Shakti.ism

Shakti.ism is a not-for-profit social enterprise with a mission to empower and employ women from marginalised communities (currently in India and Bangladesh), especially those at risk of being impacted by gender-based violence.

Shakti.ism aims to preserve local skills and traditions, to have a positive environmental impact by reducing waste, and to empower women by providing meaningful and stable employment along with fair living wages. This gives them the opportunity to become self-sustaining and maintain their independence.

We focus on upcycling traditional sari fabric and ethically source materials to create beautiful products using traditional local techniques, such as block-printing and kantha-stitching. Our artisans breathe new life into secondhand sari fabric by turning it into beautiful products that are unique, zero waste and socially impactful.

Through this social initiative, Shakti.ism partners with grassroots NGOs that work to support and empower disadvantaged women and girls. We sponsor and provide livelihood skills training and additional health and wellness benefits where applicable. With our NGO partners, we ensure fair working conditions, safe supportive working and community spaces, and we encourage entrepreneurship to break the cycle of poverty.

Shakti (शक्ति) means ‘power’ in Hindi, and several other South Asian languages. Shakti.ism signifies female energy and power being put into action, ‘women’s power-ism’, or women’s empowerment.