A brief look into Mayura Kona’s start-up company would give Karl Marx goosebumps of excitement. Marx had predicted exactly how our attitudes and behavior around consumption would be affected from the dramatic mass-production shift circa the industrial revolution—more specifically, the relationship (or isolation) between the buyer and laborer and laborer and final product; but did he ever think that we would emerge from our current state of Walmart-infested, China-produced uber consumerism? Many small companies like Kona’s, One Thread Fair Trade, are responsible for the resurgence in artisanal fair trade goods (in this case, throw pillows)—for more reasons than one. But her mission is deep-rooted, and goes beyond the desire to become a successful entrepreneur.

During Kona’s several trips to India over the course of her childhood, she witnessed the horrors that women in her native country faced, from being beaten by their husbands to being sold off as sex workers. “I saw many women who worked in my relatives’ houses, women I knew personally, go through experiences such as these. To read about these stories in the paper is one thing. To see it happen to women you care about is a staggering, painful experience that changes you forever,” said Kona.

“I had been working as an Art Director at a major apparel licensing company and although I loved my job, I did not feel fulfilled. I simply didn’t feel that I was using my education, privilege, and design skills to do something good for humanity.”

Three years ago, she met a woman named Sandhya who ran a non-profit called the Vijay Foundation Trust (VFT) in her mother’s hometown, a small city called Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh, India. Sandhya took in destitute women and began training them in textile arts. “I saw the immense potential in combining my design skills with the women’s tailoring skills to both improve their lives and create a successful business. I had been working as an Art Director at a major apparel licensing company and although I loved my job, I did not feel fulfilled. I simply didn’t feel that I was using my education, privilege, and design skills to do something good for humanity, to improve the world in which we all live in,” said Kona.

Once her idea was solidified, Kona received a fellowship grant from UCLA’s Anderson school of business. She went to India, worked closely with the women tailors, and assembled a network of raw material suppliers. Now, after over two years of working on the idea, product, relationship with workers and mission of her company, her website is finally up and selling high-end, handcrafted throw pillows.

That isn’t to say getting to where she is now has been a smooth ride. There were, of course, a few obvious bumps along the way, from buying the wrong types of fabrics to not having the right sewing machines for the designs to working in an unorganized workspace to the language barrier between herself and the women—but those were the least of her worries. Day-to-day processes in working with women 9,000 miles away from her native Los Angeles continues to be a challenge everyday. “It can be quite difficult to communicate and mediate relationships with employees abroad. We work with impoverished women in villages, with no knowledge of English and absolutely no knowledge of computers. The speedy email communication that most companies use when working with employees abroad is simply not an option for us. The unit has a digital camera that I purchased for them and I have people available to help them upload the photographs and send me pictures of samples etc. They are learning, but as you can imagine, it is quite a different communication process than working with an established exporter from China.”

Kona has spent the last two years developing the fair trade unit in Kadapa and now the organization has finally reached the launch stage. The website (http://www.onethreadfairtrade.com), equipped with throws for purchase, launched last April. Expect to see bright colors and vivid patterns throughout the line, many of which are inspired by nature. “I believe that nature is the one thing that all human beings find to be universally beautiful and I wanted to design a collection that captured that beauty in a modern way,” said Kona.

Kona, although young and successful, hasn’t taken anything for granted now or along the way, and continues to be inspired everyday by the women who also find her inspirational. When recalling her most memorable moment, she also stated that it was the most significant moment in her life. “I will never forget the day when I paid the women their first round of fair wages. I walked into the workroom and was met with eyes overflowing with tears and hearts brimming with hope. To us, the wage is simply fair compensation, but to these women, it represents a new future and a renewed sense of self-worth.”

“The more people in more countries I can impact, the better. This is how I judge my success.”

Even during this economy, Kona still has high hopes. Where does she see herself in five years? “I see my organization deepening our impact by refining our social programs and expanding training opportunities. I also envision my organization broadening its impact by reaching out to similar women’s communities in Africa, specifically Ghana and Kenya.  I am currently in discussions with women’s groups in these two regions. The more people in more countries I can impact, the better. This is how I judge my success,” said Kona.

Judging by her attitude on success, we think she is already pretty successful. To read the rest of the interview, see below.

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What are some of the other social programs that your company is involved in?

“My company plans to undertake a number of social programs that tackle the root causes of the problems our artisans face and provide long-term benefits. Beyond the fair wages we pay, we offer three programs to help sustain the progress we have made: (1) Unit Marketing Program: In this program, artisans learn the basics of accounting, operations, and market strategy. We also work with the women to create printed marketing material to highlight their products/services in order to acquire local business. This program is aimed at reducing the artisans’ dependence on our organization. Should my company cease to operate, this program will help the women to continue to be financially independent and self-sufficient. (2) Agent of Change Workshop: The women undergo exercises to increase their self-confidence and build leadership and public speaking skills. The women are also exposed to motivational stories from women all over the globe, to help them recognize their own potential for success. This program is aimed at transforming our artisans into real life agents of change, who will use their personal success to teach their villages that a female should be valued equally to a man. In order to truly reduce the crimes committed against women, we must change the oppressive rural mentality that the female is inferior. (3) Next Generation Workshop: Open to all children in the region, this program is aimed at empowering the rural youth, especially females, through verbal/written communication and strength-building exercises. We hope to partner with the US Junior Achievement program to help us structure and implement the workshop. In order to realize real lasting change, it is crucial that the children are given the tools they need to break out of the cycle of poverty.  In addition to this workshop, we fund the education of all of our artisans’ children. 10% of company revenue goes to funding the children’s education, the above workshops, and continued tailoring training.

What is your inspiration behind the designs/aesthetic?

“As a designer, my eye has always been attracted to patterns. I observe and am inspired by patterns everywhere around us, whether it is the arrangement of roof tiles on a house or the veins in a maple leaf. The inspiration behind our launch line is leaves. I believe that nature is the one thing that all human beings find to be universally beautiful and I wanted to design a collection that captured that beauty in a modern way. My designs start as ink drawings in my sketchbook. The drawings are later scanned into the computer and vectorized for screenprinting. There is an intangible quality that you achieve when you begin the design process with your own hand drawings, without any use of technology. I find that initial stage of creation imperative to achieve authentic design.

We use a mix of bold black and white screen-prints and rich Indian silks to create high quality, stylized cushions designed for the luxury market. The look and quality of our products are vastly different than the typical fair trade product and this was a conscious decision. I am dedicated to revamping the image of fair trade, pushing fair trade products past the handicraft level and into design-focused, competitive consumer goods. While the preservation of the US handicrafts market is important, it is my belief that the limited size and scope of this market will not be enough to create lasting change for the artisan communities involved. A woman who creates hand-painted pottery simply does not have the skills to work in the greater export market and is forced to continue working in a market that is limited in income generation.

Additionally, we  are doing our best to minimize the effect we have on the environment. Our products are made using handloom silks. Handloom weaving is tremendously better for the environment as the weaving is done by human hands and does not involve any machinery. As a result, handloom fabrics produce ZERO carbon emissions versus powerloom fabrics that contribute large amounts of emissions into our environment. One job on a powerloom sucks up as much energy as 20 vacuum cleaners running all day. Also, by using handloom we support the rural handloom weaving villages which are struggling to survive due to the increasing usage of powerlooms.”

Why did you choose to have tailors based in India?

“I chose to begin my work in India because of my encounter with Sandhya from VFT and because it is my native land. On a more general level, I have decided to focus on the women of Andhra Pradesh, India simply because of the extreme atrocities of their daily lives. According to the World Bank, rural women in Andhra Pradesh live in a state of extreme destitution, with 6.2 million women living below $1.25/day. Moreover, it is estimated that 70% of married rural women in A.P. are victims of battery, rape, or coerced sex. These statistics are simply jarring and unacceptable. Beyond domestic violence and extreme poverty, young rural women in India (estimated 20 million) are being forced to enter the flesh trade, which in many cases leads to the contraction of AIDS and early deaths. The need for an organization that can provide financial independence and employment to rural women was urgent and I really believe that India was the right place for me to start”

How do you feel about outsourcing–and what do you say to your critics who, especially in this economy, argue that those tailoring jobs should be kept in the U.S.?

“I am very supportive about products that are made in U.S., in fact the inserts we use in our pillows are made and produced in the U.S. But I also believe that in the U.S., we are in a position of privilege, even in today’s economy. I believe that we must use that privilege to help those who are far less well off than we are. It is a very delicate matter when comparing one person’s need to another’s and in many cases, it is an impossible task to do. All I can say is that the women we work to help at OTFT are individuals with very few options for survival.  The need for aid to indigent women worldwide is clear and urgent. India and Africa have on average 73.9% of the population living on less than $2/day, roughly 37% of which are women.

In America, there are so many more opportunities and avenues for marginalized women to get help and assistance. In India, that is simply not the case. I am proud to be an American and even more proud to come from a country that understands the value in helping those who have less than us.”

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