A tradition that has continued for hundreds of years, the Indian weaving industry, especially the handloom sector, still dominates the cottage industry sector in India. But the past three decades have brought new challenges as well as opportunities for the handloom industry.
Barring India, there is no other nation that boasts such a plethora of designs and variety in weaves. This variety is representative of India as a true destination of what we have culturally imbibed and have been handed over by master craftsmen since generations. If the food in India changes every 200 kilometres we travel so do the weaves and designs of the handloom sector.
Starting with intricate Kashmiri embroidery down to the temple designs in rich silk in South India, the variety is endless.
It is a weave trail that has centuries of history, stories of kings and the rise and fall of their kingdoms, as well as imprint of temples and mosques.
The paithani brocades of Maharashtra to the sambalpuris and bomkais of Odisha, the delicate chikan embroidery of U.P. to the famed balucharis and kantha stitch from Bengal to the muga silk of Assam, our country has a rich heritage in weaves.
Every State has abundant options in terms of designs and weaving styles. Each district has its own history.
For any weave to survive there are two critical ingredients. First are the economic costs and second is the creative appeal.
In terms of economic appeal are the factors that need critical focus given the labour intensive nature of the business. In fact after agriculture, it’s the handloom sector that’s the most labour intensive in India. A sector that is facing severe challenges related to debt management and many weavers and their families being under monetary stress are stories that are a stark reminder of what we as a nation and consumers need to be sensitised of.
If we are discussing handloom and weaves, this is a critical area that needs equal attention.
Next factor of sustenance is the design aspect that needs to conform to two areas: the aesthetic part and the contemporary aspect of overall appeal. A third factor could also be identified in terms of the root of the original weave which not surprisingly could date back to centuries. As a typical example, the traditional weaves of Kanchipuram are dominated with temple structures given the whole industry grew up around the temple town for ages. It’s critical a gradual shift needs to take place in terms of blends of weave as in blending jute with silk, or even cotton which has been traditionally blended and linen have once again been tried over the years along with various natural dyes. The contemporary designs strictly demand a constant reform a process that would shape the future path of our weavers in the handloom industry at large.
Modern designs need to be imbibed in a manner that showcases a perfect fusion of taste in combination with the heritage these handlooms have so carefully preserved over centuries. Natural dyes have been the forte of handlooms. Investments need to be brought in and there are various government bodies working on these areas to generate a strong preserve of colours blending them with the right motifs.
The design aspect also has to match with new technology. Adapting modern designs would remain an equally dominating feature for our master weavers.
The present weaves of India is a pot pourri of hundreds of years of experience and research. Indian weaves dominated the globe from China in the east to Europe in the west. A similar journey awaits the sector with the coordinated efforts of our master weavers our modern designers and a strong support base in terms of research and technology from the government.
(The author is an economist turned fashion entrepreneur and the owner / founder of Advay Design Studio, New Delhi)
