THE DARI PROJECT
Client
I Am For You
Timeline
16 weeks (June-Dec ‘20)
Tools
Factory cut-room fabric waste (weft) Hand-spun, locally-grown cotton yarn (warp)
Carpet looms
Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Photography Camera
Skills
Concept Development, Community Outreach
Graphic Design, Fundraising, Marketing, Photography
THE PROBLEM
Fabric cut-room waste populates landfills (60 billion m2 / 400 billion m2 of textile production is cut-room waste).
During the CoVID-19 pandemic, daily-wage workers lost all sources of income.
THE PURPOSE
The Dari Project aimed at trying to combat the two primary ill-effects of the CoVID-19 pandemic: the surfeit in waste production due to the increase of single-use products, and the lack of employment and financial income of daily-wage earners.
THE COLLABORATORS
This project is a collaboration between 'Handmaking Hope' and 'I Am For You'
As community partners, we aim to boost the Indian handicraft sector through female empowerment, with a commitement to sustainable and ethical practices.
'Handmaking Hope' is the Non-Governmental Organization I started in 2016, and we have a long-standing relationship with the Indian Fashion Label 'I Am For You.'
THE APPROACH
The Dari Project is a socially-engaged initiative. The project followed the SAVE model (as opposed to the 4Ps model) to catalyze change and reach a wide audience:
Solution (instead of Product):
Transfering the skill of hand-weaving “Dari’s” or flat-weave rugs, and all the materials needed (through garment factory collaborations) to women in rural India to provide them with a source of steady income.
Access (instead of Place):
Providing simple weaving equipment, and fabric waste to women in remote areas, and providing access to consumers in larger cities in India.
Value (instead of Price)
Creating a branding strategy which emphasises the value of a the Dari as a symbol for female empowerment and sustainability.
Education (instead of Promotion)
Educating the customer on the value of supporting daily-wage earners and contributing to reforming a woman’s life through social media and word-of-mouth marketing.
THE IMPACT
The project aimed to teach 53 rural women the craft of handweaving to create flat-weave rugs using factory fabric waste to raise money for migrant families during the CoVID-19 pandemic.
APPLYING THE “SAVE” MODEL
FINDING THE SOLUTION
The Dari, created using cut-room waste, by women who were taught the skill of hand-weaving.
CREATING ACCESS
Access was created by making waste fabric, and weaving equipment available to women in marginalized communities.
OUTLING THE VALUE IN INVESTING
The branding of the Dari was geared towards showing the consumer the value of investing in this ‘choice.’
EDUCATION
The education campaign aimed to explain the current situation, and the solution found to the problem.The goal was to sell more than a product– to sell a lifestyle.
The dari was featured in Vogue Magazine after being used in a luxury home, where it was used to exhibit its exquisite craftsmanship, and commitement to mindful creation.
The dari was featured in Vogue Magazine after being used in a luxury home, where it was used to exhibit its exquisite craftsmanship, and commitement to mindful creation.
REFLECTION
Marketing is a vital part of the each project–
Sustainable change is the only change worth catalyzing–
Marketing, advertising, and lobbying are just as important, if not more, to catalyze change and instigate more people to participate in making change.
Sustainable change is the only change worth catalyzing–
Providing looms and a consistent source of materials to the women, allowed the proejct to be one that has been running even long the pandemic.