BRAND PROFILE
THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS ARE
CONFIDENT THAT THEIR EFFORTS
OF CREATING AN INDUSTRY FROM
SCRATCH HAVE OPENED A NEW
CHAPTER FOR A GREENER FUTURE.
B LABEL HANDLOOMS
Given that hemp grows naturally in the wild in
Uttarakhand, the company decided to team
up with local communities there to produce
handcrafted hemp textiles. For this, they
collaborated with the Uttarakhand Bamboo and
Fiber Development Board (UBFDB) to produce
fabric to create laptop sleeves, table mats,
runners, cushion covers, etc. as well as trims and
pockets for B Label garments. This initiative falls
under B Label Handlooms of BOHECO.
“We work with UBFDB to collect raw fibres
from Uttarakhand that we use for research
purposes. Further, we provide yarns from UBFDB
to weaving cooperatives like Mandakini and
Himadri Hans Handlooms (in Panchachuli), where
women weavers hand-weave beautiful stoles.
“The primary objective of B Label Handlooms
is to empower local artisans and women
weavers, and support the local cottage industry.
Handloom, being one of the most important
industries, forms the backbone of the state,
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June 2019
provides livelihood opportunities for women, and
gives them the ability to sustain themselves,”
says Alisha Sachdev, Business Head, B Label
Handlooms. Guided by the B Label design team,
the women weave stoles in five designs using
hemp, organic cotton, oak silk, and lamb wool,
and these are retailed under B Label Handlooms.
Fabrics woven by the women are also used as B
Label garments, as highlights such as trims
and pockets.
The growing awareness of the need to produce
and wear garments stitched from cloth made
from natural fibres, to wear garments whose
production chain is sustainable and eco-friendly,
and to wear garments that help farmers and
artisans, has garnered interest in B Label’s
hemp garments. The team is collaborating with
the Head of Department of Textile Technology
Department at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),
New Delhi, to develop mill-spun hemp yarn that
can produce hemp fabric woven on power looms.
The young entrepreneurs are confident that their
efforts of creating an entire industry from scratch
have opened a new chapter for a greener future
in India that benefits a chain of persons, from
farmer and artisan to consumer.