‘Samaira’ was an enigmatic
girl. She had an intriguing personality that somehow Nandni – the head of the
department – of a leading fashion institute could not fathom.
No
student of hers had garnered Nandni’s attention like this girl called Samaira.
Every time Nandni delivered a lecture, she would find Samaira in the front row
of her class with her head bent over a notepad. She would take down notes and
copy all the dress designs that Nandni sketched on the blackboard. When Nandni
used a power point presentation in her classroom, Samaira would quietly fire up
her laptop and deftly transfer the designs and instructions using a highly
advanced software. Embroidery was her passion and she had enrolled for this
course to specialize in digital embroidery. An ace with numbers and figures,
she excelled in crafting spellbinding designs that were not only pocket
friendly but extremely comfortable to wear.
Nandni
had a strong gut feeling that this girl Samaira was already an accomplished
dress designer. She was a quick learner and had grasped all the nuances of the
highly specialized software within a couple of days. Well, today was the day of
reckoning. Nandni wondered what Samaira had in store for her today.
Each
student had to discuss the project that she had studied during her internship
today. Nandni as usual had given them all a free hand. Fashion was - after all
- the creative freedom to express one’s personality wasn’t it?
All
the power point presentations so far had surpassed her expectations. The girls
had used all the technical skills that they had learned in her course to craft
those designs. The cuts spelled oomph, the designs were unique, and the cost
factor simply had to be ignored because the texture of the material and the
skill of designing such clothes were highly labour intensive. Nandni knew all
of this. She was impressed with the results that her girls had come up with so
far.
The
classroom quietened. It was Samaira’s turn and they knew Samaira would reveal
her true colours today…….
‘A
live presentation!’
Nandni
started smiling.
A
stunning bottle green saree adorned her graceful body.
Namaste………Samaira
said softly confidently.
Samaira
raised her hands which were decorated with a beautiful Mehendi design that was
a brilliant coppery red.
Bangles,
earrings, tribal jewellery and Kolhapuri chappals were immediately visible to
the eye.
I
did my internship on tussar silk sarees in a remote corner of Odisha with
entrepreneurs who are working on a portal called classystreet.com
Samaira
had braided her thick long hair and she moved around the stage holding the
microphone in her hands.
I
hail from a small tribal village of Odisha that specializes in making tussar
silk sarees. A simple Google search will give you all the details of this regal
fabric.
Suffice
is to say that I grew up learning how to make tussar silk sarees and by the
time I was 11 years old I could do a fair bit of embroidery on this rich soft
fabric.
We
loved our craft and used every spare minute to work on these gorgeous sarees.
There were many takers for our products – for our labour – and for our skill.
Our merchandise – if you could really call it that – was always in demand.
Yet,
we were not too happy or very satisfied with the quality of our lives. We mixed and matched colours, experimented
with newer designs and even tried weaving in different materials into the rich
tussar fabric that we crafted. We tried our best to analyse and understand the
ever changing trends of fashion and adapted our designs and embroidery to match
the requirements of the market.
It
worked for a while. But we were not too successful.
Tussar
was losing its sheen. Our orders were dwindling. Our future looked bleak.
Or
so we thought until technology and classystreet.com brought about a quiet
revolution in our lives.
Classystreet.com
is my sponsor and thanks to their efforts I, Samaira, am able to stand here
confidently amidst my peers with my head held high.
Classystreet.com
introduced me and several other girls my age to the world of fashion.
Classystreet.com
taught several Samairas like me to have faith in our skills and to continue to
weave our magic with tussar silk sarees, pattachitra sarees, tribal jewellery
etc.
Classystreet.com
had long discussions with the women of several different tribes in our state.
Many
of our most immediate and pressing problems were resolved when we found that
our skills and our handiwork had a huge demand in the virtual world.
For
the first time in our lives, we could name a price for our skills and magically
even get it!
That
first ray of hope was infused in our dismal lives by these entrepreneurs of
classystreet.com
Samaira
could simply be any girl living in a tribal village of Odisha.
Samaira
could be any girl like me who always knew her mind and her heart.
Samaira
could be any girl like me who loved working on exquisite tussar sarees or
pattachitra sarees or applique work.
Samaira
could be any girl who had a bunch of dreams just like all of you sitting here.
Unfortunately
for us, we Samairas were born in a distant unknown tribal villages of Odisha.
Samairas
like me could not communicate with élan.
Samairas
like me were not too confident about their own skills and their own expertise.
Samairas
like me had very limited access to schooling and almost no exposure to the
outside world.
There
were times when a Samaira like me questioned her fate, her destiny, her
intelligence and her talent.
There
were times when a Samaira like me wept with frustration.
There
were times when it took a whole lot of courage and gumption to face just
another routine day at the tussar silk farm that my family owned.
There
were times when a Samaira like me dreamt of creating a revolution in the
fashion world.
There
were times, when a Samaira like me tossed aside her dreams as the meanderings
of an uneducated and idle mind.
Perhaps
an entity like God does exist.
Because
thanks to classystreet.com ……..a Samaira like me stands tall and proud today amidst
a group of fashion lovers.
My
confidence, my faith in my ability as a skilled artisan, my talent, my superb
diction, my classic, rustic, ethnic sense of design is at an all-time high
today thanks to the efforts of classystreet.com
Yes,
I did learn several nuances here that I intend to incorporate into the tussar
silk sarees that we make.
The
folks of my tribal village are eagerly waiting for me to return.
Classystreet.com and trained Samairas like me will work on newer patterns and
designs and cuts and products to bring about a revolution in the virtual world.
If
there is one thing that I gleaned from this entire course, it is this – fashion
trends may come and go, they are bound to fluctuate like the ever changing
British weather……traditions, culture, ethnicity, organic, eco-friendly,
comfortable, durable clothes and accessories are bound to be in fashion for
ever.
With
all due respects to you dear Nandni ma’am………I still strongly feel that our
ancient traditional cultural regional garments just need a tweak here and snip there to create an impact in the world
of fashion.
With
all due respects to you dear Nandni ma’am………I truly feel that several heads
turned in my direction today because this tussar saree and all the traditional
accessories that I am wearing right now created a quiet statement that will
echo through the corridors of the fashion world.
Thanks
to you dear Nandni ma’am and dear classystreet.com…….Samaira not only
discovered herself today but tussar silk has also got all the recognition that
it truly deserved.
Tears
glimmered on Nandni’s eyes as she rose to give Samaira a standing ovation.
Nandni
realized that she had a lot of learning to do……she had to weave in ecommerce
into her subjects and she definitely had to look up this beautiful website
called classystreet.com.
