This story is an incredible celebration in and of itself. But there’s a story behind this story—it’s the story of how high-quality craftsmanship in India found its way to New Zealand Fashion Week and western wardrobes all over the South Pacific. It’s the story of Holi Boli’s partnership with the New Zealand-based non-profit creative agency, Vine Design.

Vine Design embodies a vision its Founder and graphic designer Matt Watson had years ago to raise the profiles of Christian-based, non-profit organisations who do incredible work but lack the resources to give themselves a platform.

“Vine Design has shifted us into a whole new gear,” Ana says. “I call it ‘Matt Magic’. Before Vine Design came along, we were doing the best we could. Being a small business, just me and my husband, we wore all the hats. We did the best we could with what we had. Now, our branding and online presence are world-class. It has just lifted us to a whole new level.”

Holi Boli is precisely the kind of organisation Vine Design loves to champion. Grassroots, people-focused, dedicated to craftsmanship and quality—but lacking the expertise to make the world sit up and take notice.

“The branding and creative work Vine Design has done for us has definitely opened doors and helped us be more noticed and get more coverage,” Ana says. “Because of Vine’s help, it put Holi Boli on a world platform with a high-quality website, which drove sales in NZ, enabled us to get into brick-and-mortar stores, and meant we could pay people like Sunita a decent wage. Vine’s work has changed Sunita’s life.”

Matt Watson runs Vine Design together with his wife, Liz, and a small team of creatives including an illustrator, filmmaker, and copywriter, and says it’s partnerships like Holi Boli's that Vine lives for.

“We see organisations doing incredible work, producing amazing products and changing people’s lives, but the world doesn’t see them—and they deserve to be seen. There are so many non-profits battling away on their business plan, doing the hard yards, crafting amazing products, but their branding and online presence can’t match it. I’m not sure how many non-profits realise that their website is like their shop window—if it doesn’t grab people’s attention, they’ll walk right by, and that’s devastating for the people who need to benefit from their work.”

That vision defines how Vine Design presents itself on its website, with clean lines and gripping imagery.

“We have our own story to tell,” Matt says. “It’s hard talking about ourselves because our mission is to give voice to other people’s work, but our work is important. We made Vine a non-profit because we wanted to make high-quality design available to non-profits that genuinely can’t afford it. Often we charge the bare minimum; in many cases, we charge nothing.

Vine’s model of providing high-quality creative content for a fraction of market value sets it apart from other creative agencies, and is a particular drawcard for donors who have a heart for the creative space.

They can give to Vine Design and know their donation will be multiplied to give voice to any number of incredible organisations at once,” Matt says. “Their support goes toward a new website, a fundraising video, a magazine photoshoot, a complete rebrand—anything and everything.”

Some of those recipients include Holi Boli, The Loyal Workshop, Yafe, Joyya and the Freedom Business Alliance (including the design of this lovely magazine you’re now reading).

“It’s an absolute privilege and honour to work with these incredible organisations and the amazing people they represent,” Matt says. “I love that Vine gets to partner with non-profits all over the globe bringing freedom to those in the margins. I love that our design work plays a part in liberating and empowering people all over the world.”

We said there was a story behind the story, and Vine’s impact has been huge for Holi Boli's growth and reputation, but it’s the first story that’s the most important.

Because somewhere in east India, there’s a smiling mother who loves her work and has a son she never thought possible; a mother who is creating change for the next generations of her family, because “Holi Boli got its story out there.”