Of the women, by the women, for the women

KOCHI:  For artisans, craftspersons and weavers, Covid-19 and the ensuing lockdown was only a precursor of what lay ahead – a realisation that online is the way forward. The pandemic sounded the death knell for those exclusively dependant on offline markets, many artisans, especially women. That was, until SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association) connected them to a well-lit promenade.

Concurrently, sustainable clothing brand ‘Swara - Voice of Women’ began onboarding such women without having to travel to these geographies, which were primarily rural areas. Their latest collection ‘Dhaaga’, cotton saris handwoven by ‘wonder women’, is a result of the same.

Since its conception, Swara has been working in tandem with the women of Dungarpur, a village in Rajasthan. The brand was also characterised by its indigo-hued garments. “Until ‘Dhaaga’, we fundamentally focused on indigo. When we started working with the women of Dungarpur, we realised that the nearest source of hand printed material was a village named Akola. Abiding by our principles, we wanted to directly source from artisans who make the material.

Hence, we stepped a level up in the supply chain, certain about its ethical nature. We began associating with a small group of printers in Akola. Once we commenced with the indigo collection, people absolutely loved the concept. Eventually, our collections, centred around the colour,” says Asha Scaria, founder. ‘Dhaaga’ is their first range in colour. “The main reason we shifted to colour was because SEWA gave us direct access to woman weavers in West Bengal, who were creating multi-coloured garments.

They work from home and are extremely self-reliant throughout the entire process. All sarees in the collection – Ashmira, Monika, Rupali, Jyotsna, Anjali and Amrita  – are named after the woman weavers. They have fewer design elements. Sourced from them, the sarees were already in stock,” adds Asha. 
If Swara’s previous collection ‘BOLDage’ was about age inclusivity, ‘Dhaaga’ seeks to bring similar inclusiveness in terms of colour.

Released during the holiday season, Swara’s concept video of ‘Dhaaga’ showed the intrinsic nature of family ties and valuable connections that celebrated the holiday spirit, regardless of distance. One of the harbingers of slow fashion in 2018, Swara has always stood for ethical practices and sustainable income to women tailors - a direction that several other fashion brands had to shift to, owing to the consequences of the pandemic. Last year, Swara was also given a shoutout by actor Priyanka Chopra as part of her approach of supporting slow businesses.

You can check out ‘Dhaaga’ at Swara’s Instagram page @swaravow.