FARAK
It's easy to not be affected by a farmer's struggle because we don’t hear or see their stories every day.
Let's change all that.
Introducing FARAK,
A series of sweatshirts and joggers made from 100% desi (local) cotton cultivated, hand-knitted and woven by farmers and craftspeople from Vidarbha, Wardha and Murshidabad.Each garment has been inspired by a farmer's struggle. It comes with a scannable QR Code that can be used to educate ourselves and those around us. Each garment is an expression of our emotions, that we care about the farmers and their happiness, and that their story affects us.
Today, we only want to say one thing to every farmer - #humeinfarakpadtaha(It makes a difference to us!)
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Vidarbha 2001-18, Maharashtra
This sweatshirt is a tribute to the 16,912 farmers who committed suicide between 2001-2018 in the Vidarbha region because of unsustainable modern farming methods. 15 lakh htr. cotton farms have been destroyed at this time. The vulnerable cotton farmer has been caught in the web of the capitalistic growth index where they are just pawns for large corporations. Rias Jaipur is committed to supporting local indigenous farming practices. The Vidarbha cotton used in this collection is the desi (local) variety easily cultivated in the region. Rias Jaipur is committed to supporting the growth of traditional local economies. Hand-knitted at Wardha by the local artisans of the region. Just as we want a bright and safe future of our younger generations, so, does every farmer. Join us in this campaign to save our farmers.
THE DEVILS DYE
Champaran 1917 indigo movement, Bihar
The sweat shirt is inspired by the historic story of indigo planters and their struggle for freedom from slavery in 20th century. It's made using VIDARBHA COTTON, 100% DESI (LOCAL) from the Vidarbha region and hand knitted in Wardha. Natural indigo extract from the plant is one of the oldest textile dyes which is anti-bacterial and good for skin. It’s impossible to talk about indigo without mentioning slavery and human struggle. Farmers of India were lured, and then forced to cultivate indigo for centuries, by Europeans in 5/20th of their lands, later reduced to 3/20th popularly called Teen–kathia system. The system did not allow for them to grow crops for their own consumption. Pre-approved loans-lured the poor farmers to grow indigo on their lands but later penalized with high rates of interest and taxes made them even poorer and never came out of that vicious circle. It is a myth that indigo plantation ruined the lands, in fact planting indigo makes the lands more fertile by adding a lot of nitrogen for the next year’s crops.
Rias Jaipur is committed to continue this line to support them directly and ensuring a continuous sustainable livelihood. We invite you to join the cause with us.
A CRACK IN FASHION
Are we paying the true cost?
Rana Plaza, 24th April 2013, Bangladesh
24.04.2013 Rana plaza, Bangladesh, 8 storied building collapsed. Around 1100 people trapped & killed, making clothes for first world countries,In 90 seconds it took to collapse, the Rana Plaza garment complex it became a symbol of global inequality, dated today justice has not found their way home, and reforms will take long way to come. The fight is not between fast fashion and slow fashion. It’s our buying habit that feeds the fast fashion industry. A super-fast cycle of designs, production and supply which means trends can be spotted, copied and SOLD within 7 days. Fast fashion does not depend on seasons but all year product flow. No. of young adults who believe in “That trending shirt “and “NOT that classic ONE, for whom shopping is leisure our obsession in celebrities and their clothes and of course the low prices are actually responsible to pay for these disasters.
Let’s change what we wear and slowly mend that crack!
A series of sweatshirts and joggers made from 100% desi (local) cotton cultivated, hand-knitted and woven by farmers and craftspeople from Vidarbha, Wardha and Murshidabad.
BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE
It does not matter how slowly you grow, as long as you don’t stop!
Our new set of handspun indigenous cotton denim clothes are inspired by a story of how a tiny change can make big difference.
At the time of the partition in 1947 large number of traditional GAMCHA(towel) weaver communities from Bangladesh moved to West Bengal. 5 families from the group decided to settle in Chak, Murshidabad. The other members moved inland and settled in Bishnupur, Nadia, Hoogly and Phulia district, which have now become the main weaving hubs of West Bengal. These 5 families being out of this circuit were unable to grow their work and continued weaving their traditional Gamchas using the simple 2 shaft handlooms. Rias Jaipur and Nani Gopal Sarkar a weaver from Chak worked with these families on a skill-building exercise to enhance their weaving practice enabling them to work on a 4 shaft handloom with a small technical changes in their existing 2 shaft looms. Now, these weavers can continue their traditional Gamcha weaving but also weave modified contemporary textiles and grow their market.
But that’s okay we guess! #slowfashion
Hoping to find them more work and new avenues, we have introduced these cool hands woven denim in homespun and handwoven indigenous cotton. Buy to support!
STORY OF 350 HANDS FROM BANSKHO TO BAGRU
REKH draws inspiration from Rajasthan's Shifting Sands Desert from the Thar Region.
From the shifting sands of the Rajasthan's Thar Desert to our homes - we believe a shift-change-adaptive nature is necessary. Like the lines from the sand dunes we resemble our homes, how everything in us and our homes are interconnected, interdependent and irreplaceable and inseparable.
REKH symbolizing lines, is our visual representation of interdependence, connection and an attachment we share with our homes.
Tracing it's orgin from the jails in Rajasthan, dhurrie weaving was undertaken by the prisoners as a part of their reformation process under the reign of Maharani ----. This practice carried on and was eventually undertaken by the locals around the areas. We at Rias Jaipur wanted to bring to light, a heritage textile, that was once an integral part of a brides trousseau. Our entire collection REKH is focused on these Dhurries, to contemporizie the look and feel according to our modern homes. Our Dhurries are made of hand spun Khadi that involves various processes of sorting,carding, spooling, spinning, dying, weaving & hand block printing . After which the yarns are are Handwoven meticulously by diligent craft persons. It roughly takes almost two months to complete one dhurrie by a single artisan. Our project of Dhurrie making has helped promote employment to the an entire village - which involves around 300 - 350 artisans from Banshko, a village in Rajasthan, where the dhurries are woven and the finishing is carried out by hand. Furthermore they are sent out to Bagru where the dhurries are Hand Printed by master artisans. It is a collective effort of all these hands coming together to make a beautiful handcrafted Dhurrie, especially for you.
Our print is engineered with a single block that is carved and printed exclusively according to the required size of the dhurrie. We have worked on contemporizing the stencil print to develop a non repeat pattern that portrays our REKH for you.
