Will Lanka handlooms grace Landon's catwalks?

Lanka handlooms struggle for identity, share in global market

by Joseph Thavaraja in Colombo

Despite severe competition from colourful Indian handlooms and continuously dwindling supplies from local producers, Lankan handwoven textile-sector shows promising signs of acceptance in global textile markets. Evidence for this came in increasing export revenue figures; Last year, handloom exports recorded Rs. 70 million, a seven fold increase (from Rs. 11 million) in 1990 -only nine years ago. Lankan handlooms also reached new global textile markets including The Netherlands, Japan, and the Scandinavias. "Our handwoven industry is weak. Indonesian Batiks, Chinese Brocades and colourful Indian looms etc, are easily traceable to their ethnic origin. But in contrast, Lankan textiles have no such distinction other than one traditional design coming from Kandy area" said said Ms. Madara Dolapihilla, a textile designer attached to National Handloom Centre (NHC) of Textile Training and Services Centre (TT&SC)at Ratmalana, a suburb south of Colombo. TT&SC is the country's leading textile development and research center aided by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Speaking at a special press briefing on Thursday June 22, she said "It is this 'absence' that made us to focus on creating 'an image' for all textiles of Sri Lanka, including handlooms. The image building is especially important for our handweaving industry since it is not (properly) organised to cater to the demanding export environment". How does TTSC expect to do this? As a first step, by transforming its annual handloom display to a Trade Exhibition this year allowing selected handloom items for purchase. The Trade Exhibition, titled 'Image Sri Lanka IV-Distinctive Handwovens Trade Exhibition', will open at the Colombo National Art Gallery on July 7.

Jointly organised by National Handloom Centre (NHC) of Textile Training and Services Centre (TTSC), Ratmalana, and Export Development Board (EDB), this is the fourth of a series of such exhibitions since 1996. This year, for the first time the exhibition will display a collection of exclusive handloom fabric produced over a period of ten years by NHC and TTSC."We have come a long way since the first exhibition. This year's exhibition, the fourth since 1996, takes the form of a Trade Exhibition and selected quantities are available for purchase" said Ms Dolapihilla.

The exhibition, which features handloom fabric samples from all provinces in Sri Lanka (sans the war-torn North), will unveil a fresh range of handlooms donning new designs and colours aimed for a broader local appeal. However, Ms. Dolapihilla may have to think of more than mere image building if the current fall of supplies in Lankan handloom industry continues. As the raw material-prices (such as yarn) climb and the supply of fabrics totally depend on manual output, Lankan handloom industry has to face the most crucial need the global market demands -meeting deadlines. "Lankan handlooms cannot be supplied 'on demand'. Creating handlooms, unlike any other (synthetic) fabrics, are a manual process. One has to wait for the handwoven fabric to be created to use/sell it. The process of handloom creation cannot be automated" she adds.

An estimated 30000 people are engaged in the handloom industry performing various jobs ranging from weaving to many other allied tasks. However, not all of them get a 'respectable' earning. About a third of them reportedly engage in handlooms only on a part-time basis. "But, almost all of them are in it as a means of living...not as part of a distinct textile tradition, such as in India" she says. And Lankan handlooms need to go a long way before it can match the dominant Indian handlooms. Ms. Dolapihilla agrees: "Our handlooms lack in design and color choices, unlike Indian handlooms which are a product of centuries old textile traditions, deeply entrenched in India. In the forthcoming exhibition we will introduce some new designs with added colours".

This year, for the first time since its first show in 1996, the exhibition will also display a collection of exclusive fabric produced over a period of ten years by NHC and TTSC. "We have come a long way since the first exhibition. The series started under the project 'Image Sri Lanka' in 1996 with a view to establish an identity in Lankan textiles" said Ms Dolapihilla. Thus, "WILL Lanka handlooms grace London's catwalks oneday?" seem almost a misnomer. Rather, the correct query SHOULD be "CAN Lanka handlooms grace London's catwalks one day?" The answer is 'Perhaps Yes!-That is, if our handlooms can allow eager global buyers to successfully project and easily identify with an image of a 'Lankan Ethnicity', then the answer is 'Yes'. But much needs to be done at home -and abroad- before the vibrant -albeit the humble- fabric reaches catwalks of Milan and London.