Journeys to India
How we got started producing our collections in India, and why I was drawn to this incredible place.
In 2023, back when On A Good Day was just the tiniest kernel of an idea, we made a trip to Tamil Nadu, in southern India, to learn about textile manufacturing and see with our own eyes how things are done.
Our desire to produce our collections in India was a natural one, for a few reasons:
My husband’s family are there, so we have an emotional bond to the place.
Practically, because of point 1, India will always be a place we travel to on a fairly consistent basis.
And of course, a major reason is that India has a thriving textile industry, particularly in the production of cotton. Did you know that India’s cotton industry dates back thousands of years?
On that first trip, we headed to Tirrupur and Erode, via Coimbature, where we visited the facilities of organic cotton textile manufacturers and ethical garment makers. We asked so many questions and gleaned an awful lot in a short space of time. There’s something special about being in a place for yourself, meeting people face to face. For our first collection, we ended up working with a textile manufacturer we met in our travels.
Back in Sydney, with all we had learned on our visit, we slowly turned this tiny seed of a thought - a clothing label of classic pieces, ethically produced, designed and made entirely and wholeheartedly for women up to 160cm / 5’3” - into a reality.
It took years of learning and tinkering in the background to reach a point where we had our suppliers lined up, our fabrics organised, and our designs ready to produce (after several iterations and rounds of sampling). Not to mention all the other elements involved in setting up an ecommerce business!
In February 2025, on another trip to India to see family, we travelled again to meet with suppliers, in Tamil Nadu and Jaipur. As wonderful as technology is, to be able to meet over video calls across the world, there’s no substitute for being in the same room and getting to know people and the operations. Seeing our clothing pieces being crafted, meeting the skilled people working on our designs.
I’m in a privileged position to be able to meet our suppliers in person, to get to know the people involved and understand their businesses up close. I’ve made quite a few missteps and learned a lot along the way.
We’ve met with people as far down the supply chain as possible - fabric manufacturers, dyers and makers of the product. To us, it’s imperative to ensure we see first hand the craftsmanship and supply chain standards. The unseen parts of producing clothes are often more important as the ‘seen’ bits.
We are a small brand producing limited runs of our products, but even so, we want to tread as lightly as we can in the way we work with our suppliers, make and sell our pieces. We place a high value on premium fabrics produced without harmful pesticides or chemicals. If you want the details, here’s how that looks in practice for our launch collection (otherwise skip over these dot points!):
Our 100% organic cotton jersey fabric is knitted in Tamil Nadu, India. Our supplier is certified for OEKO-Tex Standard 100 (tested to be free from harmful chemicals), the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), and certified with Grade ‘A’ by the Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP) (for standards of ethics and industry best practices).
Our 97% organic cotton twill / 3% elastane blend is woven in Tamil Nadu, India. Our supplier is certified for the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). Its facility is 100% solar-powered.
Our pieces are stitched and sewn with in Jaipur, India. Our supplier is a SMETA 4-pillar member of Sedex. SMETA is an ethical trade audit that aims to safeguard workers and covers labour standards, health and safety, environmental performance and business ethics.
Throughout the process from idea to reality, at many times I’ve been impatient for things to move along more quickly, to launch the business sooner. Sometimes, you’ve just got to trust the process, right?
In July 2025, after years of working away behind the scenes, finally we were ready to launch On A Good Day with our first collection of pieces for short women. Small beginnings, but not without a good dash of adventure on the journey to day one.
In my small samplings of India, I’ve experienced sensory overload, tasted the most delicious food, met some of the kindest people. I’ve had my sense of the world expanded with every visit, and my place in it put into perspective (i.e. the world is abundant, and I’m just happy to be here).
But there is one place I will always return to, where we find our home away from home, where family belongs, and that is Goa. A land of family, colour, lush landscapes, a warm ocean, and susegad (look it up).
Here’s to adventure,
Gill Pereira is the founder of On A Good Day, an independent Australian clothing label for women up to 160 cm / 5’3”.