Hello and welcome back dear Chaibuddies!
A happy Valentine's day to all of you. I suppose you all are enjoying the love in the air with a chuski of chai, sitting on your chair. Or you it can be a sip of coffee, juice, etc. etc.
All the brews are much welcome on board.
In today's blog, we will look into an interesting topic. We will share about some social enterprises from India, who work in the fashion sector and are playing a big role in the society, by contributing to either provide employment opportunities in this sector especially to women or revive & sustain Indian fabrics. February is not just a month of love and Valentines. 14th of February is also known as Black day in India since the Pulwama attack on 14th of February, 2019. February is also the month of celebrating artists and their crafts. Surajkund Crafts fair is celebrated at Surajkund, within the district of Faridabad, in the state of Haryana in India; every year in February. It is a celebration of Indian folk traditions and cultural heritage. In this fair one can see the richness, and diversity of handicrafts, handlooms, and cultural fabric of India. It is one of the most famous and celebrated fairs in India. Another is the popular Kala Ghoda festival which is a popular arts festival in India held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The festival grounds brings together artists and creators from diverse genres together on the same ground. Also, February is the month where on 27th of Feb, the world celebrates World NGO day.
So indeed, February is a great month to host this content as a tribute to social enterprises who use fashion, art and heritage to create a positive impact on the society. Let's begin.
1. Bunavat
Bunavat says: Welcome to the Indian weaves. This social enterprise from Haryana sought to organise the weavers together and promote their business. Bunavat stands for integrity, authenticity and transparency; and Fair Trade for the weaver community is one of the core focus of Bunavat. Bunavat believes in fashion statements which is timeless. And they deem the Indian weaves to capture this timeless concept most appropriately. They are a for-profit social enterprise. Their dedicated team explores various weaver clusters throughout the length and depth of India to curate their products which are primarily cotton based, hand spun or handwoven. They do not deal with synthetics and are very particular about the quality they procure.
Since they want Bunavat to be a household name, they are very conscious about the price and affordability factor for consumers. Also they make sure to pick relevant designs and contemporary hues which can be a part of your everyday wardrobe. Unlike some players in this segment, they do not price their products too high just because of its rich heritage factor. Additionally, to ensure consumer engagement and enhance consumer information about product quality & ensuring transparency, they document their curators' journeys through various weavers clusters across India and share them through their blogs. Check out their collection on their website:
https://bunavat.com/2. I was a sari
There is wealth in waste indeed - if one knows how to harness it. India generates approx. up to 7800 kilotons of textile waste annually of which about 50% is from the Indian consumers in the form of post-consumption wastage of clothes. Imagine if one could recycle this waste! I was a Sari puts this imagination into action. Born in Mumbai in 2013, the mission of this enterprise is to upcycle old saaris and dead garment stocks into diverse fashionable items and export them globally from Milan to Manhattan. Their contribution towards the circular economy garnered global attention notably from GUCCI. They received recognition & award in The Green carpet fashion awards for their work. Apart from their role in waste management and conservation, their important contribution towards the society is providing employment opportunities to artisans and women from un-privileged backgrounds. As they state - they believe in and provide second chance in life. Check out their merch here:
https://iwasasari.com/shop/
3. Eco tasar
India is a land of several tribal clusters. And each of these tribes have their own art and fashion design style. Eco Tasar is a social enterprise who works primarily engaging these tribal families from across India bringing them together as part of a large organised family. As an enterprise, Eco Tasar works in producing handmade handwoven artisanal textiles with natural fibers like Tasar silk, linen, cotton and wool, and styling them into exquisite and elegant products for the discerning buyer. Their products are sustainable, involving almost zero carbon footprint production processes, which is a very crucial factor in textile production. They are associated with brands like FabIndia, WEST ELM, 10 DAYS, Century 21, CAPSICUM, The Mat, Rejuvenation, Nalli, Pothys for sale of their products. But you can check out their products and purchase directly from them too here:
https://www.ecotasar.com/ . They have two separate segments for home decor items and saaris. Their mission is: "creating large-scale wage opportunities for tribal producers of silk cocoons, women yarn makers, weavers, and other small producers, artisans, and service providers in our textiles value chain using a sustainable and fair business model".
4. Rangsutra
Since 2006, RangSutra has been providing excellent marketing linkages to rural artisans to bring the colourful creation of rural India to the urban and global landscapes. It is a community owned company, striving to provide employment primarily to women artisans from rural India. They were among the first social enterprises in the country to operate with their business model in this sector of empowering women. They specialize in leveraging on traditional craft, skills of hand embroidery, handloom, and pit loom weaving to create contemporary products. They are very particular about the quality of their products and ensure that each creation reflects authenticity of the Indian culture. Check out their creations here:
https://rangsutra.com/.
5. Fitbird.in
North eastern zone of India is mysterious yet mesmerizing. It is culturally the most diverse places in the world as per
times of India. Home to many tribes, the people of Northeast India are quite hospitable. Unless you mess with their motherland and ego. The Mughals could never successfully invade or conquer the North east India under the brave & mighty Ahom rulers. And thankfully it's wildlife diversity is intact too. One can spot several endangered species here in Northeast India. The tribal people take inspiration from nature for their creations. And so, the art of Northeast is worth preserving. With this vision in mind, to support the artisans and weavers based in Tripura through market connections; skill training and education, Fitbird was started by Lovely Baruah. Check out the mystery of Northeast through Fitbird here:
https://fitbird.in/shop/ .
So, my chaibuddies, here is 5 social enterprises in Indian fashion segment who are creating a huge impact at grass root level through their work.
Do you know about other such social enterprises? Leave a comment with their link and they can be in our upcoming editions.
That's it for now. I will see you in my upcoming blogs. Till then, take care. Stay safe.
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