Okhai

Okhai is an artisan led fashion and lifestyle brand that designs, manufactures and retails handcrafted womenswear. The company- now a subsidiary of Tata Group- focuses on women empowerment through capacity building and livelihood generation in rural India. The artisans in their fold create apparel and lifestyle products with a contemporary design aesthetic while protecting the traditional crafts of mirror work, hand embroidery and appliqué unique to the Okhamandal region of Gujarat. Through this initiative Kirti Poonia- head- Okhai salutes craftspeople and endeavours to uplift the region's craft clusters.

Okhai is an Indian fashion and lifestyle brand that designs, manufactures and retails handcrafted womenswear created by rural artisans from across India. These artisans are gifted with the talent and traditional skills to craft exquisite designs in styles that are unique to their culture and heritage.

How did it take shape? Per Voice of Fashion: 'Poonia, a software engineer, has worked with the Tata Group since 2007 when she joined Tata Consultancy Services as a systems engineer. She became senior manager: corporate strategy and business development in Tata Chemicals in 2012 before assuming a leadership position at Okhai in 2015. Beginning with 350 women in Gujarat, Poonia and her team have consistently worked with artisans to reinvent traditional handicrafts and textiles in a corporate avatar.'

Okhai products offer contemporary design at a reasonable price. Proceeds from sales help rural artisans help themselves – Okhai's mission is to encourage women from less privileged backgrounds to acquire new skills- to give them the self-confidence required to earn by their own industry and initiative- and to enable them to carry this newly discovered skill into the world. Per Voice Of Fashion: ‘Okhai is rooted in a social initiative of the same name- founded in 1996 by the Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development to support drought-hit artisans in Gujarat’s Okhamandal region. The women were experienced in embroidery, mirror-work and appliqué among other crafts.. TCSRD harnessed those skills, training and enabling the community to earn a living.'

Okhai products use mirror work, patchwork and hand embroidery created to reflect the rural way of life and their living heritage. The company has been identified as a promising means of generating livelihood for hundreds of rural artisans. Okhai has made a significant contribution to the lives of the women artisans which has helped improve their economic status. And it continues its march towards fulfilling its vision of being a brand that symbolises empowerment of rural and semi-urban women while promoting traditional handicraft techniques that are in danger of dying out with increased industrial growth and urbanisation.

It is with this in mind that Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development set up Okhai. With the support of TCSRD self-help groups have been formed in the villages of Okhamandal and members of these groups are trained in the processes of modern handicraft production. At present over 2,300 rural artisans are benefiting from this programme with a goal to reach five thousand over the next five years. The idea is to ensure that the women can work in their homes while managing the household. All of this while special training on costing designs and visual merchandising coupled with factory visits are provided on an ongoing basis.

“Through Okhai we are trying to create a relationship between urban and rural women so they can support each other. Our brand functions through forty self-help groups which comprise of five hundred women artisans who work from home. We want rural women to feel a sense of identity and pride for the work they do… The partnership with Tata CLiQ will be instrumental in creating more awareness about traditional crafts and culture” Kirti Poonia, Head, Okhai tells AdGully.

The organisation has an unusual business model. While fashion designers and retail brands employ artisans to manufacture the products, Okhai facilitates artisans to gain from the final sale of the product and own the intellectual property of the design they create. At a grassroots level it changes the way products are created and sold.

Okhai strives to bring the traditions of India to customers all around the world with its unique creations and products. It not only helps rural artisans become wage earners but also spreads awareness about the heritage crafts unique to the region subsequently helping preserve a rich part of India's national cultural heritage.

Indian fashion and lifestyle brand Okhai promotes rural women artisans- trains them in traditional regional crafts and gives them opportunities for economic empowerment. This gives the women an opportunity to work at their own pace from the comfort of their home, a better market for their products, sustainable income and a better livelihood. With initiatives like this these rural artisans will get out of the poverty line with dignity and be able to provide better education and health for their future generations.

Since the dawn of civilisation- art and crafts has been sources of income and livelihood for thousands of fine artisans across rural India. Weaving and handicrafts- particularly- are age-old vocations. Through art and design it is Krti Poonia's intention to sensitise and demonstrate the skill set and expertise of local artisans, help them with economic empowerment and a better life, and subsequently save the living heritage of the region. She wants to foster creativity, provide employment, empower women and contribute towards the eradication of poverty. That's what she is committed to, with Okhai.

Okhai retails womenswear and handicrafts made by rural craftspeople. The traditional living heritage is injected with a modern design sensibility to make it relevant to today's fashion-conscious consumer. The label is at times perceived as a vehicle of preserving cultural heritage inherited from our ancestors. Its importance is not the cultural manifestation itself but the knowledge, values and skills that are passed on.