At DekelDyes we have a longstanding love affair with handwoven fabrics. Handwoven fabrics have an amazing hand and texture and they take dyes like a champ. More than just beauty and comfort: I love knowing there is a story behind what I am wearing, these are fabrics made by people I have a long standing working relationship with. Just in case this was not enough, let me give you 8 compelling reasons to invest in handwoven.
Social responsibility;
We buy directly from artisans, which means they receive fair wages. Their work conditions are self-determined and autonomous, unlike wage-hired workers in large factories.
Buying handwoven fabrics does not only support individual livelihoods, but also strengthens local economies in less-developed parts of the world.
Buying handwoven supports local communities
Cotton and silk gets produced directly in or nearby the weavers. Silk sericulture is an important cottage industry in India that is providing employment in around 54,000 villages all over the country.
Often the spinning and reeling is done by women who do this to supplement the family income. For example our weaver in West Bengal, who makes our cotton scarves, employs three women to spin his cotton yarns using a 'charka', the traditional Indian spinning wheel. Others still use a spindle, a skill passed on from mother to daughter.
Advantaging the disadvantaged:
Our handwoven noil silk and some of our eri silk scarves come from an organization that employs different abled persons in India. Investing in these products, with the official fair trade label, provides respectful employment opportunities for the deaf, blind and otherwise different abled in 18 artisan communities in India.
Conserving the art of hand weaving.
Supporting artisan weavers means that we contribute to the conservation of artistic heritage and knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation. This knowledge is at risk of getting lost, as the new generations no longer wish to work the complicated labour of weaving.
Low carbon footprint.
Handwoven fabrics have a low carbon footprint. The spinning, reeling and twisting of fringes process of making fabrics is done without any electricity at all. Handlooms are made of wood, and do not require electricity. Because all materials are usually sourced local, it reduces shipping and transportation. Most handwoven products on the website have been made from start to finish in the same area, before being shipped to DekelDyes.
Sustainability
Silk is one of the most sustainable fibers: it is a renewable resource, it is biodegradable and the process from worm to yarn uses less water, chemicals, and energy than any other fiber. The Indian silks are usually peace silk, meaning that no silk moths have been killed in the process of making the yarn.
Free of unhealthy chemicals
Your mainstream mill produced fabrics usually get treated with a whole list of materials otherwise not utilized in your household. Cottage industry fabrics are free of flame retardants, anti-fungicides, and chemical stiffeners. The only sizing used is rice water or chickpea water which is easily removed in a bran bath, and harmless.
A deeper connection
But the most compelling reason will always be that handwoven fabrics are made by people, not machines. Every thread woven by a movement, a rhythm of generations. Made with love and attention to detail this is true slow-fashion that takes at least a month from fiber to finished product.
Our collection of scarves and fabrics per meter deserved a dedicated page, you can find all our products here;
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