Justice for everyday luxury

Having a new collection launch in the middle of an unforgiving pandemic when users of social networks are dedicating posts to artisan charities may seem ill timed Deciding to buy a saree from that collection can feel more inappropriate than pleasurable But then Ramesh Menon founder of Save The Loom was always more interested in questioning the system than following itKeralabased socialimpact agency Save The Loomrsquos strategy has been to hook people on to sustainability forever not as per occasion Its inclusive business framework focuses on ethical craftsmanship and production and everyone reaping the financial benefits of sustainable practices He thinks ldquoThe need of the hour is not to promote handlooms for a charitable project All they weavers ask for is dignity and fair wagesrdquoShyla NS 50 learned the skill from a master weaver but gave it up after marriage An expert at the jacquard weave she returned to the loom as part of the 30women collective behind the Vidhi collectionSo his decision to launch Vidhi a range of handwoven cotton sarees and fabric yardage during the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic was both in character and astute It is a way to direct attention to Save The Loom which was launched post the floods that ravaged Kerala in 2018 to revive restore and reform the handloom and handwoven textiles sector ldquoFor us the Kerala floods were a benchmark to relook at the systems in a different wayrdquo says MenonThe lessons came quick and thick First to arrive at the real picture The clusters around Kochi had close to 6000 weavers until a few years ago Less than 400mdashwomen make up 96 per cent of this workforcemdashpractice the craft today When Save The Loom approached Oodum Paavum Self Help Group in Peruvemba village Palakkad for Vidhi they discovered that a 30women strong collective in that village had turned away from the craftLeft to right To ensure the sarees address the market needs Ramesh Menon spoke to young lawyers like Pooja Menon Haritha Jayan Paravthy Kottol Santhi Mayadevi Bhairavi SN and Meirra R EzhapillyIn order to empower the skills of rural artisans Kerala Tourism and the Department of Culture had trained 30 young artisans and allied workers to form a selfhelp group The threemonth training involved cataloguing weaving and natural dyeing techniques ldquoA stipend was offered as bonus to learn a new skill but once the training was over the group gave it up There was neither demand nor moneyrdquoMenon was able to bring this group back to the loom and Vidhirsquos sarees were also hemmed and finished by members of this collective ldquoWe are committed to finding them a regular source of work and offer management inputs to produce export quality handwoven textilesrdquo he saysNext on the agenda was a market check The audience for Kerala textiles consisted largely of Malayali clients and they shopped only during local festivals like Makar Sankranti and Onam The term kasavu which is used for offwhite cotton from Kerala marked by a gold threaded border Menon explains refers to the zari whose use is limited to celebrations ldquoIt was important to get out of the emotional space and ask the question how do you craft a Kerala textile that speaks in a different way to the customerrdquoThe Vidhi collection was inspired by the late KK Usha the first female judge of the Kerala High Court and founding patron of Save The Loom In a symbolic ode to her profession itrsquos a melange of sophisticated black white and grey ldquoTheir lawyers uniform is a sacrosanct space a symbol of dignity honour wisdom and justice Each of the designs in the collection is named after a luminary woman judge as a tribute and carries a tag highlighting her contribution to the professionrdquo When speaking to those who frequented the Kerala High Court Menon found out that young women lawyers preferred the ease of salwarkameez over sarees on a day at work The stuffiness of a starched saree combined with humid weather and long hours made it a cumbersome option ldquoA starched saree is difficult to manoeuvre and maintain on a daily basis Most lawyers and judges I know have a laundry on speed dialrdquo laughs Menon Experiments with finer counts resulted in more yarn per inch leading not only to a cotton with better absorption properties but one that weighed 300 gms less making it 25 per cent lighter and breathable than the usual fine cotton sarees Multiple interventions on the loom allowed a quick 30minute wash dry and reuse routine for regular wear ldquoSome sarees are also reversible designs with dual pallus so you donrsquot need to run home to change if you have postwork plansrdquo Menon saysTo attain the suppleness that commonly comes after a few washes postpurchase Save The Loom collaborated with a 300yearold dhobi ghat called Dhobi Khana in Fort Kochi ldquoThe washerfolk were relocated to Fort Kochi from Tamil Nadu and employed by the Dutch army to wash and iron their uniforms back in the dayrdquo Menon shares ldquoPresently there are 40 direct descendants left in the family who practice handwashing and use of charcoal iron They have now become an integral part of our creative chainrdquoMenon hopes this and upcoming collections elevate handlooms to the status of everyday luxury turning the conversation to the dignity of working with your hands ldquoHow is a woman weaverrsquos job any less dignified than that of a doctor or engineerrdquoCheck out the saree collection at Instagramcomsavetheloomstore