Sustainable fashion brand RaMa tries to bring together handloom clusters from across the country
Post Date – 11:09 PM, Tue – 1/3/23
RaMa’s founder, Rajeswari Mavuri.
Hyderabad: Handloom weaving is one of the richest and most vibrant aspects of Indian cultural heritage and one of the most endangered forms of craft. RaMa is a sustainable fashion brand that brings the energy of craftsmanship to life globally, trying to bring together clusters of handlooms from across the country.
Founded by Rajeswari Mavuri, the fashion label curates one-of-a-kind clusters from different parts of the country and designs fabrics through re-imagined folklore, mysteries and life stories.
“My interest in Indian handlooms and handicrafts was piqued by traveling the states of India and working with handlooms and weavers since I was a child,” said a student at the University of Manchester. Rajeswari, MSc Fashion Retailing, UK. “The future of weaving is bleak. These craft forms may become extinct in the next five to ten years and we only find them in books and museums, so we have to start preserving our culture,” said the 30-year-old.
The fabrics for the brand’s first collection come from two clusters in Bangladesh – the hand-spun yarn ‘Khadi’, which is woven on traditional wooden pit looms and muslin. Called ‘Amar Amor’, the collection was the result of a three-month effort by 200 weavers across the country. The female characters in the works of Rabindranath Tagore are the main inspiration for this collection.
“Tagore spoke 100 years ago about female empowerment, education and freedom, and this collection reflects his vision. These are the stories of extraordinary women with ordinary flaws – and they are real and relevant,” Rajeshwa Li added.
Describing the working process, Rajshwari said that a lot of research was done on fabrics, weavers and techniques in order to spin authentic garments with natural colors and without the use of synthetic materials. “I’m someone who believes in sustainable clothing. Synthetic clothing contains a lot of microplastics, which are not only harmful to our skin, but also to the environment. No chemicals or mixed dyes are used in the process,” she says.
While “Amar Amor” collection is available on the website www.labelrama.com, this is the second collection of RaMa label from “Pedana Kalamkari Woodblock Printing” of Andhra Pradesh, inspired by “Padam and Javali” – Telu Solid language poetry is also ready and will come out soon. Currently, orders are received via WhatsApp and Instagram.
