The race to sustainability is on and big international brands are doing a great job of showing other conglomerates that sustainability, too, is an important part of business practices. Usha International, a company known to sell household appliances such as kitchen gear, sewing machines, irons, and water heaters, has now launched a sustainable line called Usha Silai that works with rural women to encourage entrepreneurship through design.
In partnership with 58 NGOs and corporate partners, the organization runs over 16,000 Usha Silai schools across India, and one of the big goals is bridging the gender gap in business. The Usha Silai schools are lumped into clusters by region and the first line was created under the guidance of four designers, Amit and Richard Pranav, Soham Dave, Sayantan Sarkar, and Sreejith Jeevan.
This collection will be housed in the OGAAN store in Delhi and both brands are looking forward to showcasing the work of rural women artisans that have been part of the Usha Silai school of women since 2011, when the Usha Silai schools were first launched. The initial goal of the organization was to empower women and now the organization has been able to do much more and give these artisans a chance at being recognized for their beautiful craftsmanship.
As a company, OGAAN is known to work with designers that use Indian textiles and work with skilled artisans that individually create lovely pieces. It is wonderful to see that multi-designer stores such as OGAAN are also working with designers and initiatives that showcase the work of women that would not get recognized otherwise.
At Seams For Dreams, we believe that sustainability can be introduced in many ways and it is encouraging that we are seeing many companies integrating this ethos into their practices.
Keep giving in style!
Team SFD
