Bela Sanghvi
Designer and Revivalist
India’s textile legacy is a vibrant mosaic woven through centuries of cultural expression, regional identity, and artisanal excellence.
Why Preserving Textile Heritage Matters
India is home to the world’s largest community of handloom weavers, spinners, and textile artisans. This ecosystem preserves an extraordinary range of techniques that continue to discourage mechanization due to their intricacy and creativity.
“To me, it’s not just India’s Heritage, it’s World Heritage.”
Power of the Internet & Social Media
The digital era provides unprecedented opportunities to revive and revalue India’s textile traditions. Through websites, blogs, and social media, artisans and organizations can:
- Share artisan journeys, processes, and community narratives.
- Sharing ours, Consumers’ success stories of celebration of our traditions & ensuring stories relevant to today’s generation nationally and internationally.
- Connect with consumers and collectors
- Ensuring National & International promotions, especially at Textiles trade shows, Textiles Museums & Fashion shows.
- celebrities & influencers constantly posting on Handloom, handcrafted & Khadi
- Build communities around textile enthusiasts, artisans, and organizations
- Promote sustainability and eco-conscious practices.
- Research & new developments are constantly encouraged.
Preservation Through Action
Safeguarding our textile heritage requires multi-level collaboration. Key actions include
- Documentation and Archiving: Cataloging techniques, motifs, oral histories, and tools for future generations.
- Skill Development & Training: Supporting the next generation of weavers, spinners, handcrafted karigars, dyers, and designers with high-quality education.
- Consumer Awareness Campaigns: Encouraging ethical fashion choices and increasing demand for authentic handwoven & and handcrafted products. Explain the cost factors at every level.
- Improvements to quality, craftsmanship & relevance to consumers’ lifestyles.
- Exceptional craftsmanship: Showcasing the skill and attention to detail that goes into creating these products.
- Quality materials: Using natural fibers, sustainable dyes, and high-quality raw materials.
- Innovative designs: Collaborating with designers to create modern, stylish, and functional products.
- Attention to detail: Ensuring that every product meets high standards of quality, texture, and finish, and is relevant to today’s lifestyle.
- Storytelling: Sharing the story behind each product, including the artisans, techniques, and materials used. By emphasizing these aspects, one can create products that are not only sustainable but also desirable, making them the preferred choice for those who appreciate quality, sustainability, and craftsmanship
- Quality standards need to be established. The skill sets need to be evaluated & segregated according to the output of quality.
- Support Ecosystems: Providing artisans with access to credit, technology, raw materials, and modern marketing tools.
7th August, National Handloom Day: A Collective Celebration
National Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7th to honor the contributions of India’s textile artisans and promote sustainable textile practices.
Let’s celebrate National Handloom Day by proudly wearing and showcasing Handloom, Handcrafted, and Khadi textiles on social media platforms. Join the movement online and share your favorite textile stories, outfits, or artisan interviews using the following Hashtags:
#NationalHandloomDay #Handloom #Handcrafted #Khadi #SustainableTextiles #IndianArt #Weavers #Craftsmanship
Let your post be a tribute, your outfit carries history, and your platform becomes a movement!
