“We have a design cell, where we develop new designs from time to time”. The design element in the handlooms is not just about creating new designs but also reviving some of the old patterns. The handloom industry across platforms is trying to add value to its products both in terms of design and marketing to compete with global apparel brands. “Once the fabric or material is approved by the procurement and technical officers, they are brought to warehouses from where the handloom items are sent to showrooms for sale”, adds Ms. Related article: The warp and weft of the Indian Handloom Industry: Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship – Read more: Picture credit: Cheneta Bhavan Hyderabad The yarn that is provided to weavers is sourced from National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC). However, the yarn is provided to the weavers who are registered with the handloom weavers’ cooperative society through the society and not directly. Kavita, a sales executive who currently works at a showroom associated with Telangana State Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society (TSCO).
“We provide weavers with yarn, recommend colour combinations and help them with design aspects, then our procurement officers and technical officers check if the fabric matches certain parameters and fix a rate”, says Ms. Sourcing handloom products from the weavers We are thankful to the employees of Cheneta Bhavan and Handloom House Hyderabad to talking to us and helping us learn about weaving skills, training, use of technology, marketing and efforts being made to help weavers by keeping connected with customers. To understand more about how the handloom industry has changed today in terms of design, marketing, and training of weavers, we met sales executives and designers associated with the Telangana handlooms. Kalamkari printing technique from Andhra Pradesh still uses natural pigments obtained from the flowers, leaves, barks of local trees and chemicals obtained from clay and river sands for the fabrics. There’s hardly any part of India that does not have a handloom or handicraft unique to that region.
India has regionally distinct varieties of handlooms like Ikats from Andhra Pradesh and Orissa, tie and dye from Gujarat and Rajasthan, brocades from Banaras, Pashmina from Kashmir and many more.
The Indian hand-woven fabrics and its textiles are known from ancient times and were exported to other parts of the world for very long. Indian handloom industry is deeply rooted in the sociocultural traditions with a rich heritage of skills and talent that needs to be preserved, perpetuated and promoted.
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