The Baksa Project

Ethical Fashion

Picking up the threads: How we can help sustain artisan communities in the absence of craft markets in a post-pandemic world

Crafts, Ethical Fashion, Vocal for Local8

Includes a list of websites to buy from and funds to donate to.

One of my life’s earliest memories is of this little cantonment town named Nasirabad in Rajasthan. In the year 1995, while my father, an Indian Army officer was on field serving his country, my mother was serving her creative avocations right in the heartland of Indian crafts. She personally oversaw the making of her precious collection of wooden furniture and decor pieces adorned with miniature Kishangarh paintings. She carefully handpicked exquisite Rajasthani hand-embroidered clothes, bags, and juttis from tiny boutiques in narrow lanes of Ajmer. The starry-eyed five-year-old me fell in love with it all. 

Growing up, we moved towns every two years, and travelled extensively. One of the greatest perks of this life of constant movement and change was an early exposure to unique Indian crafts and cultures. Visiting local craft melas became a customary summertime activity. It was the perfect destination to shop, eat, socialise or quite simply marvel at the exquisite handiwork of artisans from across various pockets of the country. 

In India, the presence of melas and haats spansacross several centuries, and, over time, they have become highly effective distribution channels for traditional crafts. While melas are often held seasonally, annually, or around religious festivals, haats are more regular in nature. These open markets offer a great platform for buyers (especially tourists) and artisans to connect directly, often resulting in long-term associations. 

To a great extent, the popularity of these traditional craft distribution formats lies in the buying experience. The ability to touch and feel a product, to learn first-hand about its making process and to see the hands that intricately crafted it — all of it adds to the charm of owning something handmade. 

The e-commerce boom over the last decade has helped craftsmen take their creations to audiences across wider geographies. Websites like Jaypore, Gaatha and The India Craft House work directly with artisans specialising in varied craft forms from different parts of rural India. The online format seems to benefit both, craftsmen looking for a steadier income source and diverse markets to sell, as well as global consumers with no easy access to traditional Indian crafts.

The impact of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis on the Indian craft industry has been extremely severe. Already having borne the brunt of demonetisation and the imposition of GST, the industry, comprising mostly of small-scale producers, is among the worst hit by the pandemic. In an article published in The Wire, Laila Tyabji, founding member and chairperson of Dastkar, a Delhi-based NGO working towards supporting craftspeople and the revival of traditional Indian crafts, points out that a major change in how Indian crafts are marketed is underway. “The future of traditional crafts markets and bazaars is bleak. Going online is inevitable”, she affirms. 

In the visual world we live in today, platforms like Instagram have worked wonders in unfurling compelling stories about traditional crafts and craftspeople. The India Craft Project is one such account that presents visual features of unique Indian craft forms and the artisans sustaining their legacy. In October last year, Google Arts and Culture, Incredible India, and the Dastkari Haat Samiti launched a digital exhibit called, Crafted in India. It is a virtual repository of visually delightful and emotionally rousing stories on crafts and craftsmanship. The platform gives us an authentic, almost lifelike experience of India’s cultural and artistic diversity. In times like now, such outlets serve as a window into the magnificent world of Indian craft — at least until our much-adored melas and haats are back in full swing. 

Many Indian craft forms have been dying a slow death for a while now, and the pandemic, if anything, has only aggravated the situation. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative that we revisit the ideals of Swadeshi that our nation was built on. Without us empowering our artisans, without them raising a new generation of craftspeople, we are at the risk of losing our glorious heritage and artistic legacy — the very essence of “Incredible India”.

Let’s all do our bit to support our artisan communities. Let’s all be Vocal for Local crafts.

Here is a list of e-commerce websites to support Indian crafts and craftspeople:

Here is a list of funds to support Indian artisans:

Kindly note: These are not exhaustive lists. Please do share the names of other brands and funds to help support artisans in the comments below.

As Vague(n) as it Gets: The Truth Behind What Brands Call “Vegan” Leather and Fur

Ethical Fashion, Sustainable Fashion, Vegan Fashion8

As the spotlight on sustainability and ethics continues to shine, several apparel and accessory brands vie for a piece of the green pie by misusing vegan terminology in their brand messaging.

An excerpt from the brand story of Baggit, one of India’s most well-known bag and accessory label reads the following:

“SUSTAINABLE BRAND – Society has provided essential nourishment to flourish into the brand we are today. Hence, it is always at the crest of our priorities. We deliver quality bags that are made of cruelty-free material. This sense of awareness capacitated us to lead a clean process which received the PETA award.” 

The ‘cruelty-free’, PETA-certified material that Baggit is referring to is polyurethane leather (colloquially known as pleather) — a synthetic form of leather that is created by applying a liquid PU coating onto a fabric backing. To render polyurethane liquid requires a solvent that is often highly toxic. It is also important to note that PU leather has a considerably shorter lifecycle than genuine leather. It wears out rather quickly, often making it unusable. Furthermore, once dumped, PU leather takes about a hundred years to biodegrade. As such, nothing about the material that Baggit uses seems “sustainable”, like it claims.  

Vegan, sustainable, ethical, eco-friendly — each of these terms fall under the umbrella of conscious consumerism. In common parlance, they are often (erroneously) used interchangeably, especially by marketers, for their own benefit.  

One of the most commonly used terms in the above context is ‘vegan leather’ — a phrase that a number of fashion apparel and accessory brands are irresponsibly using to market faux or synthetic leather products, which are primarily made with polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). According to Greenpeace, PVC is the “single most environmentally damaging of all plastics”. It is responsible for releasing toxic substances including phthalates, BPA and cancer-causing dioxins, throughout its lifespan. 

Although efforts by brands like Stella McCartney to reduce the negative impact of their synthetic leather products on the environment are worth acknowledging, the damage continues to be significant. And, the fact still remains that most brands that boast of producing vegan leather do it the conventional, unsustainable way.

Another material that appeals to animal-activists and fashion enthusiasts alike but has questionable sustainability credentials is vegan or faux fur. In the recent past, many luxury conglomerates that include the likes of Versace, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Furla Armani, and Michael Kors vowed to go fur-free due to ethical considerations. Most of these brands, if not all, continue to use faux fur, purporting it to be the more conscious alternative. Faux fur is generally made from acrylic, which is petroleum-based and causes a lot of pollution during its production. Moreover, it also releases microfibers when washed which often find their way into the ocean and end up poisoning it. According to a 2016 study published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, over 700,000 fibres could be released from an average 6 kg wash load of acrylic fabric. Faux fur, like synthetic leather too, is non-biodegradable. 

When a brand brags about it being vegan, it doesn’t mean much unless it also expressly talks about the alternative fabrics it is using and how its manufacturing process incorporates sustainability. For instance, when Baggit makes claims of being vegan and sustainable, while sharing zero information on its material and production process, what it is doing is unethical and pure greenwashing.

I don’t support animal cruelty and absolutely acknowledge the environmental consequences that come with animal trade, but there’s a general notion that anything and everything cruelty-free is sustainable which is false and misleading. Leather and fur, whether real or faux, both come at significant ethical and environmental costs. 

So, as responsible consumers, what choices are we left with? The most prudent one is to shop these products second hand or vintage, if at all, and care for them well so they don’t end up in landfills. And, if you really do want to treat yourself to that new leather bag, you can opt for sustainable vegan leather options that are available. Piñatex is a plant-based leather made from sustainably-sourced pineapple fibre. It contains no harmful chemicals. A Big Indian Story is India’s first brand to offer products made out of Piñatex. Malai, a Kerala-based startup has created biocomposite material with waste coconut water that has a similar feel and texture to leather. Arture, a Chennai-based brand of bags, wallets and travel accessories uses 100% natural cork fabric which is both, an ethical and sustainable substitute to leather. 

The issues of sustainability and ethics are rather complex. When it comes to fashion, what ‘green’ encompasses still remains a grey area and brands take undue advantage of the same. 

The next time a brand makes a vague claim about being vegan, make sure you first educate yourself about its raw-materials and production process rather than going on face value. Their word may be as faux as their leather.