Kannur's handloom makes its mark on Amazon shopping site

KANNUR: Branded as the official handloom of Kannur, Cannloom, crossed the Rs 1.5 lakh mark in online sales, announced district collector Mir Muhammed Ali.  Cannloom has been a big hit among cotton lovers, not only in Kerala, but has found markets in bulk in states like Gujarat, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, thanks to the efforts by the collector in promoting Kannur's handloom.

However, Mr Mir says they are not ready to sit back and bask in this achievement but want to cross the Rs 10 lakh target within a year. "Getting a trademark was a milestone in promoting Cannloom, the original handloom of Kannur. The trademark was allotted in January. Nearly 14 societies followed the Kuthuparamba society that registered online first, around mid-2017. Now, the original handloom has found buyers even from outside Kerala," said the collector.
Bulk orders are coming in from Banaskantha in Gujarat, Motihari in Bihar, Salboni in West Bengal, Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Ranchi in Jharkhand.

More than 300 products were uploaded and a special section was given in the Amazon shopping website for the Cannloom products. According to the collector, there was more demand for the dhotis and shirts for men. Dhotis and shirts are being sold as a combo also. Under each society, 25 to 30 artisans are working and hundreds are banking on the industry still.

Banning plastic carry bags in supermarkets and collection points for plastics in schools and colleges have also turned beneficial for the sale of the handloom bags, with the artisans making lakhs of rupees from the sale of these bags, which are more durable. Adding to that, the handloom uniforms for different schools also has made the brand significant.