Eka produces and donates masks, collaborates with craft clusters

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 12, 2020

Sustainable womenswear brand Eka has manufactured and donated 1,000 non-surgical face masks made from textile scraps and plans to continue to do so. The brand is also continuing its work with local craft clusters. 

 
After being granted clearance by the district municipal corporation to operate in accordance with health and safety guidelines, Eka has begun to distribute masks, the brand announced on Facebook. As all other brand operations are temporarily halted, the brand has directed its energy into this new initiative.
 
“Happily contributed 1,000 masks for the underprivileged to the district administration,” Eka announced on Facebook.

“It is ongoing work, we will continue to send across approximately 300 to 500 masks each week. These are made from fabric scraps, 100% natural, washable and reusable. A learning from the pandemic for all of us is - reuse and reduce, all consumption leading to non-biodegradable waste. The usage of disposable masks and PPE will only lead us into another crisis emerging from this one.”
 
The brand works closely with local craft clusters and produced its current spring/summer 2020 collection in collaboration with the Telangana State Handloom Weavers’ Co-Operative Society. The collection features Ikat weaves with floral motifs and highlights Telangana’s craft traditions and the brand remains committed to working with local weavers moving forward. 
 
“These kinds of skill sets and crafts need to be preserved not just to add value to their local economy, but more so because these are rare crafts for the entire world,” Eka’s founder and designer, Rina Singh, told Elle India, about her continued work with craft clusters.

“If a designer is looking for a technique as rare and indigenous, they have to come to the land where it originates from. This is the only way you can keep art forms sacrosanct and give it the honour it deserves.”