Holi Hai! A Festival of Color Celebrating the Women of India

On March 5, 2026, join Ibu in Charleston, SC, for Holi Hai!—our International Women’s Day Gala—a dazzling night of fashion, food, and festivity celebrating India’s women artisans. 

Enjoy Indian-inspired cuisine, live entertainment, and a colorful runway of handcrafted designs, while honoring our 2026 Global Champions: Arushi Chowdhury Khanna, Mamta Varma, and Anita Reddy. 

Raise your paddle, ignite futures, and celebrate the fierce determination of women worldwide.

DETAILS

When: Thursday, March 5

Time: doors open at 6pm

Where: Festival Hall, 56 Beaufain Street, Charleston, SC

Co-chaired by Mosmi Patel and Sandra Smith 

WOMEN IN INDIA MINI SUMMIT

Presented by the Wayne & Alicia Gregory Family Foundation, Ibu will host a four-session summit on the morning of March 5, which will be held at the Charleston Library Society, featuring celebrated global leaders on the topics of culture and heritage, artisan design and impact, and women leaders around the country. Attendees will have an opportunity to engage with the speakers through Q&A sessions at the end of each presentation, and will be able to shop work from each of the speakers at the Ibu Showroom following the presentations.

DETAILS

When: Thursday, March 5

Time: 9am - 1pm

Where: Charleston Library Society, 164 King Street

Speakers include:

  • Veda Patel, a junior at Ashley Hall, will speak about her great-grandmother’s participation in Gandhi’s Swadeshi Movement
  • Arushi Chowdhury Khanna (LoomKatha, Aurangabad), Mamta Varma (Bhairvi’s Chikan, Lucknow), and Anita Reddy (Dwaraka Plus, Bangalore) will discuss the process of preserving heritage craft and the impact on women artisans earning a living wage, in a conversation moderated by Ibu founder, Susan Hull Walker.
  • Internationally-acclaimed artist Spandita Malik will present her work, which combines photography, textiles, and social practice, and explores gender, authority, and representation.
  • Shimna Sameer, managing director, head of products, solutions and platforms at Bank of America Private Bank, in conversation with Deniz Roth, Ibu director of design, will discuss design collaboration with artisan partners as part of the SpringBOArd Ibu Atelier program.

Holi Hai! Presenting Sponsor

PREMIER PARTNER

CHIKANKARI CHAMPION RUNWAY SPONSORS

ARTISAN JOURNEY PARTNER

EVENT PARTNERS

About ibu

Global Fashion marketplace

Providing a marketplace for women's artisanal goods is our most effective tool for elevating women out of poverty and into a position of sovereignty over their lives.

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ARTISAN PARTNERS

A small team in Charleston, SC, Ibu collaborates with over 100 women's groups in 40 countries,providing living wages, and because of that, also self-respect, a voice in their communities, and food for their families.

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CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS

We respond to the needs of women’s artisan communities through our grants program, thereby strengthening their internal capacity to grow into self-sufficiency.

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