RmKV targets women weavers to boost its handcrafted buisness

Chennai:

The production of handcrafted silk sarees has come down by 50 to 60 per cent and traditional wear retailer RMKV is planning to open training centres in Arni, Kanchipuram and Salem to nurture women into weaving.

Addressing a press conference during a expo and sale of handcrafted materials of SAARC nations, organised by RMKV and SEWA (Self-employed Women’s Association) at the Forum Mall here on Friday, managing director of RMKV K Sivakumar along with Niranjana Viswanathan, who manages the ethnic wear label, Srinika, said that handcrafted sarees production dwindled as RMKV found it difficult to hire weavers, who left their age-old profession for better monetary gains.

“We are trying to bring back the women into weaving once again by providing them with all comfort at the workplace and training them,” he said.

Sivakumar said that the market in India is worth Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 crore but it is hard to retain the weavers. “Now we have designed a new technology that automates pedalling of the handloom weaving machine. This reduces the physical strain as such now women are coming back,” he says.

Interestingly, RmKV has converted its manual looms into pneumatic handlooms in a bid to lure back the weavers.

He said the growth of powerlooms would have hit the handcrafted industry but still handcrafted sarees can’t be replaced.”These are niche things and can’t be replaced,” he says.

He said that RMKV has also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with SEWA to promote RMKV’s Srinika brand.