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How the Fashion Industry Can Empower Women in South Asia

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New ethical fashion brands and high street favourites develop schemes to improve the lives of the women on which the industry depends.

Credit: The Guardian

Pakistan is known for its cotton production, textile and garment sectors, but it’s also home to a huge artisan sector full of skills that the world’s fashion industry is dependent on. The bigger fashion houses that commission work from artisans hold much of the power within the industry, but new brands and programmes are working to incorporate fair business practices to empower these skilled workers.

One example is Shubinak, an artisan-focused lifestyle brand launched in 2005. Its parent company Looptex is a Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified manufacturer employing more than 500 workers with a special focus on developing ethical and sustainable working practices. Established in 2004, Looptex is based in Lahore and has provided goods for brands including Econscious, Levi’s and Dockers.

Credit: The World Bank Group

Shubinak works with skilled women in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to provide them with a sustainable income. There is no shortage of talent in the art of embroidery in Chitral: the difficult part is building a supply chain which connects women with these skills to the companies who want to buy their products. With harsh mountains, lush meadows, giant glaciers, man-made roads and adverse weather conditions, Chitral’s population of 50,000 is spread across distant valleys at varying altitudes. Cultural norms mean that women are often prevented from leaving the home, making it difficult for them to earn an income.

Credit: The Tallories Network

To tackle these challenges, the Looptex head office in Lahore sends samples, embroidery thread, materials and colour copies of desired work to Chitral by air or courier. When the Chitral office receives these, it distributes them among supervisers of craft centres.

On average, Shubinak artisans can earn between of Rs5,000 (£51) to Rs20,000 (£205) a month for the embroidery done during their free time, with some households in Chitral home to more than one embroidery artisan working for the brand.

Shubinak sells online and has outlets in Lahore, Chitral, Islamabad and Canada, while expanding its artisan base into Punjab and Sindh. Its ambition is to work with more than 5,000 artisans, provide them with skills and entrepreneurial development and invest in community initiatives such as healthcare and childcare for its artisans.

Read more at The Guardian.

 


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