Community Development and Empowerment of Women in Rural India Through a Recycle Textile Cooperative

In the village of Vellanchery, Tamil Nadu state, India, the main source of income is through the weaving of traditional silk saris. This activity is completed by the males of the families. This is a domestic process carried out on handlooms using a warp of approximately twenty-one metres; from which, three six metre sari lengths are produced. This leaves close to three metres of remnant silk yarns on the warp beam. Past efforts to make use of these remnant yarns have been aimed at the production of fashion accessories, including items such as: bangles and necklaces, which crucially are of low value and only sold in the local market. As such, the production of these items from remnant yarns provide minimal economic empowerment of the women in the village, which is very much needed.
The thesis investigates the development of a process of recycling hand spun knitting yarn using 30% of these silk remnants collected from handlooms blended with 70% scoured lamb’s wool. Alluring and unique yarn colours, that are non-repeatable, and have excellent handle and knit-ability can be produced. Notably, non-repeatable yarn colours make this product unsuitable for the mainstream fashion market, however bespoke designs are extremely desirable for craft hand knitters. The idea is to use hand spinning, which is a therapeutic craft, whereby the wheels employed could be housed in one building to enable women to form a cooperative system.
The aim of the project is to create a framework for a sustainable cooperative model combining the socio-economic and political aspects for setting up a women’s cooperative, including the technology for production and a marketing strategy.