Knowledge and fascination for art first took Sophia Swire to the war-ravaged Afghanistan. Working for women empowerment in Asian nations, Sophia was only 25 then. But it did not take her long to realise the mineral wealth of the nation could easily be exploited and used as a fashion statement for the Western world. But rebuilding lives of the artisans in the conflict zone was a massive task. Sophia identified and trained war-widows and differently-abled women. And now she is instrumental in reviving a 3,000-year old tradition of hand-carved micro-sized lapis beads, using diamond tipped needles and pomegranate twigs.
Sophia discovered that though the nation is termed patriarchal and conservative by the outside world, it allows women to become entrepreneurs who eventually go on to train men. Her quest to make Afghans self-reliant entrepreneurs, who can train others and penetrate international market, is now bearing fruit. Aayenda Jewelry Cooperative or Aayenda, which means “future” in Dari, is now an acclaimed fair-trade brand. Afghan entrepreneurs are now selling jewellery at 44 stores including Donna Karan’s iconic store in New York.
In the Capital where craftsmanship of designers like Khala Zada on lapis or lapis lazuli, semi precious stone found in Afghanistan since antiquity, was on display at Amrapali in Khan Market, Sophia – who has taken all stakeholders to ensure that she creates jobs and make jewellery which has Afghan heritage as well as Western sensibilities – says it is a celebration for women of Afghanistan who have made inroads into Indian market.
Excerpts from an interview:
On her love affair with Afghanistan
It has been a lifelong passion for me. I set up a school at Chitral, which lies between Afghanistan and Pakistan border. Since then I have been working in this region to promote girl education and entrepreneurship. My background in art history gave me sensibility to appreciate creativity, beauty and design. My interest in gems grew while staying in Afghanistan. I have been able to guide locals and make them demonstrate their creativity.
On how it started
Prince of Wales Foundation sent me to Afghanistan because I had set up 250 schools in the region. We set up Turquoise Mountain Foundation, in Old City of Kabul, in January 2008. It was the first school of gemstones in Afghanistan. I was selected because I had a background in fashion. Our first breakthrough came when I launched contemporary Afghan jewellery with designer Pippa Small at the London Fashion Week. Since then we have been making locals use opportunities offered at the institute to specialise in gem cutting, jewellery manufacturing and woodwork. I asked Javed Noori, entrepreneur, to join. Right now there are 36 students. Every year we ensure that graduates from our institute are able to reach the international market.
Initially we had thousands of applicants. So we selected those with basic literacy because we had to teach them and make them entrepreneurs. We short listed candidates in 2008 on the basis of their drawings, passion and commitment. Of 1,500 students, half were girls, who live with their families. In many cases now these girls are generating income for their families. A girl, with a disabled father, supports her entire family. Another girl, who is deaf, is income generator. As entrepreneurs they are training and providing employment to a number of artisans.
On the success story
I have been part of the big international project to help women like Khala Zada, whose husband was killed by the Taliban, to help them realise their strength. Khala has been creating pleated necklaces out of lapis. Many women are interested in learning about trailblazers like Khala. This exhibition in Delhi is a celebration of Khala as a designer. She has conducted workshop in her village in the Bagh province where she has trained dozens of women in bead making. Nothing stops bullet faster than job. We are ensuring that graduates from our institute get access to the international market. And realise opportunities to use minerals in the sensitive Pakistan-Afghanistan border and remote arid areas where people are jobless.
On the challenges
My biggest challenge when I started was how to ensure that women, whose families would not allow them to work, outside their homes, to join the programme. Luckily, jewellery can be made within the safe confines of home. In Jaipur we had 300 Afghan applicants for training in jewellery but out of them only 11 were women. We brought all the women applicants to India. But women in remote conservative areas are not allowed to leave. So women came with their families.
On foreign intervention in Afghanistan
I don’t want to touch politics (the U.S. intervention) but celebrate creativity and culture as for the first time Afghan women have been involved in a value chain. The best solution for Afghanistan is to build partnerships with neighbours like India, so that it gets stability and peace.
On the way forward
Blending Western designs with traditional elements is the key to move forward. Our clientele are young women who make fashion choices with the intention to make a difference in the world. Women might be staying at Los Angles or San Francisco but share the same sensibilities. We make bangles, bracelets, earrings, chokers but not belly dance chest jewellery as it is forbidden in the Islamic nation. Mexican supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio wore Afghan jewellery for the front cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.
