Apparel August 2019 Apparel August 2019 issue | Page 90

UNIQUE INITIATIVE
BINA HOPES THAT OVER TIME,
THERE WILL BE GREATER
AWARENESS ABOUT HANDMADE
PRODUCTS AND THAT KABIR WILL
PLAY A ROLE IN FUELLING IT.
to give almost the entire price of each product
directly to the artisans and their families. The
Kabir initiative is designed to span the country
and help as many artisans as possible so that
every artisan may be able to find dignity in their
native crafts and subsequently encourage many
more generations to carry the tradition forward,”
she says.
Kabir had a soft launch at the Creative Bee
franchise stores in New Delhi and the Hyderabad
flagship in March 2019. Bina has also been
showcasing Kabir at Creative Bee exhibitions. As
of now, the products aggregated are yardages,
saris, stoles, and dupattas from artisans across
10 villages in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil
Nadu and Gujarat.
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August 2019
CONSUMER AWARENESS
Bina hopes that over time, there will be greater
awareness about handmade products and that
Kabir will play a role in fuelling it. “Why are digital
prints of traditional textile crafts such as ikat or
kantha popular? One reason is that customers
like the look, however they cannot pay for
the original work. So we hope that by offering
authentic craft at reasonable prices, we will be
able to reach an entire midrange market segment.
With this, both the artisan and customer will
benefit. There are many customers who are
aware of handmade products. They have the
sensitivity and aesthetics to purchase handmade
articles even on a small budget. So when they
have an option to buy a reasonably priced
handmade garment, they will. When they bring it
home, it sets into motion awareness in the whole
family, especially the younger generation, which is
the future market.”
GOING AHEAD
Bina has created Kabir and launched the same
through Creative Bee in a small way as she says
that it is only possible for profit-making, large-
format businesses to take on such an initiative.
“Creative Bee is handholding Kabir for its initial
stages. Kabir has a lot of potential for the artisans
and consumers. I am optimistic about the label
going far.”
Bina hopes that a large business house with
a philanthropic approach will come forward
to help Kabir. “Kabir requires a large umbrella
organisation that will adopt it and take it forward.
It could also be a shop-in-shop initiative so
the retailer does not have to take on special
overheads for Kabir yet will profit from its sales,
even though this is a low-profit venture. There are
thousands of artisans across the country, many in
remote villages, who would benefit from it. Kabir
can be a movement. That is the aim, and I hope
to succeed.”