Fashion brands go rural

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Sept 21: It was rightly said by the then Governor of the state Sushil Kumar Shinde a few months back that the best export brands of global apparel market are taking shapes in the hands of Visakhapatnam rural and tribal women. The moment one enters the Training and Technology Development Centre of the DRDA in Pendurthy hundreds of women will be seen busy before sewing machines. Their eyes sparkle, theyc take pride and feel delighted with a mere mention of big brands like Arrow, Combay, Duck Head, EG Wear, Nautiq, D & T, the companies for whom they are stitching the clothes. Now, the rural and tribal women of the Poorest Of the Poor (POP) sector in the district are no more looking for their husband’s income or to go as domestic help in some others houses, but feeling delighted to be a part of the global industry and are getting trained for big brands. With the state government allotting a 4,000 acres of land at Apparel Export Park and another 1,000 acres for the Brandix India Apparel City of Sri Lanks, the pioneer in the garment exporting and manufacturing it is estimated that 1 lakh employment would be generated especially for the rural and tribal women in future. For which the District Rural Development Agency had embarked upon training the women through Self Help Groups (SHG’s) in garment manufacturing, machine embroidery and surface ornamentation to empower them for income generation through fashion technology programme. Till now the DRDA had trained 2,350 women in advanced garment construction, 11,740 in surface ornamentation, and 400 in machine embroidery through 61 centres functioning across the district. These women in the last few months have executed many exports and domestic orders. Approximately 1.5 lakh pieces of export quality garments have already been manufactured in 6 centres like Pendurthy, Anakapalli, Chodavaram, Yelamanchali and so on in the district. Around 2020 trained women are presently executing the job work orders through selected entrepreneurs and very soon 1,500 women are going to join them after the training is completed. Some other had started their own embroidery units near their households.The rural women employed after the training say that the fashion technology changed their entire course of life. “Its like a U turn in my life. After my husband died I waited till 6 months and decided to go out and work as a maid in somebody’s house though ours is not a maid’s family but the situation compelled me as I’m not having much education. While I was in that dilemma I came to know about the training in fashion technology and joined the TTDC a year ago. After I completed my training the Brandix people took me into their company and now giving training in their style. Now I’m getting 1,200 per month as stipend and they said my salary would be around 2,500 after the training” said M Annapurna of Thumpala who is the only earner of her own family and in laws of around 6 members. Same is the tale of every one who are getting trained or got trained and presently employed in the Brandix or working under some entrepreneurs according to the norms of the DRDA. “The DRDA will enter a memorandum of understanding with entrepreneurs. The DRDA is the implementing agency and the entrepreneurs entering the MoU are the executing body. All the women are selected through Self Help Groups and should be between the age group of 18 to 35. Basing on the understanding of creating workforce for the apparel export park and to devise a scheme for the empowering poor and Poorest Of the Poor (POP) SHG women the prospective was born. And also to meet the demand of an estimated 60,000 employment opportunities in the upcoming Apparel Export Park and SEZ. In future Vizag will definitely become hub of garment industry by establishing satellite common production centers all over the district” said the Project Director of DRDA, Kannababu. Already these women are executing branded prestigious orders like Arrow, Combay, Duck Head, EG Wear, Nautiq, D & T, Mike, Swan and so on, added the Project Director. The garment manufacturing giant Brandix, of Sri Lanka has selected 195 candidates for first batch training that started on August 15. They will also select the candidates in phased manner from the DRDA trained women. “Big branded garment companies like Fountain Set, Sara Lee Courtaulds, Victoria’s Secret, Hanes and J C Penny etc are some of our clientele and these women whom we are going to take in will stitch clothes for those companies” said the Manager, Projects, Brandix India Apparel City, Anton Jayawardena. The Brandix will alone recruit thousands of trained skilled women through DRDA once the full-fledged operations of the company starts in the 1,000 acres of land allotted for them in future. K Syamala 28 a young widow was seen excited after knowing that garments that are taking shapes in her hands will go to international markets besides giving her a decent living. Narmada 34 another widow who comes from Chimalapally was delighted to know that she stitched shirts for Arrow earlier so is the case with Ramalakshmi 21 another young widow.