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Clean Water 4 Artisans -- What Mehera Shaw is Doing for World Water Day 2018

March 22, 2018

Clean Water 4 Artisans -- What Mehera Shaw is Doing for World Water Day 2018

“Water, water, all around

And nor any drop to drink.”

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

 

 

 

Have you ever been without water—to drink, to bathe, to wash your clothes or water your lawn? In the western world, probably not. We turn the tap, the water flows.

 

Not so in much of the rest of the world where water, even if plentiful, may not be clean enough to consume. What we take for granted, others treasure. And what we take for granted, we may lose.

 

Today, March 22, is World Water Day, marking 25 years of United Nations’ efforts to raise awareness that we—even those of us who experience no shortages—should not take water for granted. Climate change and ever-changing standards around the world for protecting the environment (or not) make the global aqua-system as fragile as it has ever been.

 

At Mehera Shaw, we know the value of water. Our block-dying facilities are in Jaipur, India in the desert state of Rajasthan. Block-dying is a water intensive process. We rinse each swath of dyed fabric at least three times. In a region that gets between 12 and 25 inches (300 to 675 mm) of rain every year—more than half of that in July and August—we are very conscious of water use.

 

Which is why we’re launching CleanWater4Artisans, a crowd-funding campaign to raise $35,000 to upgrade and expand the water filtration system at our facilities in Jaipur. If we’re successful, the new system will cut our water use by 80 percent. Yes. We’ll cut water use by 80 percent. What little water is left will be cleaned of dye residues and cloth fibers so that it can be safely returned to the water system.

 

In addition, we’re dedicating 10 percent of everything we raise to donate simple filtration systems to home-based printers in the villages around Jaipur. Those systems will provide clean drinking water for those artisans and their families.

 

Water knows no international boundaries. Clean water for artisans and their villages in India eventually contributes to water quality all over the world. Our Indigogo funding campaign formally kicks off on May 1, but you can see the prototype of our funding webpage—and learn much more about how we use water—at MeheraShaw.com.

 

Our fundraising campaign is going to be fun! We’ve designed some new products—garments, tableware and other home goods—for the campaign, which you’ll get when you donate. We’re also giving discounts just for signing up for the newsletter updates, and we’re planning some team contests with rewards for those who get the most people to donate and those who raise the most money. If you excelled at selling Girl Scout cookies, we want you on the Mehera Shaw team! Go to MeheraShaw.com and Sign. Up. Now. You won’t be sorry.

--Susan Caba




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Fit/Sizing/Care

FIT

Our styles are meant to give room to breath and move.  We use fine tailoring coupled with a relaxed, comfortable fit.

We use a fit guide for each of our styles to provide more information about the fit that was intended.

Slim Fit: a close fit to the body. Regular Fit: a comfortable, relaxed fit with room around the body. Generous Fit: a very loose fit (such as in our oversized blouses) with lots of room around the body for ease of movement.

SIZING

h4XS/ 36

h4S/ 38

h4M/40

h4L/ 42

h4XL/44

h4chest

h435.5 inches/ 90 cm

h437.5 inches/95 cm

h439.5 inches/ 100 cm

h441.5 inches/ 105 cm

h444.5 inches. 113 cm

h44cm extra from body

h4waist

h426 inches/ 66 cm

h428 inches/ 71 cm

h430 inches/ 76 cm

h432 inches/ 81 cm

h435 inches/ 89 cm

h4fitted

h4low waist

h428 inches/71 cm

h430 inches/76 cm

h432 inches/ 81 cm

h434 inches/ 86 cm

h437 inches/ 94 cm

h4fitted

h4hip

h437 inches/ 94 cm

h439 inches/ 99 cm

h441 inches/ 104 cm

h443 inches/ 109 cm

h446 inches/ 1

h44cm extra from body

WASHCARE

All garments have been washed several times during the printing/dyeing and manufacturing process.  

CARE for 100% cotton

We recommend cold water machine wash (up to 30 degrees celsius) with a bio detergent and either tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade for all of our 100% cotton garments/homewares (except for quilts).  

Iron on reverse side of garment following fabric settings.  

Do not use bleach or stain remover.

Cold water wash and low heat drying or line drying in the shade will increase the life of the garment, prolong the vibrancy of the colors and reduce energy use. Shrinkage on all cottons is minimal, approximately 3%.

Garments/homewares are dyed or printed using AZO free, low-impact, pigment or reactive dyes unless otherwise noted.  These dyes are color-fast, but care should still be taken to wash with like colors to retain the vibrancy of the colors.

CARE for 100% cotton quilts

For quilts with cotton fill, we recommend spot or light surface cleaning only with a damp cloth and mild detergent.  Eco-friendly dry cleaning is also recommended. 

CARE for herbal/vegetable dye items

Vegetable dyes are not colorfast and are specifically marked in the product description.  We strongly recommend that all vegetable dye products be washed once before use in a cold water wash with minimal detergent.  Wash separately. Tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade.  Iron on reverse side.  Do not use bleach or stain remover.

Please keep in mind that indigo dye does continually fade over time.  This is the nature of true indigo dye and is not a defect, but rather a sign of the 'living' nature of the dye.

CARE for silk and cotton/silk

For our silk and cotton silk garments/homewares, we also recommend gentle cycle machine wash cold water (up to 30 degrees celsius) or delicate hand washing to increase the life of the garment and reduce the environmental footprint from energy use, detergents and water wastage.  

Tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade.  

Iron on reverse side of garment following fabric settings.

Do not use bleach or stain remover.

Dry cleaning using an eco-friendly service is also recommended.

CARE for linen and cotton/linen

For our linen and cotton linen garments/homewares, we also recommend gentle cycle machine wash cold water (up to 30 degrees celsius) or delicate hand washing to increase the life of the garment and reduce the environmental footprint from energy use, detergents and water wastage.  

Tumble dry on low heat or line dry in shade.  

Iron on reverse side of garment following fabric settings.

Do not use bleach or stain remover.