The founder, Asha Scaria, during her Gandhi fellowship found it extremely hard to mobilise villagers and give them a sense of ownership for their village. Although unemployment was prevalent, the state of women needed to be brought to focus. Realising that the priorities in the tribal villages were livelihoods, Asha put her love for clothes into empowering women, by leveraging their vocations and exposure, to change narratives in the communities. 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 clothes 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.
