The Fashion Journalist Reducing The Gap Between Artisans & Designers
Namrata Zakaria is a prolific journalist, columnist and activist. As someone who has written about the fashion industry for the past two decades, she had always been appalled by the vast economic gap between designers and the people who actually created their clothes–textile workers. While she often amplified the plight of Indian artisans in her reporting, she soon realised that it wasn’t enough. This led her to conceptualise the Baradari project, to financially support textile workers and artisans. To transform her vision into reality, she partnered with Tina Tahiliani Parikh, Executive Director of Ensemble, actress Kareena Kapoor Khan and Pareina Thapar, co-founder, Longform India.
Namrata Zakaria’s 2020 Power Move
In 2020, Zakaria launched the Baradari project, a fundraiser to support the artisans that were severely financially impacted during the pandemic. She conceptualised the idea of an online sale on Ensemble.com, with pieces donated by other Indian designers. Zakaria then managed to get 108 designers on board, who donated pieces for the sale. The proceeds from the sale were later donated to artisans who had the potential to turn their products into a business. The project was the first of its kind, where designers came together to support their artisans–without whom their business would not function.
The POPxo Power Women List is an annual list that celebrates incredible Indian women from diverse domains who make power moves that have a real impact. With The POPxo Power Women List 2020, we celebrate 15 phenomenal women. To see the entire list, click here.
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