Handloom Dresses Online in India – The country’s handloom business is seeing a spectacular comeback, due to today’s passionate youth who wish to reconnect with their roots.
Handlooms are receiving unprecedented support from the Indian young, both offline and online. They are not only enhancing their wardrobe with vivid fabrics from India, but they are also promoting Indian culture and tradition in a variety of ways.
The centuries-old industry is finally receiving its due, with initiatives and social media communities like Friends of Handloom, Handloom Saree Lovers, Handlooms and Handmade, and I Wear Handloom Saree paying shining tribute to the wonder of handwoven fabrics. Well, the craft certainly deserves all of the attention it is currently receiving! [Handloom Dresses Online in India]
The situation today is a vast cry from what it was not long ago, when the industry was in desperate need of resuscitation. Of course, much more needs to be done to support the business, which is an important component of the country’s rural fabric.
A little background [Handloom Dresses Online in India]
Handloom weaving is one of the country’s oldest family-based traditional industries. Handlooms have been used since the Indus Valley civilisation and the Mughul era. Spindles and spindle whorls were discovered during excavations at Mohenjodaro.
Weaving techniques and materials are mentioned in Vedic literature, including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Spindling, weaving, and dyeing methods were claimed to have progressed throughout the Vedic period. Mughal court poets appear to have made references to the famous Indian muslin, referring to it as ahrawan (flowing water) and shabnam (dew).
The industry’s competitive advantage
The Indian handloom business is as diverse as the country’s culture. Every nook and cranny of India has a different weave. Every state and region in the country has its own unique traditional design and craft that has been passed down from generation to generation.
From Orissa’s Ikat saris to Kashmir’s Pashminas and Tamil Nadu’s Kanjivaram saris, to Ilkal in Karnataka and Assam’s Muga saris, each handloom sari has a distinct warp and weft, expressing the weaver’s creativity and talent as well as regional cultural subtleties.
Although the trade is mostly practised for a living, there have been many advancements, some of which have earned the industry numerous honours and prizes. [Handloom Dresses Online in India]
The handloom industry’s strength comes in its precise artistry, which cannot be duplicated on a power loom. The handloom business requires less capital, consumes less power, is environmentally friendly, is open to new ideas, and responds well to market demands.
While fast-fashion manufacturers provide consumers with appealing pricing points, the enchantment of handlooms is unrivalled in terms of patterns, texture, design, sustainability, and comfort.
A quick look at the numbers
India has the greatest number of handloom weavers in the world. Weaving and related activities employ about 43 lakh people, placing it second only to agriculture in terms of employment.
- India produces over 95% of the world’s handlooms.
- In India, there are around 2.3 million handlooms, with main centres in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh.
- The handloom industry accounts for around 23% of total fabric production in the country.
Support is required.
The industry is currently at a crossroads and requires great assistance from all stakeholders. The government is contributing to the revival of khadi, handloom, and handwoven fabrics. The Make in India and Khadi movements, as well as the establishment of the India Handloom brand to ensure authenticity and quality, are all helping the cause. [Handloom Dresses Online in India]
More persistent expenditures in finance, incentives, training, marketing, and technology upgradation (such as modernisation of pit looms and pneumatic looms, high-speed automatic looms, shuttle-less weaving, and multiphase weaving technology) are required in the future.
These steps will minimise weavers’ drudgery, enhance their productivity and fabric quality, and ensure that the second generation takes up handloom weaving.
It is gratifying to see fashion celebrities and renowned designers in the country becoming handloom ambassadors on red carpets and on the runway. This idea needs to spread among customers as a whole. Everyone’s priorities and mindsets should shift. After all, it is our job to appreciate and preserve this time-honored custom for future generations. [Handloom Dresses Online in India]