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  Life   More Features  08 Aug 2019  National Handloom Day: Leading fashion designers call for #HandloomEveryday

National Handloom Day: Leading fashion designers call for #HandloomEveryday

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : Aug 8, 2019, 5:58 pm IST
Updated : Aug 8, 2019, 5:58 pm IST

Leading designers and fashion icons urge Indians to opt for handloom clothes on a regular basis

National Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7 as it was on this day that the Swadeshi movement was launched during the British era. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay)
 National Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7 as it was on this day that the Swadeshi movement was launched during the British era. (Photo: Representational/Pixabay)

India celebrates National Handloom Day on August 7 every year and this year, all the focus was on the hashtag #HandloomEveryday.

Leading fashion experts and designers discussed about the importance of handloom at an event that took place at the Crafts Museum in Delhi. The event was organised by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and Ministry of Textiles, reported News18.

Designer Ritu Kumar said that India’s rich heritage of handlooms differentiates us from the rest of the world. The designer often blends age-old handloom techniques with new technology to make her clothes.

She pointed out the need to financially back the handloom sector. Master weavers in villages are struggling to make ends meet and we just “can't wish away 16 million handloom weavers or their skills."

Textile designer David Abraham also joined in on the discourse on handloom. "Textile industry is the second largest polluter in the world. Every garment factory is getting larger and more mechanised. The handloom weaver has the smallest environmental footprint. Speaking of fashion, handicrafts is the greatest form of luxury because it's handmade and has limited pieces," said Abraham of the fashion brand Abraham and Thakore.

National Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7 as it was on this day that the Swadeshi movement was launched during the British era. It was an anti-colonial campaign which promoted India’s local fabrics and textiles over the British-made ones.

The event was graced by several other designers like Padma Shri recipient Ram Kishore Chippa Derawala, a master printer of Rajasthan’s famous Dabu and Bagru prints. He advocated for reduction in taxes levied on handloom products.

Designers Madhu Jain, Sunil Sethi and Rta Kapur Chishti also spoke about how Indians should be proud to preserve their handloom heritage and treat it the same way they they would treat the monuments.

The panel discussion ended with the launch of the hashtag #HandloomEveryday. It urged more and more people to opt for handloom clothes to wear on a regular basis. The event ended with a curated exhibition of handlooms from across the country, organised by the FDCI.

Tags: national handloom day, handloom fabrics