Creative Handicrafts: Underprivileged women found an 'ethicool' brand in Mumbai

From the shopfront, Creative Handicrafts looks like any other small clothing boutique in Bandra. When you walk in, you're greeted by racks of colorful cotton kurtas, blouses, summer dresses and men's shirts. There's also a section devoted to random handmade accessories like funky jhola totes, diaper bags, change and cosmetics pouches, mix-n-match dupattas, even puppets and plush toys. 

But what sets this store apart from dozens of its contemporaries in Mumbai? Pick up any item and look at its label. When you buy this product you empower an underprivileged woman. As the Creative Handicrafts website says, every rupee you spend here goes into making "not a few millionaires, but thousands of bread winners." 

Twenty-five years ago a Spanish missionary called Isabel Martin lived in Andheri and her congregation consisted mainly of women from the nearby slums, many of whom were victims of poverty and domestic violence. So, when the women suggested that Sister Isabel help them find a way to become economically independent, she partnered with a local community organization to provide the things the women needed before they could even consider getting jobs: a creche, sponsorship to keep kids in school, and drug and alcohol counseling for some of the husbands.

It was two of the slum women themselves who eventually launched sewing classes and began to teach other women to make soft toys, clothes and other traditional handicrafts. Sister Isabel helped by using her networks to place these items locally as well as in Spain, France and Germany. More than two decades after those first sewing lessons, Creative Handicrafts employs 300 women full time and creates work for up to 400 seasonal workers. And international buyers include Carrefour in Spain and Martha Traders in the United States. 

There are many things that make Creative Handicrafts succeed where so many other well-intentioned community schemes fail. Firstly, reasonable prices. Kurtas and dresses cost anywhere between Rs 150 and Rs 550 (well below what Fab India would charge for equivalent fare). Plus they have end-of-season sales where you can pick up stuff for 50 percent off that. And while the quantity and variety of stock does tend to fluctuate, the prices remain mind-bogglingly low. Remember, this is fair trade we're talking about.

Another thing that separates Creative Handicrafts from its peers is the constant push to make these women self-sufficient entrepreneurs. "Nobody buys garments for charity," says Johny Joseph, the director of Creative Handicrafts. "People want clothes that are beautiful and well-made. If there's a story to go with it, that adds value. But people buy clothes that are comfortable and that make them look good." 

Quality control is strictly enforced by the women themselves. The collective is divided into groups that elect their own leaders. They work with professional designers and carefully inspect each finished product. And because the focus is on true empowerment, each group sets its own production goals. So they're accountable to each other and not some profiteering overlord. The more they produce, the more they earn. But vacation time, childcare and a base salary are guaranteed.

The result? Women like Sheela Patel can know -- for sure -- that her kids will have a better life than the one she has led. When her husband grumbles that dinner isn't ready on time, she no longer cowers. "I have to work, so what if dinner's a little late?" Lalita Kamble, whose husband now attends an alcohol counseling program, says, "I know now that I can take care of my two children. That I am strong. My husband no longer beats me because he knows that I will leave him, and I am not afraid. Dil mein abhi himmat hai. There's courage in my heart now."

Of course, a collective of largely uneducated women poses its own special challenges. "If a woman is completely illiterate, then opportunities for advancement become limited," confesses Joseph. "And not all women are able to pick up stitching." So, in the last couple of years, Creative Handicrafts has expanded to provide a dabba service. Women who cannot sew can find employment in the kitchen that provides boxed lunches to the local Andheri office community.

These women are more than just coworkers to each other. They have navigated a common darkness: the terror and shame of being abused, the lack of community support, a helplessness in shielding their children from their realities -- even the challenges of convincing husbands and in-laws to let them work.

Lalita Kamble smiles as she looks around the small, hot sewing room, "Even if you don't say anything, they get it. They read your body and your face and they understand. Because they've been there. They know. I have never experienced this level of support before. Finally, I am not alone."

The women at Creative Handicrafts are proud. They want your business, not your pity. You'll rarely get this much for your money.

Creative Handicrafts, Shop No 1, Bandra Homeland Co-op Housing Society (near Cheap Jack), Hill Road, Bandra (W); tel. +91 (0) 22 5572 7015

Head Office, sewing and cooking facility at D/1 Achanak Colony, Mahakali Caves Road, Andheri (E); tel. +91 (0) 22 2832 4692