In the course of the first Covid-induced lockdown in 2020, Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Sosha Thomas acquired a name from an embroidery artisan in want of assist. “He used to work with me earlier, and had misplaced his job as a result of pandemic. He was anticipating his first little one and didn’t wish to go to his village in West Bengal emptyhanded. As per COVID-19 norms, we received permission from the officers for him to work at my studio,” says Sosha, who has been exporting hand embroidery designs to vogue studios within the UK and the US — akin to Hale Bob, Amanda Kelly — for the previous decade. However when a number of different artisans from Bengal approached her for work, issues took a unique flip, and shortly her attire model S24 Parganas — named after the district the artisans hailed from — was born.
“I had by no means thought of beginning a home model as I used to be very content material with what I used to be doing, however we needed to create work for them,” says Sosha, who kickstarted the model in 2020 — alongside along with her husband Praveen Pandaredattil — with a small line of handembroidered tops and silk kurtas, accompanied by two karigars. “We puzzled if it could be doable for these good karigars to get work in their very own villages, quite than be migrant labour. This labored effectively as they have been glad to work with their households round them. The response to our preliminary assortment was phenomenal,” says the 49-year-old entrepreneur, including that the artisans returned house as soon as lockdown restrictions eased however continued working from there. All of the artworks are unique, and hand drawn by Sosha and her daughters, which can be couriered with the uncooked supplies to the artisans in South 24 Parganas. As soon as they obtain the embroidered panels, the staff at Bengaluru, wash, dry-clean and stitch them on clothes.
An artisan at work
Along with Covid, Sosha explains how the properties of the karigars have been severely broken by cyclone Amphan. “Additionally, with digital embroidery flooding all segments of the market, hand embroidery was shedding its worth. At this level the embroiderers have been disillusioned and in search of different occupations.”
Mayflowers and geometry
The model’s newest assortment, launched in February 2022, attracts inspiration from conventional Japanese European embroidery and contains attire and tops. “It has a vibrant color palette — fuschia, deep purple, mulberry, jade — and showcases three-dimensional embroidery with floral, geometric, and Aztec-inspired motifs on nice muslin cotton in distinction with our silk kantha-patchwork jackets,” says Sosha, explaining how when she observed the kantha quilts handmade by the karigars’ moms from previous sarees, their line of jackets took form. With brilliant floral motifs taking centre stage in most outfits, she says their hottest shirt, The Mayflowers, is from their first assortment. “It combines intricate geometric borders and Hungarian floral motifs.” The fuchsia gown, with Natureinspired floral embroidery is one other favorite, as is their Cypress shirt with miniature Mughal florals in embroidery.
Sosha Thomas (left) along with her daughter Samara
All eyes on aari
When in comparison with different embroidery kinds, what makes South 24 Parganas’ artwork type distinctive? Sosha says the embroiderers from the district are descendants of the unique zardozi and aarikarigars. “Their talent and colour-sense is unmatched. We use up to date designs fused with conventional hand embroidery methods to create merchandise. Whereas many ladies embroiderers use the spherical, wood body, these karigars work on lengthy wood frames, with particular aari needles,” she says, including that the back and front of the embroidery are similar, in contrast to in machine or laptop embroidery the place the reverse aspect is noticeable.
Practically 20 artisans employed by Sosha work solely with pure materials akin to cotton, linen and silk. “We additionally use material made with recycled yarn. Our kantha jackets are a patchwork of repurposed material,” she says, including, “The ladies had by no means been paid for his or her work earlier than, so this was an enormous step ahead for us.”
A snapshot from their assortment
Sustainable heirloom
From the preliminary line of embroidered white blouses, crafted in 2020, to having two collections a yr, the entrepreneur says the model has come a great distance. “We would like hand embroidery to be accessible to extra individuals as this could end in extra work for embroiderers. Whereas most hand embroidery manufacturers use viscose silk thread, we use cotton thread, which is machine cleanable and long-lasting,” provides Sosha, who’s engaged on a contemporary line of silk kurtas for India. “To fulfill the demand, we’re bringing again the kurtas — with gara embroidery — that have been part of our first launch.” At current, the staff is experimenting with phulkari, suzani embroidery that can quickly be seen of their Winter 2022 assortment comprising jackets and tunics in darker shades.
Detailing their small steps in direction of sustainability, Sosha says she is taking a look at together with extra handloom and recycled yarn material into their collections. “We’re additionally engaged on methods to minimise material wastage by reusing scraps generated by slicing into patchworks, jackets, and even our packaging baggage,” she provides, stating that the model would, with out being overly costly, like its clothes to be heirloom items.
A patchwork jacket from their assortment
Within the subsequent three years, the staff hopes to scale up and work with totally different marginalised communities in Bengaluru and South 24 Parganas. “We now have began using girls from deprived sections who’re being taught embroidery at a neighborhood faculty in Bengaluru. We try to coach them to craft our jackets,” says Sosha, including that she is engaged on collaborating with shops like Ambara in Bengaluru, and some in Paris. “We wish to develop the model organically, making the karigar the centre of our story. Overseas, designers go to the artisan’s house, however in India, they arrive to us in search of work and stay anonymous. I wish to change that,” she concludes.
₹ 2,900- ₹ 4,900. To order, WhatsApp 9731527819