A Collaboration with the Tribal Weavers of Meghalaya
Who made our clothes, how was it made and where was it made?
A journey through the craft of hand weaving and the culture of the different tribes in the state of Meghalaya intrigued a love story with one of the most sustainable & strongest fibers known to man, Eri Silk a.k.a. Ryndia, and the tribal artisans of Meghalaya. The weavers are from diverse backgrounds and demography. The Hajong, Rabha, Koch & Garo tribes live in the Garo Hills whereas Jaintia and Khasi Tribes live in Jaintia and Khasi Hills respectively. Eri Silk is also called as Peace silk or Ahimsa Silk, as the silk worms are not harmed during the cocoon extraction process.
Post COVID, in 2020-21 Jeet was introduced to the crafty terrain in the North East of India through a Delhi based NGO. An intention and vision to work towards social entrepreneurship, preservation of local crafts and strive to make hand weaving as a sustainable profession of the weavers of Meghalaya, thus serving the craft culture as a whole.
All starts from identification of weavers' clusters across the region which follows a centralized training at a facility in Shillong, where tribal artisans from all over Meghalaya come to improve their weaving skills and learn new design techniques on modern handlooms along with other vocational skills like management and team work. Post training begins the journey of establishing a market value for the co-designed handcrafted products.
"I love to create as a collective, working as a team for the benefit of the all.
I feel blessed & grateful to be a contributor and collaborator in this mission."
We invite all designers, artists, artisans, creators and curators from all over the globe to co-design & collaborate with the amazing artisans co-creating handcrafted artisanal textiles, slow and sustainable, building beautiful stories of craftmanship. We use natural fibers like Eri Silk, Linen, Khadi cotton and Wool; that are naturally dyed with locally available dye plants & materials.
Addressing the Problem
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Traditional handloom technology that poses limitation in the size and quality of the end product/ fabric produced.
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Artisans live in remote areas of Meghalaya, thus being hugely dependent on the local suppliers for yarns, tools & equipment.
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Fast fashion and machine made cheap synthetic knock offs pose a threat to the existence of handlooms and hand woven fabrics.
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Artisans have started to use synthetic fibers in order to lower their costs and compete with the mass produced machine made goods.
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Younger generations are reluctant to learn and take weaving as a serious profession due to less earnings from the craft.
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Most artisans have a poor educational background and can only speak in their native tribal language.
Intention for Solution
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Upskilling and training artisans on new age handlooms, tools and weaving equipment, in order to improve productivity and product quality.
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Artisans are to be linked with domestic reputed yarns mills and suppliers, so that they can procure the best quality of raw materials.
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Increasing the awareness about handmade and handwoven artistic textiles. Who made your clothes? How was it made? Where was it made?
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Encourage artisans towards self sustainability through sericulture and cultivate dye plants/ materials in their locality.
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Implement modern marketing strategies to achieve a global market linkage with craft appreciators and experiencers.
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Weaver community building
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A collaborative jaunt toward sustainable and ethical fashion with holistic mentorship.
Meet the artisans of Meghalaya
Weavers of South Garo Hills
Weavers of North Garo Hills
Weavers of East Khasi Hills
Collaborate with us and help support the local weaving communities.
Happy to hear from you!
Jeet Gupta
Whatsapp: +91 9833484181
Instagram: @shly_dyes
Email: shlydyes@gmail.com