Little things that matter

At times, little things matter the most, especially if you happen to have a child to take care of, as then even the smallest things become of monumental importance! Hence, Little Things in Uttara, a concept store for infants, brings you a range of elegant yet simple things for your precious little one. 

The outlet is open, inviting, and warm. Each item on display carries the dreams of rural artisans, as these are hand stitched individually. Organic blends of cotton, raw silk, cashmere, merinos and other natural fibres are used with utmost care to nurture delicate skins of little ones. 

Various soft prints, stripes, checks in these materials are hand sewn in their own workshop with detailed attention to each stage of production. There are dresses, shorts, t-shirts, overalls, and even tiny handmade booties in soft shades for children.  

With the team including backup from renowned artists to veterans of the French and Bangladeshi garment and fashion industries, the items here are all superbly crafted and perfectly designed for children. Although geared specially towards infants, Little Things does carry a fair bit of fare for older children, as well as adults. 

The story behind Little Things is both fascinating, and inspiring. It is a sister concern of Flaxen Group, which is working in collaboration with the Popecha Foundation, to revive the lost arts of fine weaving and hand stitching. 

The tradition of crafting things, especially clothes, goes back many centuries in Bengal. Even the ancient Romans were connoisseurs of the fine Muslin cottons of Bengal, and the fabric featured as fine luxury in the court of France's Louis XIV. Tragically, with time and oppression from colonising governments, the fine art of weaving and stitching by hand lost a large set of skills, with artisans moving out of the industry. 

Popecha works to salvage these irreplaceable skills through two routes - training workshops dedicated to the various crafts of the trade, and ensuring continuity of the craft industry, by re-developing production in the rural areas.

The concentration of the different skills in different places allows for more efficient 'scattering' which helps improve productivity, and positively impacts the lives of various artisans and their dependents. As the revival of handcraft techniques which are non-pollutant (hand weaving, vegetable dyes) is an important factor in building an ecological economy. 

The industrialisation of textile manufacture in Bangladesh has impacted, over the past century, on the traditional way of life as it leads to the break-up of the family cell because, in order to provide for wife and children, often numerous, the father has to leave his village to seek work in the city. The reintroduction of rural weaving allows, within the scope of the project, for the family to be reunited. The frailty of family structures forces attention to many problems such as health and schooling. A child is the epitome of the project. So, be a patron and Little Things, make your contribution to the rural artisans, while keeping your own little one chic and comfortable in designer ware. 

By Sania Aiman

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Little Things outlet is situated at House No. 3, Road No. 5, Sector. 4, Uttara, Dhaka, Contact 58955580/83; 01730013495/86; Web: www.littlethingsfashion.com