In 2000, when Linda Augustsson arrived in New Delhi from Sweden, she thought she would be staying for a year. She had been sent by Swedish retailer Lindex to establish a production office, with another assignment in China expected to follow. But what she did not anticipate was how India would change the course of her professional — and personal — life.
Towards the end of that year, a friend she had made at the gym invited her for a meal with someone he described as his Russian friend. Augustsson was initially reluctant but eventually agreed. And the supposed Russian turned out to be a Danish man named Michael, who would later become her husband. “It’s like a Bollywood movie, right? Made in India, of course,” she laughs.
A year later, when Lindex subsequently proposed moving her to Shanghai, Augustsson had a decision to make. “I wasn’t ready to leave because I loved India and I’d been working so much that year that I barely got to see much of it,” she recalls.
She turned down the transfer, choosing instead to remain in Delhi. What followed was the beginning of a relationship with India that would shape not only her personal life, but also her understanding of craftsmanship and luxury.
Today, Augustsson is the founder and creative director of Scarlett Poppies, a Dubai-based fashion label that marries Scandinavian silhouettes with Indian craftsmanship. But the story of how it came into being begins long before the brand itself.
Where two worlds meet
Growing up in Sweden, Augustsson was always drawn to creating things with her hands. While her twin sister preferred sports, she spent hours drawing and sewing, eventually making wedding dresses for customers she met while working at a fabric store to help finance her university education. “So, little by little, it all came together. It’s not random that I’m sitting here today,” she adds.
After leaving Lindex, she began freelancing as a designer for Indian exporters supplying Scandinavian retailers. A chance meeting with a French importer at a factory eventually led her to establish Continuum Buying Agency in 2002, connecting international fashion brands with Indian manufacturers. “I saw back then, in 2002, that there was a huge need in the market for someone to be the bridge between two cultures,” she recalls.
Her approach was to take the clean, understated silhouettes associated with Scandinavian fashion and introduce the embroidery and artisanal techniques she was discovering in India.
Over the years, Continuum grew into an international business, working with brands including Inditex, Anthropologie, Free People and Urban Outfitters. Today, it employs around 80 people in India, several of whom have worked alongside Augustsson for 15 to 20 years.
Yet, despite the success, something continued to trouble her. Having spent years designing for international retailers, she had witnessed how beautiful craftsmanship was often compromised to meet commercial price points. “I’d always been behind the scenes of a lot of other brands, designing for them. It came to a point where I wanted to do something that was truly my own, without being in a situation where I had to remove these French knots because they didn’t fit into the price. I just wanted to retain the beauty of the design.”
There was another motivation, too. Augustsson wanted to help preserve the skills of Indian artisans, many of whom were working in an industry increasingly driven by lower prices and larger volumes. “I also wanted to contribute towards creating a structure that would help sustain their unique craftsmanship skills for future generations in India. I saw that the manufacturing mindset was to do everything cheap, cheap, cheap, and in large volumes. No craftsman has ever survived in that mindset.”
It was this philosophy that eventually inspired Scarlett Poppies, which she established in Dubai in 2019, three years after relocating to the emirate following a decade in Kazakhstan. The label’s identity, she says, is rooted in the meeting of different cultures. “Natural fabrics and intricate handwork come together in our garments, which are designed to transcend trends,” she says. “I’d like a woman to be able to transition age-wise as well. She buys Scarlett Poppies when she’s 35 and she should be able to wear that dress when she’s 45.”
Today, Scarlett Poppies is sold through approximately 350 stores worldwide, with India remaining central to its design and manufacturing process.
A connection beyond fashion
Having spent more than 26 years living in and working closely with India, Augustsson’s connection to the country extends well beyond its textile industry. Diwali, in particular, has become one of the celebrations she looks forward to every year. “Diwali has been part of my life for more than 26 years and it remains one of the celebrations I look forward to most. Not only because it is beautiful but because of the way it brings people together,” she says. “What has always fascinated me about Diwali is how inclusive the celebrations are, bringing people together regardless of religion or background.”
For more than a decade, the festival has also been celebrated at Continuum’s office in India, where employees begin their day creating rangolis and floral arrangements, before dressing in traditional attire and gathering for entertainment and of course, an Indian buffet. “These are moments I truly treasure and traditions I hope we’ll continue for many years to come.”
Living in India has also transformed Augustsson’s relationship with colour. Coming from Sweden, where design often favours restraint, she was fascinated by the confidence with which Indians embrace vibrant shades and unexpected combinations. “India has a confidence with colour that I find incredibly inspiring. The combinations are often unexpected, yet somehow completely natural. Whether in textiles, architecture, flowers or everyday life, colour is everywhere and it’s celebrated rather than feared.”
That influence is evident in Scarlett Poppies, although interpreted through her Scandinavian sensibility. For festive dressing, Augustsson is particularly drawn to delicate hand embroidery, intricate cutwork, fine chanderi and beautifully woven silks. Yet, she believes luxury need not necessarily mean elaborate silhouettes or heavy embellishments. “For festive dressing, I personally love the contrast between an understated silhouette and exceptional craftsmanship. A little hand embroidery, thoughtfully placed, can be far more striking than an entirely embellished garment.”
It’s a philosophy that also lies at the heart of her label. “My Scandinavian roots have taught me to appreciate restraint, while India has taught me the beauty of detail,” she adds.
Giving Indian craftsmanship its due
While Augustsson’s appreciation for Indian textiles is deeply personal, she’s equally passionate about how the country’s craftsmanship should be recognised internationally. As conversations around cultural appropriation continue to shape the fashion industry, she believes the distinction between inspiration and exploitation often comes down to giving credit where it’s due. “I believe that it’s wrong when it becomes an ‘in thing’ for the season and you take advantage of what a culture can give you for one specific item, for your own benefit and profit, without actually giving it the voice that it deserves.”
She points to a practice within the luxury industry where intricately embroidered garment panels are produced in India before being sent to Italy for final assembly. “Indian embroidery can involve hundreds of hours of work, and the majority of the work in the piece is Indian, but it doesn’t get any kind of recognition at all. That, to me, is wrong.”
For Augustsson, there’s never been any reason to conceal where her own garments are made. “Sometimes when I’m at a trade show, stores come and ask where we produce. And I say, ‘We produce in incredible India.’ And they say, ‘Oh, India? That’s not good.’ I’m gladly taking up that conversation because I know today what India is capable of doing.”
It’s also why she hopes to eventually introduce QR codes on some of Scarlett Poppies’ intricately embellished jackets, allowing customers to see the craftsmanship behind their creation. “When you buy Scarlett Poppies, you buy into two worlds: Scandinavian clarity and Indian mastery. We’re dependent on each other.”
More than two decades after arriving in Delhi for what was supposed to be a temporary assignment, Augustsson continues to travel frequently to India, working with the artisans and teams who’ve helped shape her career.
And while her journey has taken her from Sweden to India, through Kazakhstan and eventually to Dubai, her appreciation for the country that changed her life remains unshakable. “I built this with the help of India. Scarlett Poppies wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have access to some of the best artisans, some of the best teams in India.”
Source: Khaleej Times