Kerala experimenting with start-up culture to revive handloom sector

There is no lack of ideas among the country’s vast young population but funding taps of venture capitalists and investors have mostly dried up in recent times.

The State government is seeking to set right this anomaly through a signature initiative in the handloom sector.

EMACIATED SECTOR It has associated itself with a start-up of graduates from College of Engineering (CET), Thiruvananthapuram, with the objective of reviving fortunes of the emaciated sector.

The enterprise has generated Hornbill, a unique clothing line aimed at rebranding Kerala handloom and supporting tens of thousands of weavers and craftsmen.

Aptly named The People’s Company, the start-up is a partner in Operation Phoenix, a government initiative to revive the handloom sector in the State.

As part of the initiative, The People’s Company will integrate weavers’ societies into a single production system.

CREATING LINKAGES It will also create linkages between new-generation fashion designers passing out of national institutes and traditional weavers for breathing fresh life into the industry.

All products will be commissioned as per approved designs and market viability. Besides redoing and renovating showrooms, the programme will also try to expand market.

A key element of the project is creating a platform to connect existing infrastructure and industry with new-gen fashion designers and arts graduates.

The first edition of the Hornbill line consists of ethnic women’s wear designed with intricate hand embroideries and block prints and glistening bead works.

STUDENT GROUPS Hornbill brings fabrics woven from high-quality silk and cotton from the looms of Mayyil in Kannur and Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram.

The collection also features cotton silk, a fabric developed to market scale for the first time by Kerala Handlooms.

A number of student groups across the State have contributed their mite into the project, including in branding, logo design and promotion.

For instance, WebopX, a start-up from CET, created the graphic designs while fourth-year architecture students did up the artwork and structure for the visual merchandising.

MENTORING EFFORT V. Somasundaran, former additional chief secretary, and P.H. Kurien, Principal Secretary, Industries and IT, mentored the young entrepreneurs.

Kurien launched the first limited edition of Hornbill consisting of 20 exquisite designs by leading designers and a collection of 60 garments at a function held here.

“The response from the industry to the project so far has been very positive,” Kurien said. Raqib Rasheed, Chairman, People’s Company, said that it has got maximum encouragement and support from the State government.