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Magazine
IN CONVERSATION
Weaves cast a spell
MEENA MENON
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Mira Sagar, CEO of Rehwa’s fashion line, on how the revival of a centuries’ old craft was combined with the uplift of craftspeople as well.
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Handloom does not have to be down market. They can be beautiful and rich in variety, something we seem to have forgotten.
Intricate and innovative: In the process of creating a work of art.
There’s colour everywhere in Mira Sagar’s small office in upmarket Juhu, Mumbai. Piles of fabric in ethereal whites, beiges, pale pinks and greens line the walls and the table too. There’s some eye catching material in bright purple and green.
The CEO of Rehwa’s fashion line, 50-year-old Mira presides over her office with some pride. “We sold 350 saris in two days,” she says, referring to the unique exhibition, “Gulal”, held in Mumbai recently. This venture will be an annual event from now on.
“Handloom does not have to be down market and, through efforts like this, we want to bring the best to women. Bai lou set up by Bappaditya and Rumi in Kolkata specialises in handmade textiles and Indian Emporium is working with some unique weavers in Andhra Pradesh. All three of us were doing different things and by coming together we hoped to create an awareness that handlooms can be beautiful and rich in variety, something we seem to have forgotten,” she says.
This effort is an extension of Rehwa Society where she has been working for 18 years. Founded by Richard and Shalini (Sally) Holkar in 1979, Rehwa’s efforts at reviving the 1500-year-old tradition of the Maheshwari sari, apart from creating a community of weavers in the charming old town of Maheshwar, is already well documented.
Branching out
Weavers too have realised its potential and competition has forced Rehwa to branch out. For one and a half years, Rehwa is also catering to home needs like table linen, bed spreads, cushion covers and runners. “The products we sell are far more intricate and innovative using different yarns and we have managed to create a niche market so we get a better price, which we can pass on to our weavers,” says Sagar.
The Society now has over 100 members and work is outsourced to another 50. Sagar was a housewife when she offered to sell material from Rehwa for pocket money. “I was only supposed to sell the stuff but over the years that has changed. I design, I market, I sell… After I lost my husband, I put myself whole heartedly into this work. The weavers in Maheshwar could relate to me, as many of them were single women,” she explains. “When I stepped into Rehwa I had no idea what warp and weft was. The weavers adopted me and I became part of their family.”
Rehwa has also managed to interest the younger generation in weaving, unlike in other places. Sally Holkar, who is no longer with Rehwa, used to have training programmes for younger weavers and they were exposed to a lot of skills. Now apart from cotton, the Society provides silk, wool and tussar to the weavers. Last year it had a turnover of about Rs 17,000,000 and this year it is expected to be higher.
There are different ways in which the weavers work with Rehwa. They can take the work home and most women prefer to do that. Otherwise they can come to the centre located in the historic Maheshwar fort, on the banks of the Narmada. The Society has built a colony of 45 houses for which the weavers paid through their work over the years. It provides the raw material, the design and, in some cases, the looms. Work is deposited every Friday and wages are paid weekly on Mondays. The Society offers provident fund, bonus, interest-free loans, medical benefits and also runs a school up to the eighth standard apart from a crèche. “As a non-profit organisation, we are expected to plough back the benefits to the people we work with,” Sagar points out.
Interface with customers
“The weavers accompany us to the exhibitions in the city. The interface with urban consumers can be quite baffling at times but they also get to see how popular their products are, which never ceases to amaze them. One man was fed up with the a design, which was very popular. I brought him once to the city for an exhibition and, before his eyes, the saris vanished in a matter of minutes. After that he no longer pleaded with me to change the design,” laughs Sagar.
She points to a picture on the wall; one of the oldest weavers in Maheshwar who does not want to leave the Society. Her fading eyesight does not deter her and she now weaves table mats that use a thicker yarn.
In a sense, she embodies what Rehwa has done over the years for the community and the revival of a centuries’ old craft.
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