Our beautiful Artisan Studio collection wouldn’t be possible without the incredible talents of our artisans. We wanted to introduce you to just a couple of them, so you can find out a bit more about who made this collection and how they make these handcrafted designs.
Bandini Printed Dress
Shamim Bano, a skilled artisan for tie-dyed garments, is based in Sanganer, a suburb of pink city Jaipur, Rajasthan. Around 30 years ago to look after her large family of six children, she decided to start working. She was not able to read or write so it was difficult for her to find a job at first, then she landed in Rangrez (dyeing) unit as a helper and started learning the tie-dye process.
With support, she was able to learn these handcrafting skills quickly and soon she started working independently for tying the garments. Her hard work and eagerness to learn helped her to learn the dyeing process too.
Her husband, Munir Mohammad sadly became unwell, but her son Omar started working and soon they started saving money and purchased a small piece of land and built their home. Now with 30 years of experience in the same unit, she also trains new workers. She operates her bank account and helps other workers to learn the skills of tying and dyeing. She strongly believes that women safety is a must for all and that’s the reason she is has worked in this unit for so long, and plans to stay and train as many people as she can in this amazing craft.
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Artisan Studio Woodblock Print Dress
Bhole Ram a 50-year-old artisan started learning woodblock printing at the age of 12 years. His father, Lalaram, was also an artisan and worked in woodblock printing in Farrukhabad(UP). Lalaram has three sons and Bhole Ram is one of them, with one of his brothers working in Sanganer as a woodblock printer too. Due to decreasing printing work orders, his father decided to go to Punjab which was a hub for saree printing.
Bhole accompanied his father to Punjab and got more experience in saree printing. However, due to technological advancements, they left Punjab and finally settled in Jaipur which was growing as a printing hub. In the meantime, Bhole got married, and now has three sons. He has obtained thirty-eight years of experience in the printing sector. He wants to provide career opportunities for his children and encourages them to move into any industry they choose.
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Working with craftspeople in faraway places is a complex process with lots of challenges. But it’s always been an important part of who we are and what we do. Our continued commitment to using handcraft helps sustain skills and livelihoods, as well as adding something special and unique to our collections.
A member of our Monsoon team personally visits our artisans, to watch our beautiful product come to life and get to know the people behind the intricate craftsmanship. We’ve worked closely with our ARTISAN suppliers to introduce worker handbooks where artisans can track the number of pieces they’ve worked on and, in turn, keep a record of their wages. This helps create transparency in the supply chain, letting us know who is making our clothes, and allowing us to make sure that the artisans have been fully paid for their beautiful work.
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