Seventeenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

We are faced with the two major challenges today, climate change and unemployment. Technology has contributed to efficient productivity, but is also responsible for growing unemployment, falling incomes, and has been the cause of inequality, ecological degradation, and increasing disparities. There is wisdom in developing the artisanal handcrafted sector, which is an eco-friendly means of production and inherently labour intensive with the possibility of creating a large number of dignified livelihoods without huge investment. This can help empower women and marginalised communities involved in the sector and protect them from the consequences of economic migration. Heritage Textiles in India continue to be a living tradition. The vast variety of textiles narrate the story of our indigenous design aesthetic and culture. Each region offers a wealth of unique skills, wide variety of textiles, which use diverse materials and methods. Over the last 40 years, I have been closely collaborating with artisanal clusters around the country to develop fabrics for my clothing company and through my work, have be able to demonstrate that there is a viable market in urban centres for handcrafted textiles. Most places in the world today have lost their traditional hand skills. As the world talks about sustainable livelihoods, we stand at an advantage as artisans in India have not lost their ancestral hand-skills. In this paper, I review the potential of creating handmade items in India for the local, national and world markets.