Working with a women’s Self Help Group isn’t easy but the journey is enriching and fulfilling for both the mentor and the mentees When you buy from a small business like our SHGs you are not helping a CEO buy their 3rd holiday home. You are helping a little girl get dance lessons, A little boy buy a bicycle , Mums put a more nutritious meal on the table and perhaps even fund their next industrial sewing machine or a scooter to get things done faster! Support a woman's Self Help Group
Fritha Mason
| CEO | Secret Projects|
Fritha Mason is a British social entrepreneur and founder of Secret Projects, a UK-based social enterprise empowering women in India through income-generating opportunities. Best known for the innovative “Secret Pillow”—a cushion that unfolds into a blanket—Fritha launched the initiative in Meppadi and Calicut with the Amrita Varshini SHG groups of Kerala , and has since expanded it across six Indian states. She continues to serve as CEO, supporting women to become entrepreneurs and glob al suppliers.
Glorka
| Founder | Glorka Fashion |
In 2018 AMMACHI Labs partnered with Glorka Wear, an ethical fashion company from Los Angeles founded by renowned designer Zhenya Glorka. Glorka travelled to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh lived with the local community and taught sewing and pattern making to the women. From whom she places orders for her brand GLORKA which retails across the globe.
In 2020 Glorka visited two villages: Juna Kattiwada in Madhya Pradesh and Shyamoli Rajasthan. Despite the pandemic, Glorka placed orders with the women’s groups that were fulfilled and shipped throughout the pandemic allowing the women some income to take care of their daily necessities.
In Glorka’s own words:
“For the past few years I have been going to India to empower women in rural villages together with AMMACHI Labs. AMMACHI Labs has been offering tailoring courses for women from rural villages, women who don’t really have access to quality education or employment opportunities. When I come to the villages, I live with them, teach them a particular design and together we co-create collections of dresses. After they complete a piece of clothing, I pay them a fair wage for their work.
It’s been a while but finally one of the packages has arrived from Rajasthan with the new skirts!
The awesome thing is – we adjusted the belt and added an extension to it. It’s a new things and I was able to communicate it with the ladies from Shyamoli via WhatsApp video and give instructions and with the help Amritha (researcher from AMMACHI Labs) we could translate the instructions to them and they understood and did a great job making the new belts for the skirts! And once again, the quality once again is getting better and better.!
Aparna
An expert Seamstress from Germany Aparna has been our Subject Matter Expert and was instrumental in making over 200+ video tutorials for the tailoring courses which has been critical in achieving standardised training across the vocational Education programmes we conduct across India. She has also offered hands on sessions in tailoring for the Sivasakthi tailoring Unit based out of Kattilkadavu in south-western Kerala
The video tutorials are now available freely on YouTube at Amrita Skills for Life in English and various Indian regional languages
Sharani (Crystal) Eastman
| 3D CG Supervisor |
Sivasakthi Stitching Centre at Kattilkadavu got expert coaching on logo design & proper usage of the group’s embroidery machine software. Sharani Crystal Eastman, a 3D CG Supervisor & Art Director at a design firm in San Francisco, guided them on how to successfully import designs and ensure quality production using ArtisticDesigner 1.7, a proprietary software for high end embroidery machines.
Lalitha aka Cornie Fricker
Cornnie Fricker is a fashion designer from Southern France who has been into styling, manufacturing , designing for the past 36 years. She has worked with world renowned brands like
By Marie
Gas bijoux
Madame à Paris
Mia Zia
Nanaki Paris
Rosabagh
Ratan textiles
Agnès b
Yes oui care
She designing her latest collections of hand painted silk bandanas and hand painted silk dresses with the Amrita Vasrhini SHG group who underwent fabric training classes conducted by AMMACHI Labs in 2014 and are based in Kozhikode in Northern Kerala. She is also personally training a very talented student BIncy who was trained under the SANKALP AVSAR Project run by AMMACHI Labs in painting on silk for her current collection.
Anirban
Anirban, a long time devotee and a textile designer has been supporting the various Self Help Groups by helping build market linkages for the women’s products in Toronto and other Canadian states.
Anantashri
Groups She is working with:-
Sankalp Shree Boutique , Riwazpur Haryanam, Faridabad
Priya Boutique, Palwali, Faridabad, Haryana
Gokul aka Andrew De La Roziere