Saheli Women – Treading a sustainable Road to Empowerment

When one talks about fashion's sustainability, the focus naturally comes on the impact that industries have on the planet. It is important that one doesn't abandon the cloth makers out of this discussion

The age-old skills which used to exist earlier were not acquired by the present generation. Since the next generation did not learn these skills, Vaishnav started the women of the new generation on the craft of beautiful stitching

Talks of sustainability are often brought up to the table in present times. From the environment to the various industries, the concern towards sustainable execution of the involved activities has been very high. The Fashion industry is yet another industry which uses various raw materials and natural and man-made chemicals. Thus, the aspect of sustainability exists in terms of the fashion industry too. It is one of the largest industries in the world and employs a major section of the society. From the small-scale fashion collectives to the brands manufacturing for the red carpets, sustainability and empowerment towards women has been two aspects that these industries have been fulfilling.

When one talks about fashion's sustainability, the focus naturally comes on the impact that industries have on the planet. It is important that one doesn't abandon the cloth makers out of this discussion. According to the founder of Saheli Women, Madhu Vaishnav, the idea of sustainability means caring about nature while also caring about people.

It was the year 2015 when Madhu Vaishnav gave birth to her baby called Saheli Women, a non-profit social enterprise. This project was born as an effort to revive traditional embroidery techniques which were starting to disappear from fashion. In addition, it was also a way to provide income sources to local women of rural Rajasthan. It is an all-female artisan collective in the village of Bhikamkor, rural Rajasthan.

Vaishnav recognised the plight of women in the villages. People of the villages, especially in the desert villages of Rajasthan were constantly suffering from poverty. Economic opportunities in the region were limited which forbade the women from finding ways to empower themselves. Vaishnav wanted to help the women in this matter and decided to train and empower them. The age-old skills which used to exist earlier were not acquired by the present generation. Since the next generation did not learn these skills, Vaishnav started the women of the new generationon the craft of beautiful stitching.

Saheli, which, in Hindi, means female friend, started with just five women. Presently the group consists of more than 50 artisans working together. Women from the group say that Saheli is more like a family than just a community. They expressed that they share both their problems and happiness.

The embroidery manager, Shobha Harijan asserts that Saheli changed her life. Her husband suddenly embraced death in the year 2012. It is the non-profit collective who changed her and her family's situation. She says, "After joining the centre and earning my own money, it's changed mine and my family's situation a lot." Along with Shobha, all the women in the group take pride in the work, which are all done by hand.

At its onset, the collective focused more on accessories. After that they partnered with brands which were producing various segments of garments. In 2015, they partnered with their first brand, Zazi Vintage, which was an Amsterdam-based brand. The brand's founder, Jeanne de Kroon, and Madhu Vaishnav were connected through a friend. This collaboration was an amazing experience for both the parties. Jeanne visited Madhu's home in Bhikamkor and both decided to create something collaboratively. They drew a dress and took it to Madhu's master tailor.

The same project at present still continues to play an important role in Zazi Vintage's designs. Their latest SS21 collection which was labeled as Healing Colours also had contributions by Saheli. This collection highlighted the importance of natural dyeing processes. According to De Kroon, it was through Saheli Woman that they discovered two amazing sisters who run a slow fashion brand. The brand's name is Akane. The two women collect waste flowers and pigments from temples in the morning, which they use in the production of natural dye. They dyed some of the hand-woven silks which were later stitched by Saheli Women.

Vaishnav carried on her journey and also worked with local dyers from her own community. A tie-dyer once visited Madhu's house and worked with her and her assistant. One important aspect of the movement of Saheli Women is about translating the cultures of these communities of women in different empowering ways.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Saheli Women and the brands associated with them had to undergo crisis like most other.s Billions of dollars' worth of orders were cancelled by some of their major retailers as a result of the pandemic. In the work culture of Saheli Women, the women work in their homes, execute the embroidery in their home and produce the fabric. Saheli Women work mostly with slow-fashion brands and believes in the idea that they don't need fancy offices or platforms to go about their craft.

The efforts of Saheli Women also helped the women battle the pandemic crisis. When family members suffered from the virus and had to meet high amount of medical expenses, the women working with Saheli Women could afford it with the money that they earned through Saheli Women.

These stories inspire the notion of the present-day necessity for sustainable fashion. According to Vaishnav, the idea of sustainable is to be able to tackle moments of crisis like the pandemic, surviving it and being able to avail the health services for themselves and their family.

Saheli Women have been teaching income-generating skills to women of their communities and empowering them for a long time now. Their journey and initiatives inspire women from various other communities of the nation to embrace their traditional skills and individuality to sustain in this world.

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