7 Weaves Social - Artisan Relief & Child Education

Many indigenous communities around the world need income that protects and utilises traditional land rather than destroying it. These same communities still maintain traditional knowledge regarding weaving with natural fibres and dyeing with natural materials. They understand how to live and work in balance with the natural world.

In these difficult times we are all coping the best we can. COVID 19 has left no part of the globe untouched, but  it’s the weak and vulnerable that have been impacted the most.

We have launched this campaign to ensure our spinners, weavers and farmers wages are paid so they can cover their basic costs of living. This will also mean we can continue to build a self sustainable and forward looking business model, rooted in supporting indigenous communities and protecting their environment.

Founded by Mondakani Gogoi with Uma Madhavan and Rituraj Dewan, 7 Weaves is a social experiment creating economic opportunities based on the traditional cultural knowledge of forest-dependent families in Assam, home to some of the world’s most beautiful wild silks and natural dyes.

Every piece of cloth produced helps restore the rich bio-diversity of the area. Visit our website  for details on how we are achieving this. 

To date, 7 Weaves has been funded by the founders but without sales we need your help to get through this difficult time so we can continue to support this community and preserve their environment which is in one of the planet’s most biologically rich – but also heavily threatened.

We have 64 people in the village who are our full-time artisans - weavers, spinners, dyers and farmers currently drawing 6000 rps per month to support their families. Shantu Basak (technical support) also lives in the village and earns 20,000 rps per month. We have a net rental obligation for our centres of 10,000 rps per month, which is also income used by the villagers for sustenance.

A total of 2,484,000 rps - $33,000 to support our families for 6 months. Each household is an average of 5 people.

OTHER WAYS YOUR CAN HELP

Many of our artisans can work in their homes so we are trying to facilitate the production of small quantities of fabric. Please contact us if you are interested in pre-ordering for delivery after the lockdown. This is one of the most sustainable ways you can help our artisans.

Visit our  website  for more about 7 Weaves and their vision for the future.



ABOUT ME

I'm Caroline and I am a creative with a passion for the artisans craft and indigenous cultures. In 2011 I established Artisans of Fashion, a Sydney based social enterprise founded with the mission to connect artisans and indigenous cultures with designers and fashion brands; ensuring an authentic partnership with respect and recognition for the cultural heritage of the artisans and their traditional techniques.  

I work with a number of communities across India and Nepal and after meeting Rituraj and Mondakani (founders of 7 Weaves)  I was invited to join the  management team providing support with strategic development to help cultivate new relationships and manage projects to broaden our impact, while leveraging existing partnerships.

The GoFundME Campaign has been set up in Australia on behalf of 7 Weaves as this platform does not run in India; however payments can be made in any currency if paid with any major credit or debit card.  ALL funds will be transferred directly to 7 Weaves. Note: there are no fees charged through the GoFundMe crowdfunding platform and AOF will cover the bank fees so 100% of your donation will reach the artisans.

For more information or if you have any questions please email [email redacted]

Follow us on instagram @artisansoffashion  @7weaves