CHENNAI: India's handloom tradition has survived centuries of changing fashions, technologies and markets. Yet, preserving it today goes beyond supporting weaving communities. It also means helping people understand the knowledge, creativity and labour that go into every handwoven textile. As conversations around sustainable fashion and handmade products continue to grow, a new group of enthusiasts is discovering the craft as a creative practice.
Ahead of National Handloom Day, observed on August 7, Chennai-based contemporary weaving studio Shuttles & Needles organised its annual Weaving Mela at its Adyar studio. Around 40 participants, aged between 12 and 70, came together for a three-hour collaborative weaving session. Coming from different professions and walks of life, they are part of a growing community of urban handweavers who have taken up weaving alongside their everyday work.
Unlike previous editions, this year's gathering centred on a theme that went beyond techniques and finished textiles. Titled 'Thinking Through Weaving', it encouraged participants to look at weaving as a process of observation, decision-making and exploration. "Every year, we bring together the community of urban weavers we have built over time. As we continue weaving, our philosophy around it also evolves,” says Naresh Ramasubramaniam, founder and managing director of Shuttles & Needles.
For Naresh, weaving is much more than producing cloth. "Weaving is generally seen as a making activity. My thought is that it is actually a thinking activity. You begin with an idea and start making it. As you weave, the loom gives you feedback and that changes the way you think. Your next decision is influenced by what has already happened. It becomes a continuous dialogue between thinking and making,” he tells us.
That philosophy shaped one of the main activities of the event, 'One Loom, Many Hands'. Participants worked together on the same loom, each person continuing from where the previous one had stopped. Instead of following a fixed design, they responded to what was already on the loom, adding their own interpretation through colour, texture and pattern.
"We started with a concept and then allowed the next person to take it forward in their own style. The aim wasn't to produce a perfect piece of fabric. It was to see how an idea evolves when different people contribute to it,” says Naresh.
Participants also experimented with different kinds of compact handlooms. On some looms, simply changing the colours of the yarn created entirely different patterns without altering the weaving technique. "People enjoyed discovering these possibilities. It made them pause and think about every decision. Doing is easy. Thinking is what takes time."
The workshop also reflected Naresh's broader view of handloom and tradition. “Tradition is important as a form of knowledge rather than just as a set of skills. Skills change with tools and technology. The knowledge behind weaving is what should be preserved,” he informs DT Next.
He believes every generation should build upon that knowledge rather than simply replicate the past. "The traditional knowledge we inherit is our foundation. The important question is what we contribute to it. That is how traditions continue to remain relevant." For Shuttles & Needles, introducing more people to weaving is one way of creating that appreciation. The studio regularly conducts workshops and works with schools, using weaving as a hands-on activity.
The conversation around handloom is also changing outside weaving studios. "There is definitely greater awareness today. Customers are becoming more conscious and are willing to invest in good fabrics,” says Mayank Bhutra, founder of the label Erode Clothing.
He points out that the biggest challenge lies not in creating demand but in sustaining the people behind the craft. "There is no proper pay scale in handloom. It is a labour-intensive profession. If a young person can earn the same or more in another job, why would they choose weaving? If we want the next generation to enter the craft, we have to offer them better livelihoods and job security,” adds the entrepreneur.
He believes both brands and consumers have a role to play. "There are enough people who can weave. The question is whether we are willing to pay what their work is really worth,” he asks. As India marks another National Handloom Day, conversations around the craft include questions of fair wages, sustainability, education and innovation.