Monday, January 30, 2012

Cooperatives Panel Discussion: Shari Keller for Mehera Shaw at the EFF Source Expo, October 2011





As several people have commented on the value of the Source Expo panel discussions and I myself also found them to be incredibly fabulous resources, I thought I'd post some of my "pre-answers" that I had formulated in preparation for speaking on the panel about Cooperative Producers in developing countries who produce in a sustainable manner. I would like to thank Tamsin LeJeune and all those at EFF who made the Source Expo possible and hope that my thoughts can contribute to developing the network of people who believe in ethical fashion.

Shari Keller - Mehera Shaw
How is Mehera Shaw championing marginalized producer groups?
We work with artisan block and screen printers who are considered marginalized in the sense that they have a finished product but limited access to the western market. We work directly with them, allowing them to set the price based on the current market. We make a point of including prints in a very prominent way in every collection we make and of seeking out clients who also want to use artisan prints in their collections. When using prints, we also seek to incorporate traditional Indian design elements into our collections in a manner that brings about a positive blend of East and West. We use both traditional print motifs commonly seen in the market as well as developing our own prints. In this way we work to bring new ideas into the printing community, discuss what market trends are there. We also work with printers to plan ahead to print on organic cotton which takes special consideration as the width is different and the grade of dyestuff is, in this case, certified organic. When working with artisan producer groups, we are seeking a cultural connection as expressed through the final design. The design should take into consideration the nature of the art or craft and use it to it’s best ability so that it becomes inherently valuable in the market, rather than being seen as a lower quality craft item that perhaps does not have lasting value. Part of the mission of Mehera Shaw is to uphold Gandhi’s principle of decentralized, rural production which allows a more traditional way of life and reduces city over population and the degradation of the family structure.
In our website and with our customers, we also tell the story of the printers, in photos, in words, in descriptions of the how the prints and clothes are made. Our clothing is not an industrial product divorced from it’s place of production. It is imbued with the lives and stories of the people who made it. The look and feel of the final product, especially when done to it’s finest level, tells a story of beauty, artistry and regard.

What were the challenges involved and how have you overcome them?
Communication is always the greatest challenge. Real communication is two-way, it is not simply a matter of getting the producer to understand the needs of the buyer. It is also incumbent on the buyer to understand the constraints and skills of the producer. Communication is a long-term relationship--a commitment to people. When a designer or buyer sees something of beauty that they would like to include in their collection, it is important to realize it may take time to work out the details of the look, the quality standard, the necessary lead times. All too often, details and quality control issues are assumed on both sides, creating the potential for misunderstanding. It take patience, listening, support and respect to communicate effectively. Many times producer groups have a very high degree of skill but are missing the understanding of how to finish a product so it appears packaged for the western market. It takes effort on the part of the designer or buyer then to demonstrate how the finished product should look--to give similar examples, to show a range of what is acceptable, to train people in the quality standard. none of these things can be taken for granted.

How have you worked with groups to preserve artisanal techniques?
We always start with something simple so as to have the best chance as success and thereby build a rapport. We see what a group is already doing, find an example that suits our needs and make as few changes as possible. We discuss at length the quality standard, the lead times, who does the work, in what setting (at work or in the home), what variations can we expect in the product, both within one order and across orders at different times of year. then we go one round of ordering and see what things work and what don’t without placing too much expectation on the first round. Only gradually do we make more design changes as we learn their skills and time frame. We learn how a group thinks, how they see things. Not everyone can express the constraints within which they work verbally, so much of the process is understood through observation. On my side, it is also a matter of education and skill development. If the artisan skill can be integrated into a design suitable for the western market, and the quality control and links along the supply chain can be connected, the artisan work will be valued and preserved. Artisan work is almost always admired, it is finding the specific ways to work to get the product into a final product suitable for the western market that is the challenge. The preservation of the techniques in the process of integrating them into the marketable design and in improving the quality so it has lasting value.
It takes more effort, but when the product is really something of value to the end consumer rather than just a feel-good hang tag, the market will also continue to support artisan made products.

Luxury Panel Discussion: Shari Keller for Mehera Shaw at the EFF Source Expo, October 2011


As several people have commented on the value of the Source Expo panel discussions and I myself also found them to be incredibly fabulous resources, I thought I'd post some of my "pre-answers" that I had formulated in preparation for speaking on the panel about the Luxury market in sustainable clothing. I would like to thank Tamsin LeJeune and all those at EFF who made the Source Expo possible and hope that my thoughts can contribute to developing the network of people who believe in ethical fashion.
Prepared thoughts for the Panel on Luxury and Ethical Fashion:

1)Please tell us about Mehera Shaw, and the types of products you produce

We produce wovens in natural fibers and certified organic cottons for the high-end women’s market. We use detailed stitching techniques such as pintucking, pleating,topstitching and several other hemming details. We use artisan made hand block prints and screen prints in most all our collections. We work in the women’s and girl’s markets. We re also a full production service offering pattern making, grading, sampling, sourcing, production. We produce our own high-end label, Mehera Shaw using sustainable methods and fabrics within the highest quality available. We are a fair trade company committed to working with artisan textiles and stitching techniques in India.

How have you integrated sustainable practices- such as sustainable livelihood creation and building on artisanal techniques- with a high quality product?

Several factors go into integrating artisan techniques with a product that is viable and high-end in the western market. For example, the printing is certainly an artisan craft, and as such can be done to the highest degree of skill within the craft. When done well, hand printing, with it’s inherent blurring of the repeat pattern, is also artistic and beautiful. It then behooves the designer to be intimately familiar with the look of this type of printing in order to develop designs that show off the look of the printing rather than appear as though it is ‘flawed’ because it did not reach an industrial standard. Within the broad category of sustainable livelihoods, it is again a matter of discovering the skill base the workers have and then developing it to it’s highest degree and designing within it, making se of the skills inherently available rather than trying to change them in any drastic way. For example, our stitchers are already well-trained in top stitching, pintucking, pleating, and quilting so I focus on their skills in my designs. We have spent years working to use their skills and bend them toward a western look and to develop them to the highest level. We are working within a fair trade standard at all times, so this process of integrating a western look as the final product with the skill base of our workers fits very naturally.

What have the biggest challenges been and how have you overcome them?
Communication, intercultural understanding and learning how to develop long-term relationships. It is not a matter of simply clarifying what the western market demands or standards are, it is a matter of really learning what is possible and how the people you are working with think, how they see things, how they see their finished product. I spend lots of time showing our pattern master fashion photos of runways designers and discuss with him the cut, the shape, the fit, details of the styles so that his eye is trained and he himself can make judgement calls as to what fits the standard and what doesn’t . I bring in books of western tailoring techniques so that everyone’s skill level comes to the standard I am looking for, but without criticism. Everyone wants to feel inspired and to feel that they are appreciated. It is a slow process, yet invaluable in terms of building trust, communication and undestanding.

What do you think is the future?
From my perspective, the only way the luxury market or any market for sustainable clothing can really work is with long-term, trusted relationships. The designer must learn to design around what is possible rather than feeling like ‘anything’ is possible or sourcing fabric from a fabric show independent of who will cut the patterns, who will stitch the designs. If the design takes an active, committed interest in working with the people making the garments and modifies their designs based on the artisan reality, the result can be spectacularly beautiful. The investment is in the people. It is also a step toward what I would term ethical trade. This is a deeper level of integration than what the fair trade standard concerns are: it is about building trusted supply chain networks, all the way from the fabric supplier and producer, to the designer and finally through to the end buyer. It is not an anonymous relationship, just like Shakespeare’s market square where public life happens or Marx’s market place where face-to-face commerce happens based on trusted, known relationships, ethical trade would bring us back to the human invest needed to develop solid, supportive and trusted supply chains. Back to the human factor The artisan is no longer anonymous. The designer is not the sole hero. It is a collaboration at heart.


5) Can the biggest designer names be producing outstanding product quality to high sustainability standards?
Yes, they can. But again, it takes more careful attention to integrating the supply chain. It is a give and take rather than the western world stating it’s needs, demanding a certain standard, then dismissing a supplier if those standards are not met the first time out. It is also not enough for a company to want the ‘feel good’ hang tag designation of fair trade or the CSR brownie points of working with a certified factory. It takes intercultural understanding and long-term planning. It takes a deeper commitment on the western side to understanding what is required on the production side to make it sustainable and to support, financially, morally and culturally, those requirements.
It is akin to slow food. The time and planning and investment of the soul must be an integral part of the design. There are two types of production choices: the industrial, high-volume, model where everything is computer aided design, pantone shades are met exactly, fabric is mill-made. Then there is the artisan model where specialized designs are made on a smaller scale. This requires artistry on the part of the pattern masters, the dyers, the printers. It is less exact and will not turn out precisely the same each time. It s also infused with a human touch and has the potential, like haute couture, for real artistry. The attention, then, must placed first in understanding which details are important, and then in overseeing the details, step by step: this is the human factor.

Mehera Shaw at the EFF Source Expo


Mehera Shaw Textiles Pvt. Ltd. presented our abilities as a fair trade small-scale production studio to the folks at London's EFF Source Expo last October. It was a great success for us and a big thank you to everyone at EFF for going to such considerable efforts to make all the connections between designers, producers and suppliers along the way. We've had loads of inquires about Mehera Shaw ever since and hope to grow enough to keep up! I've put together a Designer Guidelines document for any of you who may be interested in working with us. We are very small-scale at the moment but for many of you, that is a good match. We do high-end (meaning lots of stitching and tailoring detail) women's wear in wovens, natural fibers including GOTS certified organic cottons and Jaipuri screen and block prints. We are also just now developing our collection of organic printed voiles for wholesale and retail sale along with a new product range of Do-It-Yourself sewing kits! Please don't hesitate to write to me about any of these items or just your thoughts about fair trade artisan production in India. I can be reached at: info@meherashaw.com.
 
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