I Was A Sari teams up with Gucci to expand 'Now I Can' training initiative

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Mar 15, 2021

Sustainable fashion brand I Was A Sari has partnered with luxury giant Gucci to launch ‘Now I Can’, a training initiative which aims to teach women hand embroidery skills for free. 

I Was A Sari initially launched a training initiative in 2018 for its own artisans and this new partnership with Gucci has enabled it to reach more women with its free digital training programme. Now I Can is a professional embroidery training programme available on Udemy and features 80 sections structured in two parts which cover theoretical and practical skills. 
 
Gucci has given its support to the programme through its ‘Chime for Change’ initiative. The brand intend for the programme to be used by NGOs, export houses, and social enterprises to train women and enable them to join the labour market and generate their own income.

“Inclusion for Gucci means creating a sense of belonging, through concrete actions,” said Gucci’s EVP general counsel for corporate affairs and sustainability, Antonella Centra, Elle India reported.

“With ‘Now I Can’, craftsmanship is a tool for social emancipation and offers disadvantaged women the opportunity to find their own place in the world of work and grow professionally. Values that are a fundamental part of our campaign and which immediately brought us closer to the ‘I was a Sari’ project.”
 
The programme has already been adopted by Indian social organisations Rangasutra and Industree, I Was A Sari founder Stefano Funari told Elle India.

“The course covers two main hand embroideries- zardozi and aari, and is in Hindi with English subtitles,” said Funari. “Each session is backed with teaching notes, video tutorials, assignments, and quizzes. The course is structured, keeping in mind that it is targeted at someone with no prior experience in embroidery. It starts with the basics – from a background of embroidery in India to different needles, threads, and embroidery materials and evolves to hands-on training.”