Swara- Voice of Women

Swara started as a social impact project in 2018 by Asha Scaria during her Gandhi Fellowship in Dungarpur, Rajasthan. Asha saw that the villages were full of young, skilled ambitious women who did not have income opportunities. Ambitious men migrated to nearby cities in search of jobs but women were left behind to take care of the house.

The aim of the project was to create income opportunities for women by connecting them directly to conscious consumers in urban areas. Starting with selling sexy clothes with Rural X Urban aesthetics, the plan was to eventually go into experiential tourism where travellers can come stay in homestays run by women and have an authentic rural Indian experience (milking cows, farming..) Storytelling was the main pillar of the brand to allow it to venture into different segments that could employ rural women. The project quickly took off and Swara became one of the pioneers in D2C ethical fashion in the country, attracting volunteers and ambassadors from top universities, not only in India but across the world.

Swara,
Employ women tailors with a remuneration above market price; provide them with creative autonomy; train them in the latest industry know-how.
Enable rural women to break out of their stereotypical roles by engaging them in out-the-norm professions like modelling, designing and marketing through capacity building and mentorship. By training the women on-the-job, Swara enable them to acquire skills in training, designing and local business practices.
Educate people globally about sustainable fashion, rural women empowerment, encouraging them to make conscious decisions in clothing leading to a more conscious lifestyle.

SWARA is a member of The Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative, the first global network that recognises cultural IP rights for craftsmen and women as custodians and transmitters of traditional knowledge, traditional designs and traditional manufacturing techniques.

Products from Swara