From Dependence to Self-Sufficiency: How Unkara redefines financial independence

Giuliana Inturrisi,

Abby Sun

Photographer
Julius Mwaura Kamau

Date
09/09/2023

The clothing production in the fast fashion industry affects women’s life in countries like Bangladesh, India and China where cotton and synthetic materials are grown without environmental and labour standards. During the processing of raw materials, the power holders of fast fashion brands and private companies or corporations take advantage of the poverty situation of Asian cotton-owning countries to exploit their labour. The majority of workers in the textile world are usually women in situations of economic and social exclusion due to low educational level, poverty, difficult access to the labour market, and gender inequality and discrimination, often caused by harmful social norms in conventional patriarchal societies. The situation of these women is usually worsened by violence and abuse within the family or in the workplace that make them even more vulnerable. It often goes with extreme poverty, in which situation women are willing to work about fourteen hours a day without any security measures or labour rights for a few dollars a day. Socioeconomic exclusion factors are considered the underlying causes of labour exploitation of people who cannot make a voluntary choice, but are forced to what the labour market in their country offers.

Bridge the gap between craftsmanship and consumers to build self sufficiency

How can we find a solution to this social plague? When half of the population is treated as a passive object and is not proactively involved in their life decisions or the political and social environment around them, the rest of the population is failing. Human beings cannot succeed if they don’t join forces and propose a switch in the societal mindset. Unkara started in 2022 as a brand to bridge craftsmanship, sewing and garment making skills in extreme poverty to international customers who desire high quality and eco-friendly products. It’s a two way street offering skilled workers a source of income, and garments to customers who appreciate cultural authenticity, handmade skills with sincerity, and quality lifestyle.

We also plan to drive the momentum to launch a social movement. Unkara represents a slow fashion alternative in which women can decide to work ethically and according to the available natural resources to provide their children with a better future free of exploitation and abuse. As a non-profit organisation, Unkara aims to offer livelihood training and a sustainable work environment to local women with a vulnerable background in order to redefine the circle of violence and allow them to escape any form of psychological and/or economic dependence. Financial independence is the key for self-sufficiency and empowerment to then reshape their self-esteem and identity and be, therefore, able to become the protagonist of the change they want to see. Women have great potential if only they are given the opportunity to express themselves and make ethical and sustainable life choices for themselves and their families.