Four years ago, to commemorate the centenary anniversary of the Swadeshi Movement, August 7 was marked in the calendar to be observed as National Handloom Day every year. Over the years, there has been the much-needed talk about helping the weavers revive the age-old heritage of handlooms.
“Indian handloom is finally coming of age with new developments and techniques being used to make it relevant today,” says Delhi-based designer Gautam Gupta. “On one side we see a craft that was getting lost in oblivion, getting resurrected, on the other hand, we are also witnessing a great development in the master weaves. Even contemporary artwork and motifs are being used to bring Indian handloom for global audience.”
Gupta, who has closely observed the status of Indian handloom for the past 21 years, feels that there has not been a better time for it as the world is recognising the need for sustainable and environment friendly fashion.
Meanwhile, talking about the future of handloom, Aneeth Arora of Péro says, “Handlooms are dying but at the same time, there are a lot of designers who are working with handlooms to make their creations. With more and more people using handlooms in their clothing and the brands reaching globally, is, in fact, helping the craft to survive.”
There are voices that have contrarian view as well. Hyderabad-based textile revivalist Sailesh Singhania opines that the handloom industry has been on a constant decline due to the huge number of labour work required. “I still remember Varanasi, the handloom hub of India, used to have around 40,000-50,000 handlooms. It has declined sharply to ten thousand now. And most of them have shifted to powerlooms,” says Singhania, who believes that people need to accept handloom as a luxury product.
While the debate around the pace of reviving handloom remains, one aspect that everyone agrees to is the emergent need to create awareness about them. “We need to revive the tradition of passing down handloom products from one generation to the next, rather than using powerloom products that are just one-time use. Also, there is a need to make costumers understand that they are paying for the craft and not just the material,” adds Singhania, who feels that customers need to realise that paying for the craft helps the artists and their family grow and thus, revive the tradition.
However, portraying handloom as a luxury product too has its flaws and Jaya Jaitly, Founder, Dastkari Haat Samiti (arts and crafts market) aptly puts, “Simply by calling it a luxury product, you are admitting defeat before the much needed start to regenerate and reactivate weaver service centers across the country. They have widest access to all types of handloom weavers and local designs and techniques.”
Jaitly also emphasises upon the need to widen customer base rather than targeting elites. “Handloom is far more intrinsic to our culture and life than just fashion. There are many levels of handloom products, from handkerchief, bedsheets, jhola (bags) and even gamchhas, which is a very important aspect of men’s wear, normally made across the country by small weavers. We are losing all these by concentrating on high value and high fashion,” she says.
Himalayan looms
Apart from cotton, wool is another element that the Himalayan region works on. Jigmat Norbo along with his wife Jigmat Wangmo built a community-based industry —Jigmat Couture — in 2010 in Leh. Today, he caters to a large section of the society offering couture wear, pret and even fabrics.
Norbo believes in ethics when it comes to his work. So even in the age of machines, he has consistently and committedly used local artists to spin and weave. “Our brand philosophy has always been slow and ethical fashion. So I prefer to limit my productivity rather than compromising on the quality. For designing and weaving, I use my own setup but for spinning I take help from various self-help groups or anybody who is free. An ideal community-based workplace.”