THE FABRIC SOCIAL 
The Fabric Social aims to help women in insecure geographical areas to break out of their poverty cycles by offering them an opportunity to establish economic independence.

The Fabric Social also seeks to keep weaving traditions alive in a sustainable manner and advocates zero-waste designs and production methods.

Find out more about The Fabric Social at thefabricsocial.com

The Story

 PictureFounders of The Fabric Social
Founders Katie, Sharna and Fi met in India and were inspired by the work of gender rights and disarmament activist Binalakshmi Nepram. The trio then went on to understand the issues faced by women in conflict-affected areas and started The Fabric Social to empower and alleviate the living conditions of these women artisans.

The Fabric Social also brought on board designers Kuki and Ally, who inculcate traditional elements into their modern designs. Kuki was born and raised in Northeast India, and believes in using traditional Mizo weaving as a tool for empowerment. Together with The Fabric Social, she seeks to bring sustainable employment back to her community. On the other hand, Ally advocates and works towards zero-waste designs and sustainable fashion. She works with the natural fabrics from the state of Assam and brings a contemporary touch to the classic designs of North-east India.

Through working with other smaller NGOs and Social Enterprises, The Fabric Social brings together the communities in the states of Assam, Mizoram and city of Kolkata to create a sustainable and transparent supply chain that commits to the ethics of fair wages and safe working conditions.
"The Fabric Social is an ethical fashion company run through e-commerce. Northeast India is home to some of the most beautiful fabrics and designs I have ever encountered but much like the conflict there, the rest of the world has no idea about them." - Fi, one of the founders of The Fabric Social
Picture
Fi is often referred to as the 'Captain of The Fabric Social'

The Impact
Since its inception in 2014, The Fabric Social has raised more than $18,000 worth of funds through crowdfunding efforts, and has attained 100% supply chain transparency with 100% made nationally in India. In creating a sustainable ecosystem of economically independent women, The Fabric Social has collaborated with education organisation CodeCloud to develop a smartphone app for their women weavers to use as a basic business and logging tool. The Fabric Social has also partnered with Illumination Solar from Melbourne, Australia, to provide solar chargers for these women to charge their smartphones with.

Beyond their community of weavers, The Fabric Social seeks to benefit the greater community through reinvesting 5% of their profits in the form of donations to anti-landmine organisation APOPO. For every item sold, one square meter of a mine field is cleared for good.