WTFO-Asia: Report to WWF Pakistan

WORLD FAIR TRADE ORGANIZATION ASIA, INC.

Summary

The upgrading and development of Pakistan’s traditional rural craft skills present potential to increase earnings especially for women, incentivizing people to stay in in the village and reducing urban migration with associated environmental impacts. The five groups visited by WFTO-Asia introduced by WWF demonstrated a very rich cultural identity expressed through their crafts. Local craft production has low environmental impact in terms of low energy use, and locally soured sustainable materials. The poorest families of Pakistan can be those hardest hit by environmental changes: including unreliable harvests, and access to water. The value added craft activities present an alternative income that is not as directly impacted by climate change. The challenge now it to change these opportunities into financial asset.

Recommendations

1.1 Improve marketing opportunities

• Training in marketing especially for women
• Branding either as individual crafts or as a national brand
• Identify best practice / most effective sales techniques and train from group to group based on this experience
• Create a direct space for marketing of the products. Sell to local artisan fair in Islamabad on rotation basis, inspiration from Dilli Haat. Could have women only selling and buying events (Contact Lahore women for SMES to co organize)
• Middle east market, especially online
• Participate in online marketing events, i.e. Ethical Fashion Forum SOURCE

1.2 Sourcing of more sustainable materials

• Connect the supply chains to Better Cotton and Organic cotton sources
• Recycled denim off cuts from jeans in Karachi – connect small pieces/recycling to be reused by groups

*please send sample of the recycled denim to Christine

1.3 Recognition: Fair Trade

• Many of the groups are working in isolated and remote area with significantly disadvantaged artisans. There is some baseline information on these groups, but this should be clearly established before proceeding to
• Liaise with WFTO to train in the Guarantee System

1.4 Design innovation: product, packaging (and branding)

• Tourist events such as the car rally near the fort; product development specific to different market segments
• Connect to emerging ethical and fair trade fashion designers through local and international design schools
• Move from designing and making for the mass to

designing for the individual

• Bedding market
• Review what is being sold and how e.g. sell the natural

dyes ingredients, rather than the dyed product

1.5 Infrastructure support

• There did not appear to be a strong network supporting traditional crafts at a national level for example: design development, training and market development
• Make database of all workers, skills etc.

2 Background information and group specific recommendations

While in Pakistan WFT0-Asia met with five distinct groups of producers working in value added crafts. The above list of recommendations is made based on the experience of meeting with these groups. The below suggestions are focused on the groups individual unique skills and specific development needs.

1Qila Derawar (Bahawalpur - near fort) Gindi/Ralli

Specific Recommendations

• A small outlet for the women to store and sell their products near to the fort. Should be a very simple mud building; built in the local style with a wood carved door. Including a simple, clean storage and display unit. Challenge: to maximize income to the women. It would be ideal to have the women themselves selling the products. While visiting the group it was apparent that the young girls were familiar with selling the ralli work, could they be trained to operate this small outlet?
• The pieces of cotton used can be small. This is an opportunity to connect to a Better Cotton manufacture (they currently sell their off cuts which are sold for 15Rs per kilo). Or enable the women to have the cloth direct (for free?). This would be a good environmental/cultural/social story for the BCI factory.
• Connect the group to recycled denim to make rough, recycled bags suitable for car rally tourists.

Background information: a group of women embroiders who live in a desert area. They live away from the cotton farms, but travel to town and to the cotton fields working as labourers. The women are sewing “ralli’ to make bags, bedding pieces, clothes and purses. The women are buying coloured, low quality fabric (often with synthetic mix) from the local market. They would prefer to work with better materials. Some is sold to local tourists who visit the large historic and impressive fort in the village. Once a year there is a large motor rally in the area which brings foreign tourists to the area and village. The young women seemed to be familiar with selling the goods direct to tourists.

2Goth Lal (Bahawalpur, closer to city). Embroidery mainly shalwar camise

Specific Recommendations

• Connect the group to a designer/brand for domestic fashion – e.g. through Amirah Abbasi of Fashion Revolution/Pretwear or Mo Tomney of UCL London/St Martins for connections
• Identify most effective marketing strategy within the different groups and develop market approach based on this.

Background information: One group of 25 women was visited, this is one of 25 such groups formally registered and organized (about 5 years old) as part of a farmers organisation. Surrounded by cotton fields, all the women participate in seasonal cotton picking for about 2-4 dollars per day during the cotton picking season. The group visited was of mixed age from 18 and up, with some English spoken and at a high level. They are highly skilled using amazing detailed work including crochet, applique, beads etc. There is potential for high street fashion domestically and internationally.

3Chak # 33 Dear Bakha Hand weaving group

Specific Recommendations

• Introduce BCI or organic cotton yarn and make blankets with cotton warp and wool weft with the traditional border of naturally dyed yarn (indigo or deep red)
• Utilize the traditional border on men’s clothing also using local fabric.

Background information: Hand loom weaving using very simple traditional pit looms. Visited one set of three basic pit looms, 25 operations of looms like this are throughout the village. The group visited expressed pride in their work and want to maintain the skill to keep the tradition in the family. Yet, only 1 person in the group was wearing their own weaving. They have a specific unique way of weaving the edges that gives a slightly feathered effect. They weave with purchased cotton yarn. Hand spinning and weaving is also done to make thin woolen blankets. 100% warp and weft wool blanket takes 10 to 13 days work from spinning wool to the finished blanket, currently selling for 35 USD. Due to the narrow nature of the loom the blankets are made in two pieces which are then sewn together – a unique had made touch. Access to local natural dyes is available, although not currently utilized, for example, indigo. They often mix in synthetic. Market is currently on a domestic order basis.

4Chak # 33 Dear Bakha Tye Dye group with natural dyes

Specific Recommendations

• Investigate if the group could produce the dyes rather than the dyed cloth – this could then be sold, distributed throughout producer network

Background information: This was a group of women who do ‘tie - dye’ The colours included natural dyes from ginger, amber and pomegranate. Not currently using indigo. Ameer Mai and Nusrat Mai mother and daughter working on tie and dye with natural dyes. Natural dye products although they take longer, are cheaper to produce. They were the only ones in the group with knowledge on how to use natural dyes – such knowledge should be encouraged.

5Sukkur, met at WWF-Pakistan Office – Ralli

Specific Recommendations

• Potential to use off cuts material
• Sell to national market rather than just the immediate local market
• Group wants a unit to come together and work in one place

Background information: The group of women met with were one of 25-30 more potential groups in the Sukkur vicinity. Products include shoes, bed sheets etc. Goods are being sold directly to village people. High quality of work plus raw material costs for a large blanket can be up to 10,000 RS. The pieces used range in size, from small to large - potential to use off cuts from BCI factories. Some of the larger final products take 3 people 3-4 months. During the meeting the women talked about Fair Trade (Mon safana te javad) in the local language. One women in a black scarf and red dress said ‘if we had more money we would send our children to school and that is the best investment.’ Other responses on the Fair Trade discussion were ‘build a mosque where women can pray’ and ‘visit America’. These women are also working as cotton pickers, they receive training from female field staff on cotton picking.

6Bhit Shah / Hala (Sindh) Rajat

Specific Recommendations

• Need to connect to high-end national and international markets
• Connect to BCI and or organic cotton
• The grey cloth currently bought is available up to three meters wide and would be suitable for bed sheets and duvet covers

Background information: Located near to the 16th Sufi shrine of Shah Abdul Latif. Group of men who dye and print using local made and sourced dyes. The group appeared to be a few groups composed as one. Many of the men seemed old indicating a lack of the next generation coming into the craft, in turn indicating a lack of market demand. Full process documented in two docs. The artisans are very skilled. Such skill made it difficult to distinguish machine print from handmade, at first glance. The product needs to be sold in a high end market where the skill level is appreciated.

3 Itinerary for WWF-Pakistan Textile Artisans Workshops

Acknowledgements

A big thank you to WWF team for making this trip possible and looking forward to future collaborations.

Christine Gent

Director of WFTO-Asia

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