Apparel April 2019 Apparel April 2019 issue | Page 46

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS THE PRESENTATION BY ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING DESIGNERS ALONG WITH ARTISANS WAS BASED ON GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATOR TEXTILES. today. I am grateful to Shri Sachin Tendulkar for partnering with weavers and the textile legacy of our country, as he begins a new chapter. Instead of profiting alone, he has chosen to share the profit with the community that has built the craft legacy of our country.” Under the agreements, the Weavers Service Centres (WSCs) under the Office of DC (Handlooms) will enable textile firms to directly source their requirements from handloom clusters, as per defined quality, cost and time constraints. This will also result in better price realisation and improved market understanding for weavers. The historic occasion will mark a new beginning of major commitments by the private sector towards the development of India’s handloom. Mr Kulin Lalbhai, Executive Director – Arvind Limited said, “There are over 43 lakh handloom weavers in India and more than 23 lakh handlooms. The Ministry of Textiles is taking efforts for skilling weavers, providing design inputs, best-in-class raw materials and tools, amongst other things. This empowers them, so they continue to remain engaged in this craft. We at Arvind believe that our retail strength and understanding of consumer behaviour can make a difference in bringing wide recognition and value to these gifted artisans and craftsmen. True Blue will continue to take all forms of Indianness to the world.” The occasion was also marked by a grand showcase of India’s rich textile tradition through a curated cultural show, with participation of leading designers. The presentation by established and emerging designers along with artisans was based on Geographical Indicator textiles, drawn from various regions across India. The show brought to light the potential of GI textiles, so as to promote and build awareness of such products and to strengthen the skills and supply chain capacity of grass-roots stakeholders. 40 I APPAREL I April 2019