Barbara Sansoni

Artist, designer, writer, colourist and legend, Barbara Sansoni is a name that echoes across the realms of all things art. With a gamut of accomplishments and milestones under her belt, she has been bestowed with a multitude of awards such as the Zonta Woman of Achievement (1987) by the Zonta Club of Colombo and Woman Entrepreneur of the Year – Gold (1997) presented by the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC), to name two.

One of her most significant and inspiring accomplishments however, is the empowerment of women weavers and consequent beginning of an industry back in 1964 – one which has gained momentum across the years.

Educated in Sri Lanka, South India and the UK, Sansoni’s entry into women empowerment commenced when she was approached by an Irish nun and family friend – the Mother Good Counsel of the Sisters of the Order of the Good Shepherd – to support young girls in handloom weaving to empower them to gain a lifelong skill.

This initial journey resulted in the creation of her first retail establishment (House) and second shop (Barefoot), through which she contributed to empowering women in rural Sri Lanka.

A contemporary of architects Deshamanya Geoffrey Bawa and Ulrik Plesner, and sculptor and painter Laki Senanayake – among other icons of Sri Lankan art and architecture – Sansoni was a forerunner of empowering women through employment, training and upskilling.

To this day, Barefoot is recognised as an institution that employs only local women, develops them by teaching skills and techniques in colourful weaving on handlooms, and uplifts their livelihoods.

Presented with the Kala Suri award by the President of Sri Lanka in 2005, the Chairperson and Chief Designer of Barefoot is known to have been primarily concerned about her team of weavers. She has been eager to cultivate their abilities, and ensure they have a thriving skillset to be strong, independent and self-sufficient.

Preserving the independence of these women by enabling them to be protected from exploitation as unskilled labour was another driving factor behind Barbara Sansoni’s approach to employee development.

Involving a team of designers, the Founder of Barefoot ensured that all weavers were trained to create modern and contemporary handwoven fabric and products of the highest quality.

She promoted the concept of self-management of women by seeing to it that the cottage industry of weaving thrived in Sri Lanka, with innovations in the final product as well as advancements in technique.

The recipient of the Honorary Doctor of Philosophy Degree by the University of the Visual and Performing Arts of Sri Lanka in 2016, Sansoni is also known to have extended her support for women weavers by establishing and running four village weaving centres.

 

Employing over 95 percent females, Barefoot is devoted to facilitating the advancement of women – via up skilling, recognition and empowerment – in the workplace. It doesn’t run any factories or production lines, for the dual purpose of avoiding ‘machine-made goods’ and to ensure that workers are entrusted with the responsibility of producing quality products.

 

With a career spanning over six decades, Barbara Sansoni is an advocate of women empowerment through creativity, passion and entrepreneurship – a legacy that timelessly inspires the progress of the nation’s journey towards female empowerment.