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Yeranuhi Soghoyan

Gyumri Women Sewing Sleeping Bags and Rain Gear for Artsakh Soldiers

The Anes fashion house, founded by Anushik Saroyan from Gyumri, stopped accepting orders for evening dresses on October 6 and has been making men’s raincoats instead.

The rain gear is destined for soldiers and others in Artsakh.

"I am a costume designer-modeler by profession. I graduated from Gyumri Academy of Fine Arts and trained in Yerevan. When we founded the fashion house, we were sure that we would work only for women. It never occurred to me that one day we would sew clothes for men, in this case, protective field raincoats,” says a smiling Saroyan.

Saroyan says that she and her team responded to the initial calls to collect clothes, medicine and other basic necessities when the fighting broke out, but they wanted to do more. When they heard that Armenian soldiers needed sleeping bags and ponchos, they immediately went to work. Astghik Yedigaryan, who heads the Gyumri Youth Center, helped them purchase the needed raw materials.

Saroyan’s team of women has forty ponchos ready for shipment to Artsakh.

Tatevik Saroyan, one of the team members, says that she left her job at a travel agency due to Covid-19 and made the move to the fashion sector.

"We had never sewn a raincoat or a sleeping bag. We tried the first one, and it worked If we get the raw materials, we’ll make sleeping bags too since we have volunteer helpers. God willing, everything will end soon, and our soldiers will use all this in peacetime," says Tatevik, who is Anushik’s sister.

Made in Gyumri rain gear for the Artsakh front

This reporter and my cameraman walk a sewing workshop on one of the central streets of Gyumri. Workers are sewing sleeping bags and raincoats for the frontline. Two women skillfully place the wool, spread on a large table in the center of the hall, in a cloth bag resembling a blanket. From the open door of the entrance, a car can be seen, from where wool is taken down in sacks. The work is supervised by Hasmik Khachatryan, who stablished a small sewing workshop four years ago.  The family business had been sewing sportswear for Gyumri athletes. On September 28, it was decided to put everything aside and start producing items needed by Armenian servicemen.

"My son, David fought in the Four Day War.  At the time, the weather was cold and rainy.  He told us they needed sleeping bags and ponchos. I was distraught that we couldn’t help. Today, when the call went out to help those at the front, we didn’t hesitate. My son suggested that we make the items. He delivered the first batch himself,” says Mrs. Khachatryan.

When more volunteers came to assist, the operation was moved to a larger space. The Ministry of Defense provided the material for the rain gear. The Amasia wool factory provides material for the sleeping bags at cost. The wool makes a great insulating material for sleeping on the cold ground.

 Gyumri women sewing sleeping bags for Artsakh soldiers

Photos and videos by Ani Sargsyan

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