Apparel April 2019 Apparel April 2019 issue | Page 48

ONCE A GI TAG IS ASSOCIATED
WITH A FABRIC, THE AUTHENTICITY
OF THE PRODUCT CAN BE
VERIFIED AND THE WEAVER
BENEFITS DIRECTLY.
The following designers and artisans participated
in the presentation:
• Designer Rahul Mishra showcasing Chikankari
• Designer Payal Khandwala showcasing
Benarasi brocades
• Master-weaver Shantilal Bhangade
showcasing Paithani
• Designer Gaurang Shah showcasing
Kanchipuram silks
• Dr Ushadevi Balakrishnan from Kerala
presenting Balaramapuram saris
through Anka
• Designer Karishma Shahani Khan showcasing
Kota Doriya/Chanderi textiles
• Designer Meera Muzaffar Ali showcasing
Chikankari textiles
• Designer Padmaja showcasing
Maheshwari textiles
• Artisan Rajib Debnath (Burdwan) showcasing
Jamdani saris
• Designers Abraham & Thakore showcasing
hand-block prints on handloom cotton
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I APPAREL I
April 2019
INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
IMPACT OF ARTISAN SPEAK
Patenting exclusive crafts with GI registration
holds great promise for economic and social
upliftment of weavers and artisans. About 168
handloom and handicrafts products have been
registered under GI.
Recently, Tamil Nadu added three more
handlooms in the GI registry: Tribhuvan Silk Sari;
Kodali Karuppur Sari; and Karaikudi Kandangi
Sari. Once a GI tag is associated with a fabric,
the authenticity of the product can be verified
and the weaver benefits directly. In addition to
the three fabrics, Sediputta Sari, Uraiyur Sari and
Negamam Cotton Sari GI will be filed as well.
Tribhuvan Silk Sari earned the GI tag after five
years. In an era where brand value draws sales,
GI is the best possible brand creator and holds
potential for increasing value for our communities,
especially in the space of handloom which is
varied and different for each state. Artisan Speak
will mark another step in this direction, wherein GI
textiles will be showcased and the private sector
will enter into collaboration with the Government
to promote India’s handloom.
Speaking at the event, Sachin Tendulkar said,
“I thank the Textiles Minister for this initiative; the
weavers have been facing a lot of challenges due
to the introduction of fancy new machineries. The
actual skill has been challenged for which India is
known for. India might be the only country where
handmade articles are way cheaper, while in other
countries they are way costlier. The reason for
this, I think, is that handmade articles are made
from the heart; this makes us recipients of the
blessings of weavers. Coming to partnership,
this is a great one. We have 4.3 million people
involved in the sector, second largest to
agriculture. The partnerships will help us in setting
standards globally.”
As per the MoU, Arvind’s True Blue will source
handloom products directly from local artisans
and weavers, with support from the Government.
The collection crafted using these products will be
retailed as True Blue Handcrafted. These will be
specialised products which cannot be replicated
by the power looms.