From the Editor | Kriti Magazine Issue 06
The KPIs of exquisite handmade Indian textiles & crafts in the past centuries were balanced between domestic patronage and international trade routes. Today, we observe a significant shift in that equation, with the responsibility of carrying textile legacies forward largely resting on conscious consumers, both in India and beyond. A corresponding transformation has occurred in the income ranges of working professionals especially in tier-1 urban centres. Keeping pace with the world, textile brands are also successfully utilising social media as a one-stop-shop for brand visibility, craft education and the factor that makes it all possible — sales.
Despite the revival of interest in Indian textiles among consumers and the multitude of homegrown designer labels, the fact that many consumers still equate luxury fashion with international houses poses a continuous challenge for Indian textile brands. Especially when they are handloomed and handcrafted. That not all of our textiles can be narrowed down to lustrous silks and intricate embroideries, that Indian designers are revisiting age-old crafts and treating them as innovative lenses to view the modern world, are matters of economical importance even discerning consumers may sometimes fail to notice. The solution? Probably a little more education on how much effort goes into textile creations and why preserving these skills matter to our culture and communities. This may not sound like a linear way out of the complex industry problem, but given the massive knowledge systems involved, it is definitely worth a try. Sumana Mukherjee
Editor, Kriti Magazine
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