Pakistani artisans to teach embroidery skills in Sharjah

Sharjah: Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council, an affiliate of Sharjah-based Nama Women Advancement Establishment (Nama), has launched a new initiative within its Bidwa Social Development Programme to share knowledge, expertise and experience between artisans from Pakistan and a new cohort of Bidwa trainees from Sharjah.

During the Artisan Skills Exchange Programme, 21 new trainees at the Bidwa Social Development Programme will learn the craft of embroidery from 16 Pakistani artisans that have developed their expertise under the tutelage of world-renowned fashion designer Rizwan Beyg.

The Sharjah-based newly-recruited Bidwa craftswomen represent the next generation of traditional artisans in the UAE, some as young as 23 years, who will benefit from a series of training and practice sessions, targeted skills development, and assessments to develop their embroidery skills to couture-level.

On completion of the eight-month programme, the Bidwa artisans will be able to adapt and adopt their new embroidery skills to create their own designs and offer their services to both international and regional designers, creating a sustainable future for themselves.

In return, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council will train the Pakistani artisans on soft skills such as social and professional development, and entrepreneurship. The artisans from the sub-continent will also be introduced to traditional UAE crafts such as safeefah (palm frond weaving) and talli (handwoven braids), in dedicated training sessions conducted by the existing 36 Bidwa craftswomen.

The programme encourages professional and social interaction and learning through team building, communication and leadership, to nurture a culture of master craftswomen who can train others across the Middle East and South Asia regions.

The Artisan Exchange with Pakistan and couture embroidery course constitute the first step in what is set to be a comprehensive programme to exchange skills with artisan communities from across the Middle East, North Africa, South East, and Central Asia, spanning a variety of crafts from those regions.

Reem Bin Karam, director of Nama, said: “The Artisan Skills Exchange brings a new dimension to learning and development for our existing and newly-recruited Bidwa craftswomen, and their peers from Pakistan as they gain a true understanding of each other’s working principles as well as practices.

“We are constantly striving to promote and enhance the traditional skills of the women involved in the Bidwa Social Development Programme in a contemporary context and though this exchange under the patronage and directives of Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, chairperson of Nama and wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Members and Ruler of Sharjah, we are supporting the empowerment of women in both countries professionally and socially.

“We envision this cultural and skills exchange to be the first of many, helping to expand the skills of the Bidwa craftswomen, and bring their work to a much wider international audience.”

Karachi-based Rizwan Beyg, one of Pakistan’s most recognised designers and mentor to the visiting craftswomen added: “Pakistan has a rich cultural embroidery tradition and it has often manifested itself by the women in rural areas who have used surface embellishment on their garments. With the support of Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council we hope to bring new skills and techniques to the women of Sharjah by the rural women of Pakistan, who have been trained over a three-year period to produce couture-level embroideries for our high-end label.

“Working within ethical fashion guidelines we hope to create additional income and job opportunities for local women who can in the future be gainfully employed by the burgeoning fashion industry in the UAE to provide high-end embroidery for Emirati designers. Presently, designers depend on outsourcing to other countries or setting up expensive embroidery workshops employing expat labour. This initiative hopes to create a strong vocational skill-base for local Emirati women to help the fashion and lifestyle industry grow.”