Reliance Industries’ retail arm Reliance Retail will launch a dedicated artisan-only store format Swadesh to showcase artisanal products including agriculture and food products, handlooms, clothing, textiles, handicrafts and handmade natural products. The Mukesh Ambani-backed retail giant envisages a global platform which will explore new partnerships with State governments and undertakings to create a strong, vigorous and sustainable eco-system for local artisans.
The first Swadesh store is expected to open in the second half of the current year and will house a wide range of products sourced directly from artisans.
Global marketplace
The programme is being spearheaded by Reliance Retail’s handicrafts brand Swadesh, which will also build a global marketplace to connect Indian sellers of authentic handmade products to consumers across the world.
“The future of Indian arts and crafts is poised at an exciting stage. Our past efforts towards the development of robust infrastructure reviving dying art forms and building and enabling ecosystem for local artisans, weavers and craftsmen have yielded encouraging results,” said Isha Ambani, Director, Reliance Retail Ventures.
“We see a great opportunity for the artisans of our country in co-creating and co-curating handcrafted Indian products for the world. To realise this opportunity, Reliance Retail is partnering with various government organizations to help popularise various local art forms. Reliance Retail and Reliance Foundation have also aligned to identify core epicenters for various indigenous crafts and will set up RiSE skill development centres to ensure reach at grassroots level,” she added.
Government partnerships
Swadesh is partnering with various governments undertakings and State governments and has already signed an MoU with the Ministry of Textiles which enables sourcing of 100 per cent authentic crafted products, directly from artisan communities.
Another MoU, signed today at the Bengal Global Business Summit in Kolkata with the West Bengal Department of MSME and Textiles, seeks to to build a dynamic ecosystem that will help realise sustainable employment and an enriched standard of living for the artisan community.