American Express Supports Indian Women Artisans With Market Visibility And Recognition
By: Divya Thearia
23rd Feb 2022 (New Delhi): Through market awareness, recognition, and income, American Express and Dastkar have aided the economic empowerment of craftswomen in nine Indian states. This programme, “Backing Women Artists,” from American Express and Dastkar aims to strengthen the financial toughness of women-owned small enterprises affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Almost 14,000 craftswomen have already seen a good change in their lives as a result of the programme.
Padmashri Ms. Laila Tyabji, Founder Member and Chairperson, said, “At the end of phase one of our project, there was a clear need to address more than mere subsistence.” For ultimate survival and sustainability, we needed to ensure that the handicraft skills of Indian craftswomen garner their rightful place in the Indian and international marketplace. For this, new product development and design were a primary necessity. “We thank American Express for recognising this need and continuing with their support with an additional grant of approximately Rs 1 crore.”
Vibha Bajaj, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Asia, American Express, further added, “We are strongly committed to women’s empowerment and backing small businesses.” Our association with Dastkar has been very fulfilling and inspiring, where craftswomen have gained a new lease on life with increased earnings and self-confidence. “The programme sought to honor, enable, and empower these women artisans, giving them their own place in the economic mainstream as earners and entrepreneurs, and we are proud to have been able to achieve this objective.”
The project’s “AT HOME” concept, which featured domestic items such as soft furnishings, home accents, artwork and wall hangings, basketry, and floor coverings, was decided upon for phase two. From all around India, twelve women-based craft organisations were chosen because of their distinctive identities and strong desire to affect change. Over the course of nine months, each group, under the guidance of four designers (Harpreet Padam, Puneet Kaushik, Rema Kumar, and Sangeeta Sen), with more than 25 years of combined experience and expertise in working with various craft techniques, produced ranges of 15 items, including one show-stopping piece in each range.
In addition to strict quality control, the craft groups were educated in design principles like colour theory and design thinking. This improved their comprehension of producing distinctive, modern, and marketable designs.
Also, they profited from lessons in pricing, sizing, finishing, and timeliness; from face-to-face interactions with designers; and from knowledge of market and consumer trends. Action Center for Transformation (ACT), a crafts organisation with headquarters in Haryana, was founded by Nilanjana Das. “The project support has been creative and has helped us brainstorm on making new, scalable products for a wider market,” she said.
The AT HOME project led to the development of over 600 new products in 19 different craft skills that were designed and developed in the design development to final production process. Out of these, 361 were selected by the evaluation committee, which comprised Ritu Kumar, a premier textile and fashion designer; Anita Lal of the GOOD EARTH chain of lifestyle stores; and Prof. Jatin Bhatt, a renowned accessories designer and former Head of the Accessories Department at NIFT and Vice Chancellor at Ambedkar University, for production.
American Express donated around INR 1 crore to Dastkar’s Artisan Support Fund in 2021 as part of its mission to “create financial confidence” in order to support Indian craftswomen who were badly impacted by the epidemic with salary and raw materials.