Dream in drape to empower women through fashion

Chennai

Beautiful scarves and stoles in red, pink and blue refashioned from sarees greet you in style as you enter the clothing and home décor store Maalgaadi in Besant Nagar. You can’t take your eyes off dresses, kimonos and gowns all styled from recycled sarees. On another side lay a range of beaded bracelets, neckpieces and earrings. On closely examining these pieces you realise they were not part of just another designer collection. They were the labour of love of brave, self-sufficient widows, who are now leading a dignified life supported by The White Rainbow Project (WRP).

At an evening titled, ‘Dreaming in Drapes’ on Saturday, the store presented these handcrafted products along with the winning designs of their annual saree design challenge won by Madison Acri, a California-based fashion designing student. There were also about 15-20 paintings by artist Anbu Kadhir Jacob that depict the lives of widows and the work WRP does for them. These paintings were on sale and the proceeds will now go towards the widows.

Founded by Linda and Dharan Mandrayar three years ago, WRP uses the power of art and fashion to empower widows and vulnerable women in India. “We take beautiful donated Indian sarees and locally sourced or recycled goods and have them lovingly crafted into tunic tops, scarves, gift bags and unique jewellery. We offer them for sale to help raise funds to support the widows in our programme,” explains Linda. From a donation of sarees from Indian women to the widows who sew a beautiful scrap into a oneof-a-kind scarf, they harness abilities, creating worth and connection across cultural boundaries. The handmade creations are then sent to U.S. to sell in retail outlets, at craft fairs, and social justice events alongside our education initiatives.

In 2005, Dharan had made a film titled White Rainbow to raise awareness about the project. Two years ago, Linda started a crafting centre in Vrindavan to help the widows gain a self-worth. “Many of the widows have been abandoned. We just wanted to make them feel special,” says Asha James from Open Home NGO, which works along with the WRP. She says they teach them to make paper beads, necklaces, bracelets and scarves. It empowers them and keeps them from begging.

The organisation also conducts a yearly contest. “Participants are given a saree that has been donated. They then create evening gowns and other outfits from it, and the winner gets a free trip to India,” adds Asha. Acri, who won the challenge this time, fashioned a beautiful gown with sarong, a hair piece from a turquoise silk sari with silver threads.

“We have been associated with WRP for a while now and even had the winner from last year’s challenge showcase her design here. Fashion needs to support larger social causes and WRP has been instrumental in changing lives of many women for the better and it is a matter of pride to be able to extend a helping hand,” shares Shahin Ansari of Maalgaadi. To help the widows and other women to earn a sustainable livelihood, donate sarees to be recycled for a noble cause at the store.