In a first, more than 100 Indian fashion designers have come together to support the weaver and embroiderer communities across the country with a fundraiser project that began this week and will go on till August 15.

Reputed designers like Sabyasachi, Tarun Tahiliani, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, Manish Malhotra, Anamika Khanna, Rahul Mishra, Monisha Jaising and Masaba are among those who have donated their clothes for a sale online to raise money for their artisan brothers, their ‘baradari’, and to empower them to become entrepreneurs themselves.

Kareena Kapoor Khan, who has been whole-heartedly supporting the project, talks to BT about how we need to support our karigars in these hard times and how sustainability in fashion is the need of the hour. Excerpts…

Kareena, what makes a fashion icon like you step up and talk about an initiative like this, which supports our karigars?

We are in unprecedented times, and millions of people have lost their livelihood. This initiative is not just about financially helping our karigars; we are also giving them the credit that they deserve, because generally, it’s the designer who is at the forefront. Indian karigars don’t get the recognition they deserve. No one really knows what goes on in the backend, how much time and energy they put into one sari, lehenga or choli.

Actors from our movie industry are seen wearing the most fashionable clothes and finest labels. How do you think they can support the fashion industry, which makes them look so glamorous on and off screen?

Fashion is all about sustainability now. It’s a global conversation, and people are becoming far more conscious. India has such beautiful handlooms, textiles and weavers, but I have always felt that there is a lot of pressure on actors to ape the West. Award function hai ya red carpet, gown pehenna zaroori hai… jiska sabse bada gown hoga, that will be the best outfit. That’s so not true. I love wearing saris, it’s our national outfit. When Vidya (Balan) decided to wear a sari at Cannes, that was such a beautiful choice. We should be proud of what we make in our country. Honestly, I do feel quite stupid wearing gowns to red-carpet events, but sometimes, we come under the pressure of stylists, who say that it is fab. We also wear clothes from big designers from New York and Paris. Hopefully, after this life-changing phase, we will support things that are homegrown.

There is huge pressure on actors to turn up in fabulous outfits every time they appear in public. What do you have to say about repeating clothes on the red carpet, at award shows, and other events?

That’s what I mean, either you fall under the pressure of ‘Oh! she’s worn this before and now she is repeating it’, or not. I think it is totally fine and a classic look should be repeated on the red carpet. I mean, an iconic look with a simple black dress or a black sari can never go wrong. You can style it in different ways. If you are buying an expensive Chanderi silk sari, why would you not want to repeat that? Now, you can wear saris also in different ways and it is quite cool to do that. Like I said, falling under the pressure of which designer label am I wearing on the red carpet, so and so is wearing this, and I should be one-up and get something from Paris — honestly, I find that very tiring. I completely believe in the idea of recycling clothes and wearing them again and again. Everything doesn’t have to have a price tag and be brand new.

There is a gap in what we pay the designer for a garment and what the karigar eventually gets for his skilled labour. How do you think we can support the karigars and mend the massive financial gap?

Yes, there is a huge gap. They probably get a few hundred rupees to do their jobs on it. They have to support their entire families with that. So, the focus of this initiative is to mend that gap, give them recognition and financial help, and bring about some level of equality. When a designer walks the ramp, he is doing that because he is displaying his craftsmanship. So, why not give the weaver, who has worked for hours on a lehenga, that kind of credit, too? Artisans should be empowered to become entrepreneurs like the designers.