This fashion label is out to ensure fair wages and ethical production

Travelling can stoke new experiences and strengthen one’s perception of diversity in the world. Unfamiliar terrains, colourful city landscapes, thriving cultures and their native languages make one richer in terms of perspective. For Tholi Sandhya, an avid traveller and the co-founder of Hyderabad-based startup Inde’ Loom, every voyage has been a learning, an opportunity to have a wider world view. It was during one such expedition a few years ago that she discovered the grinding realities of the life of Indian artisans and, since then, made it her mission to empower them.

Artisans are major contributors in India’s non-farm rural economy. While the global market for art and craft is expanding, India’s rich cultural heritage and its enormous potential in this sector have remained largely untapped. The reasons are several – from illiteracy to declining skills and exploitation by middlemen to difficulty in catering to new markets.

Tholi Sandhya, co-founder, Inde’ Loom, handles offline sales and client interaction.

Talking of her experience, Sandhya says, "I met with different artisans and weavers in the interiors of Northeast India, Kashmir, West Bengal, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, saw their craft, and the effort they put into it. But I was appalled when I saw their living conditions. I spoke with them and realised that they were paid 50 percent lesser than the standard wages. For instance, in Kashmir, for a unique embroidery work in a pashmina shawl that requires woven expertise and precision, they were not even getting Rs 200 as wages per day. And many of them were exploited by middlemen who bought the products at a cheap rate but sold them for a bomb. For these artisans, their art is their sole source of livelihood. That's when the thought of establishing a Maker-to-Market Fair Trade handloom collective crossed my mind and I discussed the idea with my business partner, Suren Chowdhary.”