’Cause it’s Crochet

The lace-like work was not just intricate and elegant but looked timeless and fresh. It’s this mindset that Waraich has been working to change for the last three decades. A designer,who works only with crochet,using it on sari blouses,borders,kurtas and dupattas,Waraich recently moved to Mohali from Mumbai. It was in the early ’70s that,as an army officer’s wife,she came across the traditional craft through a man who was selling crocheted laces in Fatehgarh cantonment in Uttar Pradesh. “They were beautiful laces,made by his daughters. He was selling them for peanuts and was very surprised when I paid him extra for the hard work,” reminisces Waraich who soon employed the women of his house to supply crochet designs to her. That was 35 years ago.

Today,her label Zameen Asmaan employs over 200 women,mostly housewives who come from underprivileged backgrounds,but excel in the art of crochet. “It’s a dying art and few take to it as it is time consuming,” admits Waraich,who has been supplying crochet designs to leading designer labels. The list,she says,includes top Delhi-based designer Tarun Tahiliani.

“More than the business angle,for me it’s all about empowering women who get an opportunity to work from home and earn their livelihood,” says Waraich. “What most people don’t realise is that it takes up to two months to make a small garment. Internationally,such handicrafts are held in very high value,” says Waraich,who has the same opinion about Punjab’s traditional embroidery,Phulkari.

“The Zameen Asmaan module has worked well to not only generate income for women but also keep the art of crochet alive. I now want to replicate the same with Phulkari,” says Waraich.

She’s now looking to identify clusters where women are still doing Phulkari and will base her next collection on the this. “The young generation will appreciate dying crafts only if we package it in a contemporary way,” she says.