Shopping for charity

The pioneer of the pack is Fab India. Found only in the capital, at any given time, half of Mumbai can be found here, frantically shopping for furnishings. Says Meena Chowdhury of Fab India, "In the mid ’70s, it became apparent that the retail market was beginning to move away from the old-fashioned way of furnishing homes and there was need for a change in lifestyle. Within the handloom idiom, Fab India fulfilled this need. With the help of Riten, Mazumdar’s textile designs, some easily woven basic floor covering and natural fabrics, all at easily affordable prices, homes began to take on a different look."

Fab India, started by John Bissell, offers a whole range of 100 per cent cotton handloom textiles, dhurries and home furnishings — all carrying the upmarket `handmade’ tag. These products provide work for 1,000s of skilled weavers in the rural areas of Rajasthan, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. "Since 1961 we have developed close relationships with our suppliers, both in developing new designs as well as understanding the limitations arising from the inherent difficulties of producing hand made goods," says Meena.

Anokhi, situated at Kemps Corner opposite Cumballa Hill hospital in Mumbai, also does pure cotton weaves in vegetable dyes. They have adopted whole villages in Rajasthan, where Anokhi has its headquarters. They believe in putting back the money earned from these products into the adopted villages. This in turn ensures the loyalty of the craftsmen to the organisation, so that Anokhi’s exclusive designs remain their own.

Takete Maluma, situated in Bandra, off Linking Road in Mumbai, is a more recent entrant in this market. It was started a few years ago by Zia Taraporewala and Latika Khosla, because they felt that there was a void in the retail market for the kind of products they are now carrying. Products that would be universally appealing, as their shop’s name suggests, and would be well-coordinated — which a young couple starting out could pick up and add to as they progressed in life. On the other hand, their products also appeal to older, more `formal’ customers, who are on the look out for a little bit of colour and fun in their homes.

Takete Maluma carries a range of over a 100 products in their outlet, all of which they add to based on customer feedback and international fashion trends.

These stores do not advertise or resort to any other form of hard sell. "If we deliberate long and hard on holding prices so that our customers are not inconvenienced, we spend time and effort to ensure that the weavers and spinners who have worked with us are given an adequate wage," says Fab India.

Most of these stores export their goods to retailers and wholesalers in Europe, the United States, Japan, Australia and the Far East. Not surprisingly, they are on a major expansion spree.

Fab India opened an outlet in Bangalore last February and is scheduled to start in Madras by October. It has plans to open a store in Mumbai too.

So, the next time you walk into one such store and find prices higher than your neighbourhood furnishings store, stop and think. You are getting exclusive designs, a complete range and trendy coordinates under one air-conditioned roof. And if that doesn’t make you feel good enough, well think about the villages you are supporting as you empty your wallet at the cash register.