Indian Artisans Create Embroidered Bags for North American Market

June 19, 2008

An Aravali artisan displays his handiwork at a facility in India.

Scraps of fabric are nothing to discard. Indian artisans can certainly attest to that. Aravali, an artisan group producing textiles based in Jaipur, India, uses leftover fabric to make bags that are pieced together in layers and then embroidered.

Aravali is a new artisan group working with Ten Thousand Villages, Akron, Pa. Established in 1946, Ten Thousand Villages sells products made in developing countries in its 160 North American retail stores and on tenthousandvillages.com. All products are fair trade certified, meaning workers are paid a fair wage for their region and are guaranteed good working conditions. As part of a fair trade agreement, Ten Thousand Villages also pledges to create opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers.

For groups like Aravali, joining forces with Ten Thousand Villages means slightly higher wages than the local market and a long-term relationship with a buyer for their products. Members are guided towards higher-quality standards and fair trade principles, according to Renee Bowers, Ten Thousand Villages' buyer for India. She visits current Indian artisans that work with the company and finds new ones. "When new artisans hear that a Ten Thousand Villages' buyer is going to be in town, they show up to present their items," says Kristen Jenkins, media relations coordinator. "They often seek us out because they know that they'll be paid a fair wage."

Aravali underwent rigorous research before joining the Ten Thousand Villages network, which ensured the group didn't contract another artisan group that wasn't following the fair trade model. In return for joining the network, Aravali can expect a reliable relationship. Some artisan groups have worked with Ten Thousand Villages for up to 20 years. The company also helps groups design products that are easy to sell in the United States and always tries to increase its orders every year. "We never order less than 90% of what we ordered the previous year from a particular artisan," says Jenkins. — Liz Aull

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