Designers’ stores step in to protect weavers

Thiruvananthapuram: As lockdown has confined everyone to their homes, one of the sectors that has been hit the worst is the handloom industry. To help the weavers overcome the crisis, a group of designer stores in the city has launched initiatives to rope them in to make products relevant to Covid times.
The stores have launched a variety of trendy, eco-friendly and ‘ayurveda’ masks made of handloom cloth to pique the interest of customers.
Maithri Srikant, founder and creative head of Vedhika Designer Fashion Store at Sasthamangalam, said there is a huge demand for designer masks with prints, lace and aplic-work.
“There are surplus stocks with weavers due to poor sales during Vishu festival. We decided to use the materials to make masks, which have a good demand during these days. All the masks are hand crafted with prices starting from Rs 40. Other than masks made of khadi and cotton, we are also selling ready-to-wear clothes such as skirts, kurthi, etc,” said Srikant.
Under the designer fashion store’s initiative christened ‘Samraksha’ (Protect the Wearer, Protect the Weaver) masks made of Kasuvu were distributed to the police department. Governor Arif Muhammed Khan handed over the Kasavu masks to the police personnel.
Besides lending a helping hand to weavers, the initiative is also providing alternative livelihood opportunities to over a hundred people who are involved in stitch these masks.
Weavers Village, is another clothing store in the city, which has launched a programme to support weavers and tribespeople by making masks from handloom materials. Its founder Sobha Vishwanath said the store has also launched ‘ayurvedic’ masks, which are made cotton clothes dyed with neem and other ayurvedic herbs.
“We source handloom materials from weavers at Balaramapuram. We have engaged tribal units in Vithura and Kattakada to stitch the masks. It took us one month of research to make the ayurvedic mask. These are eco-friendly reusable masks and it takes around one week to make them. Their price start from Rs 35. We are receiving bulk orders from across the country for these masks, said Sobha.
Raj Baiju, co-founder at Southloom.com, an online handloom store, said it is now focusing on contacting regular customers and requesting them to buy the unsold stocks to support the weavers. “The stocks bought during Vishu are piled up in the store. Making masks from that stock will not be feasible. Now, the weavers are pinning their hopes on Onam festival sales, but they are also wary of the floods. Our request to our customers to buy some products to help the weavers has received a positive response,” said Raj.
Southloom.com purchases handloom materials from weavers at Balaramapuram and Kuthampully.
“I have been making handloom clothes for the past 30 years and we all are facing a severe crisis now. No one is giving us a loan, as we cannot repay during such hard times. The products made for Vishu festival have not been sold and we are not able to procure raw materials to make new ones for Onam festival. We have more than 10,000 handloom workers in this village itself who have been rendered jobless. This year we did not get the contract for uniform clothes from the government. Sale of a few materials would be a great help now,” said Prakash K, a handloom weaver from Payattuvila, near Balaramapuram.