Every year when National Handloom Day comes calling on August 7, conversations naturally turn to preserving India’s handwoven textiles. However, a growing number of designers are already showing handloom techniques can be preserved by reimagining them.
Once associated with festive wear and heirloom saris, these fabrics are finding their way into everyday dresses, shirts, co-ord sets and more.
For designer Diya John, founder of Salt Studio, her journey with handloom began only after she started her fashion label.
“In college, I was more interested in designs and prints than the fabric. After I started wearing handloom, I realised how beautiful and practical these textiles are. They’re breathable, comfortable and perfect for our weather,” she says.
Curiosity soon led her to the weaving communities. Visits to Chendamangalam, Balaramapuram, and later Fulia in West Bengal, introduced her to the diversity of India’s handloom traditions.
“From the amount of time that goes into weaving to the physical strength and dedication of elderly artisans... There was so much to learn,” she says. Those visits soon became collaborations.
At Chendamangalam, Diya worked with weavers to experiment with the tick weft technique. This method involves weaving threads of two contrasting hues together, creating a subtle pattern on the fabric. It was rewarding and challenging.
“Convincing weavers to try something new wasn’t easy.”
The collaborations eventually resulted in some of Salt Studio’s most distinctive pieces. A kasavu corset dress using the tick weft technique became one of her favourite creations, while a series of checked Chendamangalam saris, inspired by the vibrant costumes of Chavittunadakam, featured in the brand’s 2026 summer collection.
“When I saw the garments on our models, I couldn’t believe how contemporary they looked,” she says.
Her Onam line — Reawakening — is a reimagination of tales from yore woven on handloom fabric. A nostalgic design, rooted in stories of the soil.
Meanwhile, designer Sreejith Jeevan is reimagining kasavu this year with his brand Rouka. Kasavu has never been a ceremonial fabric for him, but a canvas. One of Rouka’s defining design elements is its signature appliqué work.
Using leftover fabric generated during garment production, he began creating surfaces, motifs and landscapes through carefully assembled textile pieces. Over time, the technique became an integral part of Rouka’s design language, with every scrap sorted by colour and reused in future collections.
This philosophy continues in Puleri, its Onam 2026 collection. Inspired by sunsets and the idea of hope, he adds colours to the handloom fabric, depicting the richness of Kerala’s geography.
The collection features playful interpretations of sunsets, birds, the sky, hills and water, all brought together through Rouka’s signature appliqué language.
“It is both Kerala and timeless,” says Sreejith.
At Jugalbandhi, Revathy Unnikrishnan has been experimenting with handloom through a curated collection of Kala cotton dresses and this year’s Onam edit inspired by Chettinad’s Athangudi tiles.
This collection combines Kerala cotton with embroidery traced from the colours, motifs and patterns of the handcrafted tiles. It also brings together Chettinad checks and traditional Kerala saris, creating what she describes as a “jugalbandhi” of the two textile traditions.
For Revathy, innovation is important, but so is addressing the realities confronting the sector.
“A lot of people still can’t tell the difference between handloom and powerloom,” she says. “Handloom is expensive because every piece takes time and labour, but many consumers don’t understand that.”
She believes demand for authentic handloom has declined over the years, making it increasingly difficult to sustain weaving communities.
However, Diya remains optimistic. Fashion, she says, has always moved in cycles.
“No matter how much we innovate, traditional designs will always come back. Just look at how retro aesthetics have become popular again.”
The shift is also visible in larger institutions.
Khadi India has recently introduced a contemporary collection aimed at younger buyers. According to Joby Joseph, an employee at one of the showrooms, the collection includes cotton khadi, jute silk and Jacquard silk fabrics crafted largely in Thrissur.
Khadi also has a wide range of vibrant kurtas, formal shirts and even a children’s line. The idea, he says, is to make traditional textiles more appealing to the younger generation.
Designers believe such innovations do more than update wardrobes — they help sustain the weaving ecosystem itself.
Every new silhouette, accessory or experiment creates another reason for handloom to remain relevant, ensuring that the craft continues to evolve rather than simply survive.
Beyond the ordinary
Preethi Vaidyanathan stumbled into working with handloom by accident. A jewellery design graduate from NIFT Chennai, she had always envisioned creating brass jewellery through her label, Akriti by Preethi (on Instagram).
“However, people were sceptical because brass is known to cause allergic reactions in some. That’s when I began incorporating fabric into my designs,” she says. What started as a practical solution soon evolved into a design language of its own.
Today, Preethi works with handloom fabrics such as Kalamkari, Ikat, Ajrakh and indigo-dyed Dabu, creating jewellery that blends metal with textile. Her latest addition is Madras checks.
“My indigo pieces and Madras checks are fast-selling nowadays,” she says. “These designs pair well with almost everything, whether it’s a plain white T-shirt or a kurta.”