Veteran actress and censor board chief Sharmila Tagore sashayed down the ramp with 92-year-old SEWA artisan Hansiba Ben to showcase a new collection by the NGO's Hansiba initiative here.

The brand Hansiba is named after Hansiba Ben. Also giving Sharmila company on the ramp Saturday was Venezuelan Ambassador Milena Santana Ramirez.

Sharmila walked the ramp in a red silk sari with a colourful border, designed by Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) artisans and French designer, Graham Hollick, to encourage the new collection - "Ananta - The Flamboyant Stitch".

"I have kept track of the workings of SEWA since a long time. They have done good work in making Hansiba, a well-known brand. Today, I am wearing a Hansiba sari, not only because I support this initiative but also because it is so pretty and makes me look beautiful, " said Sharmila, 63.

Hansiba, the flagship brand of a prominent Gujarat women's self-help organisation, belongs to STFC (SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre), a non-profit organisation jointly owned and managed by over 3, 200 rural artisans.

Right from the raw materials to the entire supply chain, it is managed by rural women. Hansiba as a fashion brand was launched by more than 15, 000 women artisans.

Hansiba has its own stores in Ahmedabad, Delhi and Mumbai and is awaiting one in Bangalore.