Celebrating the Skills and Artistry of India’s Artisans
.....Project Handmade in India
The Indian handloom industry is one of the finest identities of the country, representing the country’s rich culture and heritage to the world. With its wide presence in the formal and the informal sectors, millions of people depend on it for a living. The sector depends on the artistry and skills of weavers, which has to be advanced and improvised regularly to ensure sustenance against the changing consumer preferences and market trends. In times when there is an influx of cheaper machine-made products, skilling and competency building of weavers and artisans becomes important.
EDII has taken on the task of upscaling the handloom industry by promoting innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial competence in the field. The Handmade in India (HMI) project is a three-year HSBC CSR effort that the Institute is executing with the goal upskill the for brighter prospects. This would help the artisans expand their operations and escalate their business scenario.
A Handloom fashion show was organized in Salem cluster to promote handloom products and support weavers in the market linkage activities. The show aimed at creating awareness about the handloom silk products among people. The fashion show had Dr. Amin Hirenbhai Navinbhai, Director IIHT, Salem as Chief Guest and Mr. D. Karthikeyan Deputy Director – WSC, Salem as Guest of Honour. Dr. Raman Gujral, Director, Department of Projects-Corporates, EDII was also present on the occasion. The fashion show witnessed people from various sectors like Social influencers, Rotary Club members, influential women entrepreneurs, fashionistas and invited guests. 25 weavers displayed their products in the fashion show.
A 2-day exposure visit was planned for the weavers of Maheshwar Cluster at Yeola & Paithan (Maharashtra), known for its Paithani Sarees. The weavers got an insight into new ideas and new designs. They explored Paithani Design Craft, Weft insertion Techniques, Graph Making and other contemporary techniques.
As a part of Market Linkage programme in Bargarh cluster, a fashion show was organized on 3rd March, 2022 at Swayam Siddha Bhawan, Bargarh to promote Sambalpuri products created by project beneficiaries. The event was inaugurated by Prof. Sanjeev Mittal, Vice Chancellor, Sambalpur University. The team collaborated with Ms. Minati Sahu an expert in the field of styling and modelling for guiding and preparing the participants of the event to make it successful. The event supported ‘vocal for local’ and encouraged people to explore handloom products and designs.
The Haat – Premium Heritage Fashion and Lifestyle Exhibition at Race Course Ground, Rajkot was organised from 7th to 9th January 2022. The 3- day event provided a platform for small-scale enterprises and participants from across the country to showcase their wide range of ethinic designer jewelries, home furnishings and several other products. 2 weavers from Surendranagar cluster showcased their crafts of Patola and Tangaliya, earning revenue of Rs. 6,00,000.
A network meet cum exhibition for artisans and weavers from Surendranagar cluster was held in Gandhinagar on 20 March, 2022 to showcase Tangaliya and Patola crafts. Various stakeholders associated with the HMI project were invited for the event to talk about the uniqueness of these craft. With 12 beneficiaries from Surendranagar cluster participating in the event, there seemed to be a clarion call for ‘Vocal for Local’. Total Sales during the event is around Rs. 6 lakh plus orders.
