TDP general secretary, Nara Lokesh, on Thursday inaugurated the website www.weaversdirect.in, a non-profit venture which will provide a platform to introduce modern technology and designs to the weaving community, increase their profit margins by reducing the role of middlemen and using e-commerce to extend their reach to many international buyers by reviving and enriching their livelihoods.
With the active support of three Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Santhi Narisetty from Los Angeles, Madhavi Muthavarapu from Charlotte, Anuradha and Kalpana Gottipati from New Jersey, the website is inaugurated by a visionary leader, Lokesh at Venkatagiri, a town renowned globally for its silk sarees for several years. Inaugurating the website, Lokesh said “an initiative is underway to safeguard this centuries-old craft, particularly in Mangalagiri, in the heartland of Andhra Pradesh, and in Venkatagiri where the art of handloom weaving has flourished for centuries.”
Lokesh is hopeful that this initiative will certainly safeguard this centuries-old craft from fading into obscurity. For generations, for the weavers of both Venkatagiri and Mangalagiri, their looms have been their god, their love and their home. However, with the spread of powerloom technology, exploitation by middlemen and limited reach due to marketing constraints, handlooms have fallen in hard times, Lokesh added.
Weaversdirect will also focus on enhancing the presentation and marketing of their products. By leveraging virtual draping software, customers can visualise the sarees in different styles, while the addition of “saree stories” humanises the brand, narrating the journey behind each creation. Furthermore, boutique services have been introduced to cater to current customer trends, ensuring a personalised and memorable shopping experience.
To increase the margins for the weavers, weaversdirect has forged direct partnerships with multiple corporations, eliminating middlemen and guaranteeing fair prices. Direct sales to NRIs via their e-commerce portal, www.weaversdirect, have expanded the market reach, while nationwide and international product shows are planned to create greater visibility and demand for handloom products.
This website is a non-profit initiative tobe dedicated for uplifting the lives of the handloom workers not only in Venkatagiri and Mangalagiri but also outside Andhra Pradesh, Loeksh observed. By providing a direct platform for artisans to showcase and sell their products, this weaversdirect.in aims at empowering weavers for sustainable future for the handloom weaving community, he narrated.
The NRIs not only help weavers community to get proper training to update themselves on changing trends but also help them introduce new technology and designs in weaving. These NRIs will help the weavers to sell their products globally through this website thus getting greater margins in their sales.
If this project is a success, it will be implemented throughout the State, Lokesh said. “In Venkatagiri too several handloom workers are deserting this profession and my main goal is to bring them back mand make them a better professionals in handlooms,” Lokesh observed.
