THREADS OF REVIVAL The once endangered cottage industry of traditional hand-woven textiles is making a major come back in the Kutch desert region of India and Ethnotek, a socially conscious bag brand, has shaped their business model to support its revival.
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repare yourself to embark on an adventure with Ethnotek’s Founder and Head designer, Jake Orak, on a visit to the artisans in India who are hard at work on Ethnotek’s largest hand-woven collection to date! Ten brand new hand-woven Thread styles have been commissioned for their Fall-Winter 2015 release. Through this narrative, we will be able to experience a story that is rarely, if ever, told and take a head�irst dive into a handmade art form that spans generations. Up, up and away we go!
It’s June in India and we �inally arrive after a long journey which began in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and led us through Bangkok, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, followed by an bumpy and dusty overnight bus ride to our �inal destination, Bhuj. We stumble our way through a bustling morning bazaar full of vendors hawking vegetables, colorful fabrics and chai masala teas. We check into our hotel and are able to �inally unload our Raja Packs that have been stuffed to the gills. After a quick shower, we’re off to meet our project facilitators, Pankaj Shah and Mina Raste, who liaise between Ethnotek and Shamji, the head artisan and second generation master weaver. He also heads his father’s weaving collective which leads the revival initiatives of hand-loomed textiles in the Kutch region. After smiles and big hugs, we’re off in a rickshaw through the desert toward the Bhujodi village. It’s hot, REALLY hot! The wind whips across the desert surface and sand seems to �ind its way into every nook as we whiz past groups of Rabari women walking on the side of the road wearing beautiful black and red Bandhani shawls that bellow in the wind. Occasionally stopping for passing tumbleweeds and wayward holy cows wearing prayer beads, we near the village of Bhujodi.
Rabari men & women visiting a roadside shrine. Gujarat, India
Once there, we park our rickshaw, grab our things and enter the housing compound of Ethnotek’s head weavers, the Valji family. As we walk closer to the main gathering house and textile show room, out walks the man himself, Shamji! Barefoot and wearing a traditional cotton Kurta shirt and cotton pants (both hand-woven by himself, of course) that bear a beautiful color fade that can only be achieved by years of being worn in the unrelenting Kutch sun, Shamji sports an immense smile which Jake reciprocates as they heartily embrace. It has been 4 years since they last saw each other and there is a lot to catch up on!
From left to right: Weaving apprentice Sanjay, Shamji & Jake. Kandherai, India.
Before diving into full color and tangling our imaginations into the magic of the Bhujodi extra-weft pit looms, it’s important to paint a brief historical picture of weaving in the region…
The word Kutch (pronounced “katchh”) comes from Kachwa, meaning “a turtle that has come out of the sea”. This vast crescent-shaped region belongs to India’s second largest district, Gujarat, and is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west and Pakistan to the north. Archeological records suggest that pre-historic man appeared in Kutch 30,000 years ago. Present-day Kutch is home to twenty-�ive different ethnic groups spread across more than a hundred villages. Two of those ethnic groups, the Vankars and Rabaris, are closely stitched into the Ethnotek story. Vankar means “weaver” in the Kutchi language and they have existed harmoniously with the Rabari for centuries, a nomadic tribe of pastoralists known for their exquisite applique embroidery. The crux of the problem in vanishing traditions such as handmade textiles is when these art forms become extinct, so too does a large part of the cultural identity that has been woven into them. This is the dilemma that Shamji’s family has dedicated their lives to solving.
The Gazette of India cited that in 1945, 4,800 looms were active in the Vankar society, but this number has steeply declined to only 900 looms in 2011. This is partly due to local people no longer wearing their traditional dress, leading to a decrease in the demand for these textiles. More importantly, the decline is attributed to the introduction of mechanized jacquard weaving which appropriated business because of its low cost and speed of production compared to its slower and more expensive traditional counterpart.
THREADS OF REVIVAL During the 1970’s, Shamji’s father, Vishram Valji, took on the personal mission to build a weaving cooperative and travel afar to drum up awareness in hopes of bringing a sustainable livelihood to Bhujodi for their handlooms. He participated in expositions and university lectures in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Delhi. These efforts brought a great deal of attention back to their humble village, which resulted in an increasing number of consistent orders and piqued the curiosity of designers across India and abroad.
Vishram Valji received the National Award from the Indian government for his unique and complex style of weaving and for rallying a community behind a single cause ― reviving the weaving industry in Kutch. Many years later, Shamji himself won the same award and has been able to bring a modern spin and entrepreneurial spirit to the family weaving business.
Shamji & father Vishram Valji . Bhujodi, India.
Pit loom weaving is the main form of weaving adopted by Kutchi artisans. Pit looms consist of a concrete pit dug into the ground where the weaver sits so that he is level with the loom. The pit also houses the treadles and the weft paddles that the artisan operates with his feet. Pit looms are easier to set up inside the home because they don’t consume as much space as a frame loom and are also a way to beat the desert heat while working. The pit looms of Kutch use a manual throw shuttle and hand-warping, which in essence is embroidery on a loom, requiring great skill, attention to detail and patience. The result is stunning works of art with dancing geometric patterns whose authentic look and feel are impossible to recreate on a machine.
While it is mostly the men who do the actual weaving in Kutch, the process is a collective effort involving the whole family. The mother, the wife and the sisters prepare the yarn for dying and make bobbins from yarn hanks, which they then set up into the loom’s warp in preparation for the weaving process to begin.
Laxmiben setting the warp. Bhujodi, India
Paremji Vankar spinning bobbins. Jambudi, India
Shamji introduced innovations such as rebuilding looms for variable widths depending on customer needs. His collective also initiated using eco-friendly products and natural dyes. The artisans of Bhujodi have been able to retain the fundamental characteristics of their craft by using their traditional skill of extra-weft weaving, while transforming the product through introducing new yarns, changing the structure, and weaving �ine wool and silk-blended fabrics. Shamji thrives on collaboration and pushing the boundaries of their craft because the challenge “keeps [them] creative and able to adapt to new markets”. He sees it as the best way to keep their industry alive. Being able to evolve and create designs that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world is what interests young, hungry designers like Jake. Shamji’s motivations are exactly in line with Ethnotek’s, which is to preserve a traditional craft along with the cultural identity that is woven into them, while also embracing modern technical innovations and quality. It’s all in the name. Ethnotek = Ethnology + Technology!
Around the circle from left to right: Pankaj, Shamji, Mina & Jake.
THREADS OF REVIVAL This brings us back to our story…
After a warm welcome with Shamji and his family, we hop back into rickshaws and head out to the �ive villages that have been busy weaving Ethnotek fabric: Kandherai, Mota, Varnora, Jambudi, and Bhujodi. We settle in over tea at the �irst household who are currently weaving “India 10” fabric and Shamji begins by pointing out a powerful statistic regarding Ethnotek’s involvement with their community and the positive impact it has had. What he says next gives us goose bumps and visibly makes Jake well up with tears of joy and pride. What started out with a single family of artisans weaving only three months a year in 2011 has now grown into 12 weaving families spread across �ive villages for 8-10 months a year! On this particular collection, Ethnotek is employing 22 of Shamji’s 60 looms. If that’s not proof of Jake’s original vision ― creating a viable and sustainable source of income for artisans thereby preserving their culture through connecting his bag designs to customers around the world ― we don’t know what is! Wonderful! Needless to say, it is an incredible way to start the trip. As the days pass, Shamji, Pankaj, Mina and Jake meander through the villages, with stops at each house that has been working on new fabric designs for Ethnotek. A lot of hands are shaken, ear-to-ear smiles exchanged and we bask in the palpable vibe of gratitude that burst from the looms, through the minds and bodies of us all and up into the universe.
Being a part of that authentic exchange of mutual respect and curiosity is a truly special moment ― a connection that wouldn’t be possible without Ethnotek’s customers who they refer to as their “Tribe”. After all, it is their bag purchases and recommendations to friends and family that make this whole thing go round.
Jake helps the artisans visualize this connection by showing them the Ethnotek Instagram feed. Witnessing their reaction to seeing a fabric they’ve been weaving for years now on people’s backs around the world is pure magic. Their eyes light up as they realize the far-reaching scope of their work, breaking into excited chatter in Kutchi. Shamji and Pankaj explain further to help them understand the bigger picture including all of the people that are involved along the way, not just in India, the US and Vietnam, but in all of the other villages and communities that Ethnotek works with. They seem to �ind immense pride in this new understanding of how their work is valued.
One artisan had a fun comment, saying: “It’s inspiring to see a fabric that for hundreds of years was just used as a carpet that people stood or sat on, now given a new life and worn on someone’s back. It has more function, and is interacted with”. Shamji follows up on this thought and explains to us that Ethnotek’s “India 8” fabric used in their Threads were originally inspired by shawls that the Vankars made for nomadic Rabari herders. Those were also function-based, used to keep the wearers out of the sun, pitched up for shade when taking a midday break and for warmth when sleeping at night. Jake added: “And now it is worn by both urban commuters in places like Tokyo, Singapore, New York and Berlin as well as outdoor enthusiasts in places such as Utah, France and Australia. How cool is that?!” Pankaj cleverly concludes with “from nomads, to newmads”.
FROM NOMADS TO NEWMADS Ethnotek India Facilitator, Pankaj Shah.
THREADS OF REVIVAL While making our rounds meeting with all the artisans, two interactions in particular resonate heavily with us. One is the story of Premji, and the other is meeting the next generation of weavers, Sanjay and Suresh.
If you’ve purchased an Ethnotek bag with woven India fabric on it, you may have noticed the photo of an artisan on the hangtag. His name is Premji and he has an incredible story that started with weaving fabric full-time. Though he was very skilled, Premji was faced with a dif�icult decision: in the face of declining employment opportunities in the handicraft sector, should he keep on weaving or move on to another job? Premji told his friend Shamji that the weaving industry was dead and that he was walking away. Premji has a wife and a disabled son, and naturally felt the pressure to provide for them. He decided to invest all of the family’s money into buying a truck to transport goods, a common and somewhat stable vocation in the region. The problem was, Premji didn’t have the skills or knowledge for automobile maintenance and eventually his truck broke down beyond repair. When that happened, he had to abandon it and not only was his family without savings, he was left unemployed without much hope. After quite some time mourning his situation, Premji received a visit from Shamji. During their long conversation, Shamji, as both a friend and a community leader, was direct in telling Premji that he had to accept what was gone and move on for the sake of his wife and son. He offered Premji a weaving job, saying: “I have a customer called Ethnotek. They purchase the same pit loom carpet design that you are used to making. With the size of the orders they place, you can weave eight months out of the year and I will pay for extra meters so that you can weave year-round”. Premji took the job, and has been Ethnotek’s main weaver ever since, once again a proud full-time Vankar.
Premji proudly showing the textiles he weaves and the hangtag he is on.
A common trend that Jake noticed within all of the artisan communities they visited was that the younger generations weren’t motivated to continue with the weaving tradition. It seemed to be a mixture of two problems: unstable employment opportunities in weaving and constant exposure to media that glamorizes a bigger world of consumerism out there. At the end of the day, it is their choice to stay in the village and carry on the tradition or to branch out and leave. After observing this, it was so refreshing and encouraging to meet Sanjay and Suresh, 19-year-old twin brothers. Shamji came to them after their father, a weaver who works with Shamji, informed him that Sanjay and Suresh had been offered jobs at nearby factories.
Shamji proposed that he would match the salary the factory offered if they wanted to stay in the village and become weaving apprentices to their father and him. Not only did they accept the offer, they wove the entire “India 11” collection under Shamji’s guidance. The brothers and an increasing group of recruited young men and women similar to them, are now the next generation Vankars!
Above: Sanjay and Suresh with their father Arjan Ramji. Below: Sanjay weaving Ethnotek India 11 fabric.
THREADS OF REVIVAL You’re right in thinking that it’s quite a complex supply chain model that Ethnotek is managing, but they and their artisans agree that it’s completely worth it! In a world of homogeny and throwaway products, it’s refreshing to see a group of people banding together and working really hard to create something beautiful and meaningful, and leading the revival effort to keep their own culture alive, one bag at a time.
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