machine to make items that they can use.
Alterations & Upcycle
Our more advanced 30-week programme in which participants are taught how to make products from sarees and other fabric that has been donated to us alongside enterprise workshops.
The Kundakala Collective
This is a collection of women who have started to earn income after graduating from our programmes either by selling their products or by offering their alterations and repair services.
Our impact
Kundakala's vision is a world in which women from ethnic minority backgrounds make their own choices about how they learn, grow and contribute in an equal society.
Therefore we are continually evaluating our work to ensure that we are taking steps towards achieving our vision. We have a robust system in place to measure our outcomes against the metrics we have set for ourselves.
Our measurement framework consists of feedback interviews, written and video testimonials, and "distance travelled" measurements with participants to gauge their progress and the impact of our programmes on them.
Our products
Our supporters
