JOIN USIn a move to assist the government in its plan to revive the handloom sector, online fashion retailer Myntra has announced its association with the Ministry of Textiles to promote the handloom industry in India.
The new handloom brand will be launched at Myntra’s upcoming brand summit ‘The Tech Threads’ on November 2, in the presence of Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Irani.
The products will retail through a dedicated online store on Myntra, and about 49 brands, including W, Biba, Peter England, Raymond, Welspun, Chennai Silks, Metro among others, associated with Myntra have pledged to be a part of this initiative and source handloom products from the weaver community, a company release said.
Myntra is working directly with weavers from Kamatagi, a small village in Hungund taluk of Bagalkot district in Karnataka, where the entire village is involved in Molkalmuru weaving, in order to showcase this languishing art at the national level, it said.
The new brand is set to showcase crafts such as Paramakudi, Chettinad, Upadda Jamdani Kuppalam, Mangalgiri, Venkatgiri, Mulkalmuru among others, of which Chettinad and Mulkalmuru are languishing art forms..
Speaking on the initiative, Ananth Narayanan, Chief Executive Officer, Myntra and Jabong, said, “It delights us to be a part of an initiative that is engaged in preserving our country’s rich textile and cultural traditions. Myntra’s first ever CSR programme is committed towards rejuvenating and growing the handloom sector by offering necessary assistance to the weavers and garnering maximum support from likeminded brands for the cause.”
The company is also aiming to achieve 10X growth in sales of handloom ethnic wear for women, over the next one year, Narayanan said.