The Sikkim Jacket

November 02, 2018
The Sikkim Jacket


Hand embroidery on MarketPlace garments is an important factor in enabling women to work and earn a living. Because they are also responsible for running their households, including shopping for food, cooking, cleaning, and childcare, they need to be able to work from home. Embroidery work can be fitted in around their other obligations.



It also requires no bulky equipment. In most cases, the artisan only has to deal with the garment, yarn, needle, and scissors. Sometimes an embroidery hoop is used. All of this can easily be stored at home and carried between home and the workshop.



Little space is needed to do the embroidery.



In many cases, the stitches follow the pattern of the fabric as in this Sikkim Jacket.



Deepika Gond of WARE collective proudly shows off her handwork.



Shop our collection of handmade Jackets and support the work of our talented female artisans.


Tags:   Handcrafted Design  
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On the floor!
Aug 16, 2019
  
By Margaret
They've got this employee sitting ON THE FLOOR doing the sewing. See for yourself: https://www.marketplaceindia.com/product/the-sikkim-jacket On the floor!! No chair provided. No table. No work station. Just a woman forced to sit on the floor. And the clothes you're buying have been all over the floor too. Gross and inhumane.
Owner Response: MarketPlace was started to provide women with the opportunity to earn a living while they completed their household tasks. Handwork was prioritized so that women could work from home even though they did not have space for a sewing machine. In India, chairs and tables are not common and even cooking and eating are done on the floor. Outside of the homes the streets may be dirty, but inside their homes are impeccably clean. Shoes are removed at the door and brooms are used regularly. The women respect their work so much that they never bring back a product that is stained or soiled. The artisans are not MarketPlace's "employees" but are members of independent democratically-run cooperatives. The cooperatives are responsible for arranging and maintaining their work places and practices in accordance with the fair trade principles of the Fair Trade Federation and the World Fair Trade Organization. They decide the timings of the workshop, plan for production, work flow, and quality. Most meeting are held with everyone sitting in a circle on the floor. We respect their traditions, their preferences and their wishes even though it may seem different to the western mind. Flexibility is key to the success of the artisan cooperatives. The women are able to work and earn because they can decide for themselves what works best for them!

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