Handloom high: Smriti Irani's new stint as textile minister has begun with a bang

The rhythmic clatter of handlooms is making some enchanting noises on social media platforms vis–a–vis the newly minted textile minister Smriti Irani and her social media campaign #IWearHandloom ahead of the first anniversary of National Handloom Day on August 7. The movement according to the minister’s office, made over 51 lakh impressions with over 58,000 interactions on Facebook in less than 24 hours. On Twitter, the campaign has reached more than 1.55 crore with 2.17 crore impressions of the hashtag — #IWearHandloom.

Sharing his personal experience of interacting with weavers, one of the top fashion bloggers in the country, Purushu Arie puts forth, “I got an opportunity to document the Jamdani and Kim-Khab brocades of Benaras few years ago. Interacting with the weavers in person and experiencing the craft from ground zero opened me up to the world of handlooms. Several indigenous textile crafts of India are facing the threat of extinction if untouched. The major threat that the craft faces today is the high job dropout rate among weavers due to inadequate wages. There’s no bigger loss to the industry than the loss of these highly skilled weavers who form the very backbone of the textile industry that makes up around 12% of India’s export revenue. This is probably the first time that Indians from all walks of life lent their voice in support of craft and poor weavers. Fast fashion culture emphasises quantity more than quality. We don’t need to stock our wardrobe with so many run-of-the-mill products. Investing in handlooms not only underlines your support for heritage craft techniques but also adds artisanal taste to your personality. The trending hashtag #IWearHandlooms is a small but significant step forward.”

Senior designer Madhu Jain, on the other hand, is all praises for the minister — “I think our textiles minister Smriti Irani’s social media campaign is nothing short of brilliant! Through her campaign, the subtext is clear: Be proud of India’s heritage. Be unafraid to wear your pride in our rich legacy on your sleeve. By encouraging citizens to participate in this campaign, she has catapulted the handlooms industry onto India’s centre stage. On a more personal level, I was overwhelmed to see that the picture Irani posted to kick start the campaign also included Maneka Gandhi who is sporting an Uzbekistan-inspired Ikat handloom outfit. I worked on that line with my master weavers from Andhra Pradesh for a couple of years, innovating and blending two different weaving traditions into a composite whole. My labour of love seems to be paying off.”

Designer Anita Dongre asserts that handloom is the need of the hour — “It feels great to see that something I have always believed in has now become a national movement. Handloom is the need of the hour to save a dying art and to create employment in rural India. This movement will give a better future to the textile industry.” Besides designers, a lot of youngsters like Shruti Kothari Tomar, a freelance writer by profession, have taken an instant liking to the movement. “For someone who has sported fast fashion all her life (including Bangkok steals priced at pittance) and felt great about it too, it’s a pity I didn’t discover Indian handlooms sooner,” rues Shruti, adding, “What helps the H&M generation is the fact that we’ve brought handloom with fabulous innovations and techniques into the western silhouette. Pants, jackets, skirts, brogues in Ikat, Benarasi brocade, bagh, block prints, kotpad, patola, kalamkari, the list goes on. What’s not to love!” Dongre completely agrees and concludes, “I truly admire how designers have made handloom chic. In fact this bold experimentation with textiles is a reflection of the essence of our culture where we straddle both the traditional and the modern worlds. The evolution of handlooms has not only helped magnify the reach of the design repertoire of our country but has brought about so many innovations that are not only refreshing but also awe-inspiring! It’s incredible how these handlooms and handwoven textiles have transcended time and technological changes and continue to be as relevant today. Handloom comes in great silhouettes and contemporary styles now. It’s the textile of today and the youth is surely embracing it.”