These Mumbai Women Will Turn Your Old Saris Into Amazing Blankets

We all have saris we don’t have the heart to part with. But what if there was a way to turn them into something of value? Something that won’t lie vegetating in the closet waiting for its moment of glory? You’d be chuffed, right?

Check out The Initiative—a Mumbai-based brand that employs a team of worker bees who want to be economically independent but are bound by lack of qualifications or family situations. Of the many good-looking things they lovingly make for the brand, we’ve lost our heart to godhadis {Maharashtrian blankets}.

The women at The Initiative refurbish old saris and cloth swathes piece by piece, and stitch them by hand by layering them. Think of it like making biryani, actually. Layer over layer of good ol’ saris, combined over days to ensure they’re making it just as warm as you want them to be.

A lot of unused scrap fabric finds its way into these blankies, and while you’re free to state your colour and pattern preferences, a lot will depend on what the good peeps at The Initiative can source. This sustainable and handcrafted nature of these products is exactly what lends them that beauty only organic products have.

You can also decide how thick or big your sari blanket should be. Not only that; you can also have messages, dates, illustrations and names embroidered on it {how sweet is that?!}.

All the cleanliness freaks and hygiene Nazis can breathe easy. The Initiative re-purposes only brand new material, and, before they deliver these sari blankets to your doorstep, gets them all prepped and laundered at Pressto.

It’ll take about four weeks for an order to complete, and if you’re not in Mumbai, courier charges will apply as well.