Design 21: Social Design Network

Kumaun Grameen Udyog (KGU) www.kilmora.in opportunities for the local people living around the Nainital District of Uttrakhand in the Himalayan region of Northern India. KGU was set up by the Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG), a non profit grass roots development organization that has worked extensively in the central Himalayas. KGU employs twenty weavers, sixty artisans, and supports three hundred and fifty small farmers from whom they source agricultural products. Recently, KGU has begun procuring apricot and peach kernels from local farmers to add pure, natural apricot skin-care products to their product range, which also consists of hand woven and hand knitted textiles. Weaving is undertaken at a center in the village of Buribana, whilst knitting is done by women in their homes. Fair wages provide artisans with substantial round-the-year income, for many the sale of products provides an important supplementary income. KGU also contributes to concrete and tangible community development projects. At present, these include contributions towards two major initiatives of CHIRAG: an eight-bed hospital in Sargakhet village, and a rural school that has been functioning for two years in Simayal village in Nainital District.

Kilmora is the brand name under which all KGU products are marketed. Kilmora constantly undertakes creative experimentation to develop new collections of hand woven and hand knitted products. While knitting is traditional to mountain regions, weav...

Product: Kalamkari Silk Scarf

Region of Production: Andhra Pradesh

Craft Process: Kalamkari translates as hand painting on fabric and was originally developed to embellish temple cloth and and hangings with figurative and narrative motifs. Kalamkari craft is thought to have been produced in India since the middle ages orginiating from the wealthy Golconda sultanate of Hyderabad. The intricate, complex hand crafted process consists of almost eighteen stages. The pattern is created using a kalam or pen made from wood and fibre The fibre holds the ink and release it when the artisan applies pressure, and the lines of the design are drawn with a mixture of iron fillings and molasses. Vegetable dyes are used to give the fabric its rich color.

Producer Organization:DWARAKA or Development of Weavers and Rural Artisans in Kalamkari Art preserves and promotes the work of Kalamkari artisans based around Sri Kalahasti, and the surrounding villages of V.M. Palli and Enguluru in Andra Pradesh. There are now approxiamtely 100 artisans regularly producing the complex and highly skilled paintings. The DWARAKA product range includes stoles, scarves, sarees, bags, wall panels, gift boxes, corporate gifts and home furnishings. www.dwarakaonline.org

Regional Snapshot: Sri Kalahasti is the centre for Kalamkari production, and is located in the Chittor District of southern Andhra Pradesh. The name is closely associated with an important Hindu legend, a story that is a popular subject matter fo...

Product: Cushions Region of Production: Gujurat. Whilst Mashru weaving was once common in many parts of India, the hub of production is now Gujurat. Patan is one of the most important centres for mashru weaving. Craft Process: Mashru. Mashru is distinct from other fabrics because it has two faces, cotton on the reverse side of the fabric, and silk on the outer. The fabric was developed because of religious laws pertaining to Shar’ia Muslim men, who were not allowed to have pure silk touch their body so this fabric composed of silk warp and cotton weft was developed. Mushru is an Arabic word meaning ‘permitted’ and may have been brought to India from the Middle East. The double sided fabric enabled men to wear clothing that had on the exterior the rich, decorative qualities of woven silk. When worn, the cotton weft is inside and the silk faces outwards, Thus when used in garments the cotton layer comes in contact with the body forms an absorbent protective layer to the rich and decorative exterior. Weaving is characterized by its bold colourful patterns and stripes of various colours and sizes, including small floral or geometric patterns in alternate stripes. There are many types of Mashur including sangi, galta, gulbadan and susi, the differences are based on pattern, colour, weave and location of production. Whilst once widespread, the production of Mashru is now limited to Patan, Mandvi, and Surat in Gujurat.The fabric which is still hand woven on pit looms uses cotton...

Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra (SKKK) works with Lambani artisans in the Bellary district of Karnataka. Lambanis or Banjaras are a nomadic, gypsy tribe and are well-known for their exquisite traditional hand-embroidery using various stitches and mirror crafts. The Lambanis have their own cultural traditions, and distinct language and customs, expressed in their unique crafts. Lambani embroidery is a fusion of pattern darning, mirror work, cross stitch, and overlaid and quilting stitches with borders of Kangura patchwork appliqué done on a base fabric. A distinctive design element is the use of local mud resist handloom fabric, and mirrors, shells and white ornamental trims. The objective of SKKK is to promote livelihood opportunities among artisans living in the Bellary region . Currently, they are working with approximately 300 women engaged in embroidery, khadi spinning and weaving.

SKKK has been operational since 1984 as a registered society. The SKKK craft centre provides centralised production facilities where raw material is stored and a range of craft processes including hand-block printing, dyeing, stitching, and finishing are completed. SKKK product range includes home furnishings like cushion covers, bedspreads, and wall hangings; accessories like mobile pouches, bags, purses, and belts; and women’s garments. The base fabric used for making products is hand-block-printed in traditional Lambani motifs. At the core of SKKK activities is the need for artisan empowerment,...