In 2013, while residing in New Delhi, Abhilasha Bahuguna was inspired by her landlady’s passionate bargaining with Kashmiri pashmina sellers. This incident led to a Facebook post where she pondered the unorganized state of the sector and the potential for artisans to form a cooperative. Little did she know that three years later, she would help establish Looms of Ladakh, a farm-to-fashion collective comprising over 450 women from 16 Ladakhi villages, creating a herder-artisan-led luxury brand.
To fully understand this journey, it’s essential to recognize the significant role played by her husband, G Prasanna, an IAS officer. When Prasanna was posted as the deputy commissioner in Leh in 2015, he encountered a group of women from Chumur village who demonstrated their knitted pashmina socks. This encounter showcased the women’s entrepreneurial spirit, inspiring Prasanna to initiate a skill development program known as Project Laksal. This project aimed to train 150 women in knitting, particularly noteworthy in a region like Ladakh with its challenging terrain.
Unlike other regions, Ladakh lacked organized textile clusters for pashmina. Skills like knitting and weaving had been passed down through generations but remained primarily for personal use and had not been commercialized. While Ladakh had been a source of raw materials, it was Kashmiri pashmina that garnered acclaim. Thus, Bahuguna and Prasanna initiated a skill development program with the objective of understanding and addressing the challenges faced by the women in these villages.
A Cooperative Journey
The cooperative journey was not without its challenges. The cooperative was officially registered in 2017, but local resistance hampered their efforts to secure central government funding. Therefore, for four years, they independently operated Looms of Ladakh. Despite the initial hurdles, this period allowed the women to rally together, source their raw materials, establish production processes, and sell products to local tourists. They even showcased their work at various fairs and exhibitions, often working with local elites who sold upscale products in their showrooms.
However, Bahuguna recognized that forming a cooperative was the next logical step to unite these women under a common purpose. The cooperative was established by electing a management team from among the women, a significant step toward fostering collaboration among different villages. The cooperative journey was not without its challenges. In the third year of operation, internal issues surfaced as some members began favoring their own villages. Despite these challenges, Bahuguna and the women persevered, scouted new markets through exhibitions and fairs, and continued to improve their exposure and product offerings.
These women diversified their skills by learning weaving and tailoring, with Bahuguna even sending them to the Usha Silai CSR program for tailoring from the Usha Group. Her aspirations for Looms of Ladakh to become a global luxury brand became evident during a visit to IIM-Ahmedabad in January 2018, where she met the CEO of Italian luxury cashmere brand Zegna, Ermene Zildo Zegna. The encounter fueled her desire to enhance the quality of skills, embroidery, and fabrics in the pursuit of becoming a luxury brand.
The Path to Funding and Expansion
After five years, the women had become proficient in running the cooperative, managing various functions, and scaling up their project. It was at this point that Bahuguna decided it was time to seek investment to scale the initiative. They faced skepticism about their willingness to work with the government, as they had always aimed for autonomy without external control. Nevertheless, they approached the NAB Foundation of NABARD, which warmly received them and granted Rs 1 crore in 2022.
This funding was used to establish Looms of Ladakh’s decentralized solar-heated studio in Chushul, near the India-China border. Currently, they operate using a hub-and-spoke model with a central quality control atelier in Leh and decentralized production units in Chushul, Kargil, and Leh. These units focus on different stages of the manufacturing process, from carding and dehairing the pashmina to weaving, dyeing, and tailoring.
The initiative significantly empowers women herders from pastoralist communities who supply the raw material. The dehaired, carded, and washed pashmina is dyed according to standard color codes, distributed to members across villages in Kargil and Leh, and subsequently utilized for knitting and spinning, ensuring a decentralized production process. This approach has allowed them to diversify their skills and create a sustainable source of livelihood.
Looms of Ladakh has made impressive strides and established a flagship store in Leh. Their products are available in select Taj Hotels in various cities, including Mumbai, Shimla, Delhi, and Bengaluru. They also expanded to international markets, selling at the Oculus Store at the World Trade Center in New York and exploring other international buyers. Recently, they launched a social initiative label called Perak, offering lower-end apparel to sustain their members and foster a cottage industry that can become a stepping stone for luxury garments. They plan to introduce Perak on e-commerce platforms like Okhai, Amazon, and Myntra.
The cooperative has continued to receive support from various organizations, including the Indian Army and ICICI Bank. Currently, they are working on an ERP system, supported by the Swavalamban Challenge Fund from the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), to enhance traceability, transparency, and production efficiency.
This cooperative’s remarkable journey has created a sustainable source of income for women in Ladakh, fostering independence, confidence, and respect within their communities.
