Everyone relates to having played with a rag doll in childhood. Or you have them as collectables. Fifi and Marcel are two such eye-catching dolls. Clothing brand Genes Lecoanet Hemant and Delhi-based social enterprise Silai Wali Created have created these dolls under The Joy Project to provide such circular solutions to minimise waste – utilise offcuts from past seasons and breathing new life into them.
“Silai Wali has had a few other collaborations of dolls in the past,” says Bishwadeep Moitra, Co-Founder, Silai Wali, going on to list US label Banjanan (sold in New York), Atelier Scarlet (sold from Bon Marche, Paris), Emilie & Eda, and Les Petit Souk (both France). “But this is the first time we have collaborated with Genes,” he says.
The dolls are stuffed with offcuts from past products of Genes collections, provided to Silai Wali two months ago. “We came across Silai Wali that also works with offcuts to make dolls. From conceptualisation till the final launch, it took three months for us to complete the Joy Project. We have made 50 dolls under the project so far, and future collaborations are under discussion,” says Hemant Sagar, Co-Founder & Designer, Genes Lecoanet Hemant.
This project has helped provide sustainable income to Afghan women refugees, who work at the Silaiwali centre, located in Khirki Extension. “We work with 90 Afghan women, but due to distancing restrictions, only half the workforce is operating from the centre, the remaining works from home. The centre is within walking distance of all the artisan homes, which was also an important philosophy of the social enterprise,” adds Moitra.
While Marcel (the male doll) is available in purple, navy and black garb, Fifi (the female doll) is in white, pink and purple attire. Sagar says, “The Joy Project rediscovers the joie de vivre, innately present in all of us, and a little bit of childhood that we always carry with ourselves.” Started in 2019 by Moitra and Iris Strill, a French national living in India for 15 years, Silai Wali’s motto is ‘A Stitch Against Waste.
A Stitch For Freedom.’ “At Silai Wali, we upcycle waste fabric generated from the mass clothing manufacturer to make handcrafted decorative items. Strill’s idea was to create a non-conformist doll, transcending ethnicities and boundaries. Silaiwali, through its 100 re-sellers all across the globe, has sold an upward of 10,000 dolls. During the early months of the pandemic (April-May) Silai Wali worked from home, making face masks. More than 10,000 of our masks were distributed free by UNHCR India via Delhi Police and other social work organisations,” he adds.
Availability: Genes Lecoanet Hemant store, The Gallery, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road & geneslecoanethemant.com Price: Rs 1,999