Practising Ahimsa, or non-violence Eri silk became the leitmotif for a Telugu from Hyderabad, Jyoti Reddy, who travelled to the North-East and revived the lost art of caring
By Asmita Aggarwal
The chances of meeting a Reddy in Assam are more than bleak, but Jyoti not only climbed the hills, literally and metaphorically, but also elevated the living standards of the indigenous tribes there, employing almost 250 languishing artisans.
Ereena by Jyoti is a five-year-old brand and works with only sustainable eri silk, which is made through a non-violent process. Here the silkworm is not killed, as the cocoons are open-ended. Almost 17 years ago Jyotis quest for an intelligent fabric took her to Assam, where she met a textile technologist, who told her that we dont need to create one, as Eri silk already exists.
What lacks is the awareness. Few know that Eri possesses the softness of cotton, warmth of wool and the sheen of silk. It is also isothermal (warm in winter and cool in summer) and it is this versatility that Jyoti hoped to celebrate.
A post-graduate in business studies from Cincinnati, US, she converted a cottage industry making Eri silk, 50 km off Guwahati, into a factory that today employs almost 250 artisans, primarily women, who earlier had looms at home and were not being able to make ends meet. The locals there consider Eri sacred, as it is pure, made with no chemicals thats why Buddhist monks in Nepal and Bhutan wore this, says Jyoti.
The designer wanted innovation to be a part of the making of Eri, so where earlier only 5 metres of fabric was attained out of 1 kg of yarn, now 25 metres is produced, organically. Jyoti has worked on different concepts and surface textures —- tie and dye, printing, Bagru, block prints and natural dyes, Ikkat as well as Jamdani. The story behind the name Eri comes from the fact that the silkworm eats castor plant. In the local language Eri is called Eranda or Endi, so probably the name is a derivative from a Sanskrit word, she adds.
The idea was not just to make silk, but create a lasting social impact, by training families in the North-East and building an industry. It was almost 30 years ago that I got interested in textiles, but marriage took me to the US, and I had two babies to look after, so it became impossible to work. My interest in art and textiles grew so I would visit trade shows, and there I met a technologist in Frankfurt, who told me the world today doesnt need any fabric, but a thinking one, so my quest began, she smiles.
She did find what she was looking for and till today carries samples in her bag as she confesses that all what she learnt in three decades, is through back breaking field work. Dilip Baruah, my partner invited me to look at Eri and then as they proverbially say, there was no looking back 17 years ago, she admits.
What Jyoti had done is added value to the yarn, by introducing 64 shades in natural dyes of Eri silk and combining various techniques (Ikkat and Jamdani). Sustainability doesnt need to be dowdy and boring as well as predictable, it can be glamorous and fashion-forward too, she says, adding, My aim is to get young people thinking about the idea of constant consumption and how it is damaging the environment. Having said this I dont think the world can be fully sustainable, but we can urge millennials to make socially responsible choices.
The economics major, who grew up in Mumbai, Jyoti admits that her grandson is her inspiration for the latest natural dyes collection. Sustainable is anything that is recycled, reusable and you dont waste raw materials; the goal should be not to create anymore waste. Young people want to wear new things to be popular on social media, it is a race to the finish line. But I tell them be creative and learn how to effectively mix and match rather than buy endlessly, she explains.
It is this need to be responsible that won her an invitation to show at the Salvatore Ferragamo museum in Florence, her natural dye Eri silk collection, will be a part of a curation from all over the world. The sad part is that internationally I have got more recognition, but my Eri ikat silk saris have made quite a splash domestically that I sell through the Crafts Council. And I dont get tired of explaining why my saris are expensive when buyers quiz me. I have understood that it is part of the job, she laughs.