Chitrali women weave their way to the catwalks

Women throughout villages in Chitral in northern Pakistan are busy producing cloth for high-fashion garments that are being marketed on catwalks in London and the US. The women are working as part of an Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) initiative which aims to diversify the economic and social base of Chitral’s agriculture-led economy. By harnessing the high level of livestock and involving women in a productive business, the AKRSP hopes to alleviate the pressure on the land as the sole source of income. The Shubinak project, the Chitrali term for the warping of a loom by female spinners, was launched in 1997. Women spinners in Chitral’s villages have been said to be able to spin yarn so fine that it could be woven into a light windproof fabric called ‘shu’. Traditionally, most shu left the villages and the “added value” was provided for in other parts of Pakistan. This project however, reversed this trend and established the first of a future network of tailoring houses in Chitral. Today around 150 women operate from their homes using wool from their own livestock. They are part of a core team, contracted by the AKRSP to produce the cloth to meet strict quality requirements. Safdar Parvez, programme manager for the AKRSP, told IRIN: “The intention was for the project to grow into a business entity that would be able to protect and develop the interests of the village women, maximise their cash income and keep the control of production in their hands. We are trying to preserve the local culture involving as many households as possible.” Parvez said the women were paid a small premium above the market price to ensure superior quality to that found in local bazaars. In Pakistani markets, the local and western-styled garments sell for 2500-3000 rupees (US $43-$52). In London, these same garments sell for 70-80 pounds sterling (US $103-$117), he said. The challenge now was to identify new markets, both local and international. “One problem we face is that the cloth is so warm it can only be worn in Pakistan in certain times of the year,” Parvez said. “So we are focusing our efforts on the European markets which have severe winters.” The AKRSP has hired the services of an international marketing consultant in London who is launching the garments in fashion-houses and on catwalks. In the Karimabad valley of Chitral, the project has helped Bibi Nisa, a widow, to provide for her family. She previously survived by growing lucerne on her land and selling the bundles earning less than 1500 rupees (US $26) a year. Part of her earnings would be used to buy wool for spinning into ‘shu’, which she gave to local shopkeepers in exchange for sugar, tea and cloth. Now her loom goes directly to the project giving her a regular income and an increased social standing in her community. Parvez says the intention is to turn the developmental project into a business that can stand on its own, allowing for the women to export the garments themselves. In the meantime it has gone a long way to empowering women at the grass-roots level. “It is a wonderful project for mobilising women,” he stressed. “Income-generating projects for women lead to increased decision making in households and higher social standing in the community.”