Hemmed In: Are all Indian handlooms luxury now?

Then, in October 2025, Dasmahapatra shared a post that got everyone hot under the Banarasi collar. “Indian handicrafts have become beyond the reach of the average Indian,” he claimed. “Things that were once ubiquitous in middle-class homes are now out of reach… Can we accept this instead of blaming Indians for not buying things handmade in India?” A war broke out in the comments. Some called Dashamahapatra elitist for expecting cheap labor from artisans. Others felt personally attacked for their decision to stay within a modest budget. Some also accused artisans of raising prices just to attract foreign buyers.

There is more to Dashamahapatra’s boast than just price. Open your cupboard at home for data. Of course there are Indian costumes. But most of it is probably from some mall or chic studio – woven on power looms, printed by machine, embroidered by automation. There are sarees, but the best sarees are the inherited sarees – Dadima seems to have found better value in her modest budget than she currently does. There’s the odd East-West collab — sneakers covered in block-print motifs, a Bandhani wrap dress, a floor-length gown with zardosi trim — bite-sized tradition. How did we become so distant from India’s magnificent handloom tradition?

an annoyance of time

One reason for this is that the number of weavers in India has reduced compared to before. The first All India Handloom Census (1987–1988) counted 6.7 million handloom weavers and allied workers in the country, the majority of whom were women. The most recent edition (2019-2020, with last year’s update) numbers 3.5 million, a decline of 48%. Here there are less producers and more buyers. Rarity is clearly driving up prices.

There has always been a premium on artisan products. “There is a uniqueness about them that cannot be replicated by machines,” says Aditi Chand. She along with Udit Khanna and Ujjwal Khanna launched Tilfi Banaras in 2016, selling high-quality Banarasi apparel, art and collectibles made by artisan families. Handmade goods also command a higher price because they use better materials and involve skilled labor in the production.

But changes in the supply chain after the pandemic and a greater focus on fair trade and ethical production have led to higher prices, says Vandana Gupta, creative director of Jaypore, a company that sells affordable home decor, accessories, jewelery and clothing across India. Silver prices are skyrocketing globally – hence, good zari thread is now much more expensive. Worldwide, silk is in greater demand – even H&M and Zara use this fabric in their one-season garments – so, it costs more for a weaver to buy good thread. “Craftsmen once had access to forests where they could collect materials for natural dyes. Now that access has been taken away,” says artisan and founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti, Jaya Jaitley.

upcoming stitch

“There’s now a more global appreciation of Indian craftsmanship, whether it’s Brad Pitt wearing a Tangalia shirt, or Kolhapuri on the Prada runway,” says Gupta. Yet, within India, handloom accounts for only 4.5% of Indian textile purchases. Even that may be diminishing as Indian fast-fashion brands are flooding the market with extremely cheap kurtis, sarees and salwar suits that mimic ikat, bandini and block prints. And online, with every shop claiming that their products are ethnic, handmade, ethically produced and traditional (and somehow cheap too) the real version gets lost in the noise. We would prefer factory-made fashion rather than hand-made, high-quality classics – cheap, trendy, disposable, sold online, delivered overnight and taken apart after a season.

Despite these problems, Jaitley rejects the argument that handloom is beyond the reach of the average urban buyer. Instead, craftspeople “have finally reached the level of earnings they deserved long ago,” she says, and it’s the customer who needs to grow. If Indians are willing to pay more for a famous artist’s canvas, why should they constantly bargain with a Kalamkari artist working on a piece of cloth? And if a group of weavers can collaborate with a fashion designer every season, why shouldn’t they get a good share of the designer pricing? “This is a positive model,” says Jaitley.

Collaboration works until it doesn’t. The economics promoted as a result of designer tie-ups rarely helps the artisan, says Babar Afzal, a pashmina artist and founder of the Pashmina Bakri Project. All this, he says, is to create a market for cheap counterfeits, making it even more difficult for artisans to continue their work after the collaboration ends. “As demand increases, so does commercialization, and with it, the exploitation, compromise and dilution of crafts.”

hidden in folds

Undoubtedly, handloom is a luxury. Of course, it should feel special, precious. But this system works only when our skilled artisans earn enough money to continue their work. Government subsidies and schemes have not been enough – the number of our weavers has declined largely because children of artisans prefer higher wages, not family businesses that keep them poor.

Afzal says fair wages, sustainable livelihoods and skills protection have not grown at the same pace as market visibility. “Things can change with direct-to-consumer models, transparent costs, traceability (weaver identity, origin, labor costs), and artisan-led equity in brands.” He is working on creating a blockchain-like repository for pashmina artisans, so that both buyers and weavers can skip the middlemen and trade fairly.

Chand has seen increasing compensation and better recognition of artisans over the years. Jaitley says he has observed that artisans take pride in their work, which encourages the younger generation to keep the looms running. However Gupta cautions: “Artisans benefit most from transparent, long-term partnerships based on respect and reputation.” For all of us, with or without heritage sarees, it means less bargain hunting at craft fairs, more investment in slow fashion, less machine-made lookalikes and more attention to how we fill our wardrobe.

The Fine Print: How Our Clothes Enthralled the World

in 2008, The Kanjeevaram saree made by Chennai Silks holds the Guinness World Record for being the most expensive ever made. Created for the family of a Kuwaiti businessman, it was woven from pure gold, silver and platinum zari threads, and decorated with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. Weaving recreated 11 art pieces of Raja Ravi Varma. It cost approximately ₹40 lakhs.

In 2022, In a volunteer-weaving initiative, 1,426 citizens (teachers, doctors, lawyers, students, housewives) in Nagpur made a 98 feet long cloth to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence. It received the India Book of Records award for the longest length of hand-woven fabric. He named it Fabric of Unity. It used different clothing threads and a variety of colors and shades.

In 2024, During her wedding to Anant Ambani, Radhika Merchant wore a custom Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla lehenga made in traditional Gujarati Panetar style. The cost of the outfit was not disclosed. But 60 extra sarees, worth ₹Each was given Rs 6 lakh as a wedding gift.

From HT Brunch, February 07, 2026

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