As the name indicates, ‘Ahimsa Silk’ is derived naturally in a non-violent way.
Against the regular practice of dumping the cocoons into boiling water, the method employed here is to let them burst naturally, so that the silkworm is spared.
Co-optex, the flagship brand of the Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society, bets big on this naturally-derived silk thread.
“The modern women are averse to wearing silk saris as they believe it involves avoidable violence. This is precisely why we want to promote ‘Ahimsa Silk’ in a big way,” says T.N. Venkatesh, managing director of Co-optex.
Speaking to The Hindu after launching the Deepavali festival offer at the Co-optex showroom here on Saturday, Mr. Venkatesh explained that the ‘ahimsa’ tag had brought a huge number of buyers for the product.
Similarly, the slub yarn shirts released recently into the market are also well received. Slub yarn refers to the thread that is intentionally spun in an uneven manner to give it a ‘khadi’ look and is preferred as summer and festive wear. Targeting the youth, the Cooptex has also introduced linen shirts and kurtis.
The USP
The society taps the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) behind every silk variety.
For example, the Salem silk sari is light in weight, the Arni sari is famous for its temple border motif and the Kanchipuram three-ply silk is known for its heavy zari border.
This diversity is promoted in the market.
Recently, the society came up with silk saris with unique thread work minus the zari, which gives it a light feel as well as a ‘daily wear’ look. “It is the in-thing among women in the corporate sector today.”
Ambitious target
The Co-optex has set for itself an ambitious annual sales target of ₹150 crore through its 200 showrooms. While 137 are in Tamil Nadu, the remaining 63 are scattered across the southern and western States.
In sharp contrast to the presence of showrooms of other State Cooperative Societies here, the Co-optex has a larger presence in South India, including an impressive chain of a dozen stores in AP. The society offers a special discount of 30% till October 31.
