Investing in women's livelihoods
During the lockdown of March 2020, a series of virtual up-skilling programmes for the women of the Skilling Circles began. These sessions was curated with help from experienced Fashion Industry Insiders to help the women transition from artisan to entrepreneur. During the sessions, the women began to open up to the idea of taking a new approach to traditional hand crafting to cater to a complex, post pandemic global market.
#Make room for her
JRS believed it was equally important to put the training into practise. In March 2021, with another social media tagline, “#Make room for her” the Skilling Circles, India began a series of micro projects.
After studying consumer’s lockdown behaviours, the Chin and Afghan Refugee women of Delhi, India enthusiastically brainstormed on a set of hand embroidered kitchen linen to cater to the lockdown home baking trend. After a successful run, the women ideated on the PJ project; a collection of pyjamas for men and women to lounge in during the lockdown. With winters coming up, the women agreed that this was the perfect time to hand knit a set of winter fashion accessories; a beanie, a muffler and a pair of gloves for the ‘Winter is near’ project. For Christmas, the women crafted a ‘box of Christmas cheer!