MarketPlace: Handwork of India 

 Indian Fashion Handcrafts

By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com

Traditional Handcrafted Fair-trade Fashion Goods from India

Earlier this year Celina Connor wrote to tell me about MarketPlace and Handwork of India.

MarketPlace: Handwork of India is a non profit organization that provides fair trade employment to women in India by selling their handmade apparel and interiors within the United States.  MarketPlace is an incredible organization with an extraordinary mission and their current theme is 'Women designing fashions, Redesigning destinies'.  They also recently hosted a fashion show at the Chicago Cultural Centre's 'Fair Trade: Dignity by Design' which was a presentation in honour of World Fair Trade Day on May 14th and some of the garment images are shown on this page.  An article about the work of Marketplace is also reprinted below.

All images and details courtesy of www.marketplaceindia.com

 

Marketplace Reprinted Article

Shel Mae Reinwald Manager of San Francisco Global Exchange Fair Trade Store wrote the article reprinted below.

Fair Trade Spotlight: Marketplace of India

Non-profit empowers low-income women through dignity, not charity.
In an age of corporate irresponsibility, more and more consumers are asking questions about the origins of the products they buy.  An awareness movement that began with organic food now encompasses everything from clothing to cars, as people demand products that are socially responsible and environmentally sustainable.

Marketplace of India - an apparel and home textile company started in 1980 to employ and empower poor women in Bombay - is among the enterprises meeting that demand.  Beginning with three women whose marketable skills were limited to hand stitching, Marketplace has grown to include multiple cooperatives employing hundreds of women artisans.

Women around the globe bear the brunt of responsibility for the health, education and general welfare of their families.  Yet culture and tradition have denied women the rights and freedom to have the economic power to meet those responsibilities.  Women often are expected to accept decisions made for them by their husbands and parents, while being forced to surrender control of their finances and thus jeopardize the welfare of their children.

Marketplace of India is changing that.

Self Improvement and Social Programs

The women of Marketplace are empowered to believe in themselves, to speak out and express their wishes, and to learn new skills.  Programs that have been developed and managed by the artisans themselves include 'The Artisans Speak,' which lets the women decide on a theme for each Marketplace catalog; 'Social Action,' in which the women decide on a social problem in their community that they wish to change (such as alcoholism or lack of women’s health programs); and 'The Children’s Education Fund,' which is run by older children for the benefit of the younger ones and includes such programs as summer camps and libraries.

All images and details courtesy of www.marketplaceindia.com

The Power of Independence

As wage earners, Marketplace artisans gain the confidence to take part in the decision-making processes of their families, as well as being an integral part of an artisan group.  Marketplace’s goals include involving the artisans directly in every aspect of business - from designing, managing and producing products, to tagging and packing boxes to ship to the US.

Through these processes the artisans learn to take control and manage their finances.  And since Marketplace’s products are primarily hand stitched, the women can take their work home, enabling them to look after their families while they earn an income.

Image of Indian artisan workers stitching good fro Marketplace is courtesy of www.marketplaceindia.com

Change for the Better

Over the years, Marketplace has initiated amazing quality of life improvements for many people. Life expectancy for Marketplace artisans has increased to 62 years from the national average of 54 years for women.  The average female child of a Marketplace artisan will finish the 10th grade, while most Indian girls only complete 4th.  Marketplace artisans work an average of 9 months of the year; most artisans had no income before becoming part of a cooperative. Marketplace offers no handouts.  All of the artisans are trained to become self sufficient, resulting in newfound confidence and self-respect.

What You Can Do

You can support Marketplace of India by purchasing their products at Global Exchange’s Fair Trade stores.  You can see the full line of Marketplace products and learn more about their programs and ways to get involved at www.marketplaceindia.com.

By Shel Mae Reinwald Manager of San Francisco Global Exchange Fair Trade Store.

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