It is a story of a fashion label originating from the grassroot level and making it on the big stage of a Fashion Week. This is the launch of Silai, a brand created with intense passion and a mélange of collaborations, from the Silai school women to fashion designers, NGOs and Usha's own team, working round the clock to make it happen. The past few months have seen rigorous training sessions for the shortlisted Silai school women by the fashion designer mentors, sleepless night and stiff production schedules, but what shines through it all is the grit and dedication that these women brought to the project. It was more than just being a part of a global fashion network for these women. Coming to a city like Mumbai itself was a dream come true for many of them. For years Lakme Fashion Week has led the conversation on promoting Indian handlooms and textiles. This season they decided to bring the impact of skill training and sustainable development in our country to the fore. A specially designed show to launch the Usha Silai Label and showcase the work done by the Silai school women was put together as an ode to sustainability and a success story for India's quest for skill development. The Silai label initiative has come a long way from its conception to launch and the journey has only just begun.
Odisha's Suchismita Sahu, Rajasthan's Preeti Prajapat, Manipur's Akhirun—Usha Silai School's Kushalta Ke Kadam celebrates these awardees, from homemakers to master trainers earning accolades
From Ladakh peaks to Assam fringes, Usha Silai School trains tribal women in Turtuk, Kargil & Dakhinkuchi—crafting livelihoods with armed forces, NHPC & NGOs. Stitching national resilience
From West Bengal's transgender tailors to Telangana's tribal seamstresses and Meghalaya's embroidery revivalists, Usha Silai School's Kushalta Ke Kadam partners with NIRDPR and state governments
In Odisha's mining heartlands, Mahanadi Coalfields Limited teams with Usha Silai School's Kushalta Ke Kadam and Gram Utthan, empowering tribal women turning them into entrepreneurs
From Madhya Pradesh's stigma to Bihar's child marriages, Usha Silai School's NDTV-backed Kushalta Ke Kadam empowers women like Kalpana and Shabnam to stitch dignity and self-reliance
Usha Silai Schools give second chances to women like Srinagar's Marifat, who rebuilt after widowhood; Madhya Pradesh's Jyoti, escaping abuse to run her own center; and Rajasthan's Vimla, rising from child marriage to tailor and teacher. Through nine-day training, they gain sewing skills, confidence, and income proving one stitch mends lives and inspires communities.