COCO BOMBAY

Who are you and where do you call home?

I am Dawn Schuster & I currently live between Mumbai & Tel Aviv.

Tell us about Coco Bombay and the artisans and organizations you work with!

Coco Bombay is an ethical, luxury clothing brand working tirelessly to empower & give opportunities to women rescued from sex trafficking in India. All garments are made by these special women & each piece purchased helps us to rehabilitate them & hire more women.

The concept of Coco Bombay is that of old India – the image is of sitting in a tropical garden sipping chai tea & watching the world go by. All fabrics are lovingly curated & are embroidered with special techniques from different parts of the country. Mirror work, sequins & threads embellish all collections. Each collection is made from a different fabric & all pieces are mix & match, so can be worn together in a perfectly eclectic way. I also will be sourcing unique one of a kind tribal jewelry & vintage items to add to a limited collection.

What are three words you would use to describe the women that wears your designs?

Eclectic, elegant, unique

Who and what inspires you?

The bright textiles, mystical music, incredible jewelry & beautiful artwork was a great inspiration to me. Despite the wonderful magic of India, I was also hit hard by the way that I saw many women being treated & the shocking statistics of sex trafficking. An estimated 14 million women & children in India are trafficked, & even if they escape they are often rejected by their families.

It was my love of magical India along with the desire to empower women that gave me the drive to create Coco Bombay.

What are you most proud of?

I am the most proud of the incredible women that I work with every day. Their determination to survive despite their horrific pasts gives me so much strength both in my business and personal life. Seeing light in their eyes when they had only experienced such darkness is incredible & it makes me strive to work harder & succeed. I hope to help many more of these women through Coco Bombay.

Your purpose in life…

To bring light to dark places.

The mantras you live by…

Noone is going to do it but you. You decide your own fate.
Ignore the fear, take risks! What’s the worst that can happen?

Who is your style icon?

Iris Apfel – if I am a quarter as stylist as her when I am 90 I will die happy!

One thing everyone should at least do once in their life.

Jump out of the tourist trails & develop real friendships with locals. Spend time in their homes & have real conversations. Only then can you understand that we are all connected.

What’s your vision for the future of your brand?

I hope to grow Coco Bombay & be able to employ more women across India. I would love to expand to other countries & use the beautiful fabrics in those places & help women there. I hope to continue making women feel beautiful in our clothes. I also would love to have a beautiful boutique with palm trees outside in a Portugese South Indian villa which will contain all my treasures & collections.