Weavers

Traditional garments across India carry knowledge of materials, construction, climate and local identity, yet many have not been explored for contemporary markets. The Weavers' Service Centre, Chamoli, has tested one approach with Uttarakhand's Dokha, a heavy woollen winter garment. Its lighter, shorter cotton version has since passed through field training to weavers, and commercial production has begun in Khatima.

As Ethiopia’s artisan sector faces globalisation’s pressures, a new generation of designers is redefining what “handmade” means in a digitally connected and fast-changing world. Mekdes Mesfin, Founder and Creative Director of Demii Design, believes that craftsmanship and innovation can evolve together — sustaining livelihoods while shaping a modern national identity through design and empowering communities to see fashion as cultural continuity, not merely commerce.

Why does a designer have to lie? Why don’t we give the master craftsperson his/her due? Master embroiderer, craft exponent and revivalist Asif Sheikh answers these questions and more on the whats and whys that plague the handcrafted handloom industry.

The 54th report of the Parliament of India’s Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development, which was submitted earlier this month, provides alarming numbers about the state of the silk industry in the country.