'Designers don't take undue advantage of weavers'

"When I go to villages for fabrics, I get shocked to see that weavers are getting peanuts for their work. They get squeezed by everyone -- from traders to middlemen. But it is a misconception that we designers also take advantage of their condition," Govind told IANS.

The veteran, whose forte lies in developing new fabrics, works closely with weavers and feels they overcharge anyone once they know he or she sells the material under a design label.

"We get squeezed because when they see us, they quote a price three times higher for the fabric. This is because they are not sure whether we will return to seek their services or not. They also have to work with the middleman, who takes maximum profits and that's the reason why they demand more from us," she explained.

But when a designer ends up paying a high fee to weavers, how does one make profit?

"For that, we are propelled to increase the price of the garment. People won't believe that a simple cotton sari costs me Rs.4,500 when it's ready for sale, and I retail it for Rs.2,500 because people are not willing to spend more than that."