Designer Mina Robertson Takes on Sustainable Fashion with label Haveli

“I was very spiritually open,” recalls Mina Robertson of her pivotal second-to-last day during her trip to India in September 2019. She was in the small northern village of Nirali, making her descent from the steep granite mountain. At that moment, she experienced Shakti — the female energy responsible for creating, maintaining, and destroying the universe in the Hindu faith. Her metaphysical experience gave her clarity, and “the name, the logo, the purpose – everything came together. I started putting together a Pinterest board and scribbling everything down, and the idea for ‘Haveli’ came to being,” she said. 

Haveli is a clothing and lifestyle brand consciously invested in celebrating and paying homage to the cultures that inspire the marque pieces and are integral in producing where the techniques originated. Haveli combines traditional methods with a sustainability ethos, celebrating and preserving artisanal craft by creating timeless pieces. The collection includes tops, jumpsuits, dresses, and suits in relaxed silhouettes ranging in various colors and expressive patterns. Each piece is hand-dyed and handmade in Jaipur, India, from natural fibers. Channeling easy elegance and divine femininity, this women’s luxury brand offers an inclusive size range, “[Haveli is] about honoring who you are, exactly as you are. We are not trying to change or modify, tuck in, suck in, or cinch in. We are just enhancing and embracing you. We see you first. Our purpose is to foster a deeper connection to the divinity within and around us, so inclusivity, celebrating and representing beauty in all forms is paramount.”

Robertson was always interested in fashion. When she was just 13 years old, she started styling and writing pieces as an intern for the Jamaica Style Observer. During high school, she was briefly interested in a career in policy creation and economics. However, she took a different direction, completing her Bachelor’s in Business Strategy and Fashion Communications at the ESMOD/ISEM fashion school in Paris. She did an internship with Studio 189 in Accra, Ghana, and their mission of using fashion as an agent for social change resonated with her.

Disenchanted by the fashion industry and its negative environmental and social impact, Robertson wanted Haveli to be “sustainably created, mindfully created, and eliminating as much waste as possible.” She also wants Haveli to diverge from the exclusionary branding common in “luxury fashion”. The fashion industry is a major pollutant; most products are non-biodegradable, and the creation of synthetic fibers like polyester and the use of commercial dyes release harmful toxic gases. Synthetic fibers increase our dependency on oil. Not only do final products and bi-product materials end up in landfills and stay for hundreds of years, but the dyes also enter the waterways of marginalized communities in South East Asia, where the majority of clothing giants build their factories. 

Instead, Haveli produces in small quantities by family-run workshops in India, “When I think about sustainability, I think about it in terms of two interrelated factors – the earth and its inhabitants. At ‘Haveli’, we’re focussed on creating “legacy fashion”; we’re conscious of the impact we are making on our environment, but also on the communities in which we operate. Using natural and non-toxic dyes and fixatives is very important for us. If I’m not comfortable dipping my hand in it, we won’t use it,” says Robertson.

Haveli’s legacy is to have a positive impact and ensure creators are fairly compensated. Through her efforts, Robertson also wants to encourage community development through artisanal production. She recently founded the Thicketts Collective and launched the Equity Bracelets Initiative. The start-up is run by eight women from the Thicketts Community of Discovery Bay, St. Ann, and all profits are reinvested into the growth of their business. In keeping with Haveli’s environmentally sustainable practices, each bracelet is made from 100% biodegradable cotton, natural dyes, natural wax, and adorned with a gold-plated charm embossed with an Adinkra symbol. This West African symbol represents powerful aphorism that imparts traditional wisdom. 

“We are working towards raising capital to have [the Thickets Collective] be a supplier of handmade crafts in Jamaica. I’d like to provide as much support to the Collective as possible; be it through marketing, finding suppliers, or advising on strategy so that it can grow to become a fully independent, self-sustaining business owned by the women of the community,” says Robertson. “I want to help a generation of craft. Not just the physical making of it, but the creative entrepreneurship that I think is so special and unique to Jamaica. We have an entrepreneurial spirit.” 

Sustainable fashion is not only about the ecological impact of its production, but also its distribution. Mindful of the environmental effects on distribution methods, Robertson is working towards making shipping more efficient, and she uses recycled paper and recycled paper bags for packaging. “When I think about the material, I think – what’s the impact? How is it created? It’s a flow line of the production cycle. I think of the full life of the garment and closing the cycle of it,” expresses Robertson.

Like most businesses, Haveli was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, because they produce in a family-run workshop, they were able to continue production in the backyards of the team. “Interestingly, our model proved to be the more sustainable way. It is all hand-done, and our team was able to dye in the backyard as we always did,” says Robertson. “Our collective consciousness has risen, and so people, especially during the Christmas season (2020), wanted to support purpose-driven brands whose values aligned with theirs. They wanted to shop local, etc., [and] wanted to shop female entrepreneur and sustainable business.” 

With a promising future ahead, Robertson intends to expand her product offering and “explore different production practices and regions. I do want to connect to more elements of my heritage and introduce the brand to new places. I want the message to resonate,” she explains. “I believe very strongly in what our purpose is, and I want to share that as much as possible, as widely as possible.”