About Us
Our journey began in April 2015, when Jayanthi and Ram Ramanan visited Kashi and witnessed the plight of a distressed community of handloom artisans, kicking off a tour across India to investigate the issues plaguing those populations. From Kashi to Kanyakumari, our team visited every corner of India to meet individual weavers, experience their artistry, hear their stories and understand their needs.
Our research on these travels led us to learn about the dire poverty levels within the weaving community: how they are abused and taken advantage of, the threats they face in the marketplace.
Cheated by unscrupulous middlemen purchasing their products at rock-bottom prices, their wares are sold under different brand names with outrageous profit margins to tune of 100% - 1000% markups. Cheap Chinese knock-offs have saturated the market, further dwindling their meager profits and pushing many to quit the profession. Since these skills are passed on from one generation to the next, this exodus threatens extinction to ancient woven traditions.