In 2011, a man named Siva Devireddy, then working in the corporate tech world, decided to tackle a centuries-old problem — how to get rural artisans and weavers direct access to customers without being crushed by the weight of middlemen. He saw firsthand that while India’s handloom tradition was rich and varied, the people making […]
India proudly calls itself the land of handloom. From Banarasi sarees to Pochampally ikat, we tell the world that every thread carries the soul of our artisans. But behind this romantic image is a dirty truth — a ₹30,000 crore scam that is slowly killing the very heritage we boast about. The Headline Numbers Nobody
Powerloom in Handloom Clothing: The ₹30,000 Crore Scam No One Talks About Read More »
There was a time when a skilled weaver could touch a saree, glance at the weave, and instantly say, “This is handloom.” That time is gone. Not because the weavers forgot their craft, but because marketplaces and greedy traders have turned counterfeiting into an art form — and they’re getting away with it. The Culprits:
Why Even Weavers Can’t Identify Fake Handloom Anymore – And Who’s Selling You the Lie Read More »
When you hear the word Khadi, you think of Gandhi’s charkha, of freedom fighters spinning yarn, of rural women weaving fabric under a lantern, of self-reliance, purity, and pride. You do not think of plastic. Yet, under the Khadi India brand managed by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), a silent shift has taken
Polyester in Khadi? A Betrayal of the Charkha and Gandhi’s Dream Read More »
How imported yarn and mill-made fabric slip into India wearing a ‘handloom’ mask—and how to stop it. Let’s be blunt: a huge slice of the “pure handloom” you’re seeing online is nothing more than imported yarn or fabric stitched in India and sold with a desi fairy tale. The price is premium. The label is
Your ‘Pure Handloom’ Kurta Could Be Made in China — Here’s the Proof Read More »
What’s really happening (no sugar-coating) Powerloom + polyester = “handloom” (on the tag). Add a bit of zari, throw in a GI name, print a romantic backstory—and boom, margin magic. Marketplaces and multi-brand stores treat “handloom” like a search keyword, not a legal category. Verification? Often zero. Buyers are set up to fail. Even many
The Fake Handloom Economy: How Counterfeit Sarees Are Killing India’s Weavers Read More »
India’s handloom tradition has survived invasions, colonisation, and the industrial revolution. But today, it faces an enemy more dangerous than any loom-destroying policy or foreign import — the silent, systemic, and organised counterfeit handloom trade happening on so-called “trusted” e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and JioMart. These platforms claim to empower small businesses and artisans.
Last fortnight, Jammu & Kashmir moved from making promises to taking action. Dealers were given just seven days to remove machine-made imports being passed off as Kashmiri handicrafts — or face blacklisting and deregistration. One retailer has already been blacklisted for putting a forged QR label on a machine-made carpet and selling it as an
Kashmir’s Crackdown on Fake Handicrafts Is a Wake-Up Call for the Entire Country Read More »
On National Handloom Day, August 8, 2025, the Indian Textile Ministry unveiled a grand promise — the “Weave the Future – Regenerative Edition” exhibition at New Delhi’s Crafts Museum. This wasn’t just an art-and-culture showcase; it was positioned as a defining moment in India’s textile story, a supposed leap into the ESG era — Environmental,
For centuries, handloom has been more than just cloth in India. It is heritage woven into threads, the livelihood of millions of weavers, the pride of villages, and the essence of slow, sustainable fashion. But today, a dark shadow hangs over this industry — fake handloom products flooding the market. Powerloom fabrics, synthetic yarns, and
Fake Handloom in India – The State-by-State Map of a National Scam Read More »
