New clothes for tsunami victims

Ritu Kumar is sending new cotton saris, T-shirts and other clothes to victims.

Moved by reports of tsunami survivors rejecting worn clothes sent in thousands from across the country, fashion doyenne Ritu Kumar is sending hundreds of new cotton saris, T-shirts and other clothes to victims.

HT Image

"I have asked my factories to make hundreds of T-shirts and saris - as many as they can make fast - to send to the relief camps," Kumar said.

She has already sent the first lot of clothes. More are being made. In all, Kumar expects to send more than 5,000 saris and T-shirts but said she is pushing for as many as could be made quickly.

We are essentially clothes makers and in times like these people desperately need fresh clothes and this is something we can do fast and easily.

"We have the materials and the infrastructure to do this quickly. I was thinking of sending food and other materials and then it occurred to me that people also need clothes and they need them in large numbers.

"Exactly what our production facilities are capable of making."

Kumar said she was also moved by tales of crisis of clothes in the relief camps and the dearth of good, clean clothes.