Women From Kashmir Make It To The Lakme Fashion Week 2019

The charm of Kashmir's picturesque lakes, snow-capped mountains, and lush forests is matched by the richness of its cultural heritage. From handicrafts to the exquisite pashminas, the valley boasts a rich history of arts and crafts passed on through generations and yet the state and its craftsmen are yet to realise their full potential. In an attempt to tap into this immense pool of talent, in the year 2018, the USHA Silai Label set up a garment design and production cluster in Kashmir.

Within 7 years, with 17,000 schools, spanning over 9000 Indian villages, the USHA Silai School has trained over 3.5 lakh rural women. In 2018, the garments made by the women from these schools, under the guidance of four designers were showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week. Since then their life has been transformed with the clothes now selling under the Silai Label at multi-brand outlet in Delhi.

2006 Noida serial murders shook the entire country, especially the men and women of Nithatri, who fear stepping out of their houses putting their lives on a perpetual pause. But USHA Silai School came as a ray of hope and provided them with a safe source of living.

West Bengal, India's fourth most populous state, is home to 91 million people, a fifth of which are poor. While people there were trying to make ends meet, USHA Silai School came in as a ray of hope for the underprivileged men and women in the eastern state of India.

With an aim to empower women, USHA Silai School makes effort to widen its reach and expand to every corner of India. With this thought as its driving force, the USHA Silai School programme has opened up an opportunity for women in Nagaland by starting a showroom cum sales center in Dimapur.

Along with reviving the traditional craft and providing employment opportunities to the underprivileged women all over India, USHA Silai School programme is providing sewing training to underprivileged men also. The latest extensions aim to help rural households in India improve their earnings.

Eight selected USHA Silai School women entrepreneurs got a chance to learn and work under the guidance of different designers. Designers Soham Dave, Sayantan Sarkar, Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav, and Sreejith Jeevan along with USHA Silai School women curated a collection for Lakme Fashion Week 2018.

In 2015, the government of Andhra Pradesh partnered with Berkeley University to launch the ‘Smart Villages Mission' and the sleepy village of Mori emerged as Andhra Pradesh's first smart village. Later, government partnered with corporations like USHA International to create employment opportunities in the villages and curb migration.

Santosh Kumwat and Sunita Devi Kumawat from Jaipur are two of the eight selected USHA Silai School women entrepreneurs, who got a chance to learn and work under the guidance of designers - Amit Trivedi and Richard Pandav to launch a clothing line at the Lakme Fashion Week 2018.

Some of the Usha Silai School women, chosen from four regions of the country, went through an assessment. Then a select few got to work on the production of a clothing line, under their fashion designer mentors. These women were then flown to Mumbai to display their collection at the trendiest event on the year - the Lakme Fashion Week.