American Express Promotes and Recognises Indian Women Artists in the Marketplace

By: WE Staff | Wednesday, 22 February 2023

American Express announced that, in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Dastkar, it is assisting nine Indian states' worth of craftswomen in achieving economic empowerment through market visibility, recognition, and revenue.

The programme "Backing Women Artisans" by American Express and Dastkar includes the project, which aims to strengthen the financial resiliency of women-owned small enterprises affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. According to a news release, the programme has already improved the lives of almost 14,000 craftswomen.

The nine states are West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, and Haryana.

The founder and chairperson of Dastkar, Laila Tyabji, stated: "With the conclusion of phase one of our project, there was an obvious need to meet more than just basic needs.

We wanted to make sure that Indian craftswomen's manual dexterity earned them a legitimate place in the Indian and global marketplace in order to assure their ultimate survival and sustainability.

New product development and design were essential for this. We appreciate American Express for recognising this need and extending their assistance with a further contribution of about Rs 1 crore, Tyabji continued.

Vibha Bajaj, vice president, corporate affairs, Asia, American Express, stated, “Our association with Dastkar has been very fulfilling and inspiring, where craftswomen have gained a new lease of life with increased earnings and self-confidence. The program sought to honour, enable, and empower these women artisans, giving them their own place in the economic mainstream - as earners and entrepreneurs, and we are proud to have been able to achieve this objective.”

The project's "AT HOME" concept, which includes domestic items including soft furnishings, home accents, artwork and wall hangings, basketry, and floor coverings, was decided upon for phase two.

From all around India, twelve women-based craft organisations were chosen because of their distinctive identities and strong desire to affect change.

Over the course of nine months, seasoned designers mentored and collaborated with each group to build ranges of 15 things each, including one show-stopping item in each range.

In addition to strict quality control, the craft groups were educated to design principles like colour theory and design thinking. This improved their comprehension of producing distinctive, modern, and marketable designs.

Also, they profited from lessons in pricing, sizing, finishing, and timeliness, from face-to-face interactions with designers, and from knowledge of market and consumer trends.