Sharmila walks the ramp with 92-year-old SEWA artisan

The brand Hansiba is named after Hansiba Ben. Also giving Sharmila company on the ramp Saturday was Venezuelan Ambassador Milena Santana Ramirez.

Sharmila walked the ramp in a red silk sari with a colourful border, designed by Self Employed Women's Association  (SEWA) artisans and French designer, Graham Hollick, to encourage the new collection - "Ananta - The Flamboyant Stitch".

"I have kept track of the workings of SEWA since a long time. They have done good work in making Hansiba, a well-known brand. Today, I am wearing a Hansiba sari, not only because I support this initiative but also because it is so pretty and makes me look beautiful," said Sharmila, 63.

Hansiba, the flagship brand of a prominent Gujarat women's self-help organisation, belongs to STFC (SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre), a non-profit organisation jointly owned and managed by over 3,200 rural artisans.

Right from the raw materials to the entire supply chain, it is managed by rural women. Hansiba as a fashion brand was launched by more than 15,000 women artisans.
Hansiba has its own stores in Ahmedabad, Delhi and Mumbai and is awaiting one in Bangalore.