Rony Banerjee writes, learning could gradually move beyond asking how a handloom fabric is made to considering how it may be designed, tested, used, repaired, recovered and returned to the material cycle.
IIHT SUTRA 2026, the first national conclave of the Indian Institutes of Handloom Technology, held in New Delhi on 12 August, created a timely space to reflect on where handloom education may travel next. Under the theme “Educate, Innovate, Transform,” it brought government, industry, research institutions, faculty, students and alumni into one conversation, which, in itself, is often where useful journeys begin.
The three partnerships announced provide a thoughtfully balanced foundation. Grasim Industries can strengthen curriculum, internships and industry exposure, NITRA can support research, testing and technology development and IIM Sambalpur can bring entrepreneurship, leadership and institutional capacity. Between them, the classroom, laboratory, factory floor and marketplace appear to have found a common table. The desirable next step is simply to keep the conversation moving from the table to the loom, and from the loom to the market.
India’s six Central and five State IIHTs carry nearly seven decades of institutional experience. The task is perhaps not to reinvent them, but to gently extend their relevance within a textile economy increasingly shaped by technology, performance and circularity.
The context deserves attention. India has nearly 3.5 million weavers and allied workers, over 72 per cent of whom are women. Textile and apparel exports, including handicrafts, reached approximately Rs 3.25 trillion in 2025–26. Handloom education therefore occupies a rather special crossing, where cultural knowledge meets women’s livelihoods, local production meets global markets, and inherited skills meet emerging possibilities.
Curriculum development could provide the first practical bridge. Regional weaves, traditional designs, indigenous fibres, natural dyes and loom knowledge should remain at the centre. These traditions are not merely reminders of the past; they already carry lessons in local sourcing, low-energy production, durability, repair and responsible consumption, ideas the modern world has now rediscovered under the respectable name of circularity.
Around this foundation, students could gain greater exposure to textile testing, material performance, functional finishes, digital design, certification and product development. Circularity may run quietly through every subject, where the fibre came from, how it was processed, how long the product will last, whether it can be repaired, and where it will go afterwards. After all, a textile’s story should ideally not end merely because its first owner has finished with it.
Learning could gradually move beyond asking how a handloom fabric is made to considering how it may be designed, tested, used, repaired, recovered and returned to the material cycle.
This also creates a natural meeting point between handloom and technical textiles. Selected handwoven structures could be explored for thermal comfort, interiors, acoustic applications, sustainable packaging, healthcare, agriculture and protective uses. Natural fibres, recycled yarns and fibres derived from agricultural residues could be combined with traditional weaving knowledge and assessed for strength, insulation, durability and moisture management.
There is no need, of course, to make every gamchha carry a technical specification sheet. The opportunity is subtler, to create an additional pathway of heritage-based technical textiles through which suitable handloom capabilities may enter specialised and higher-value markets without losing their cultural character.
Industry-linked courses, internships, laboratory exposure and live assignments can make this transition practical. Applied research may address loom ergonomics, recycled fibres, safer dyes, waste reduction, fabric durability and affordable testing. Patents and publications will remain valuable, but a small improvement that reduces yarn waste, eases a weaver’s effort or extends a product’s life may be equally worthy of recognition.
Innovation, after all, does not always arrive wearing a laboratory coat.
Circularity also offers a promising space for enterprise. India generates about 70.73 lakh tonnes of textile waste annually. Its textile-recycling market is projected to reach US$3.5 billion by 2030, with the potential to create nearly one lakh green jobs. IIHT students and alumni could develop ventures around recycled fibres, natural dyes, repair, upcycling, sustainable packaging, traceability and circular design. IIM Sambalpur’s support could help such ideas travel the important distance from an interesting prototype to a paying customer.
A simple annual progress report, covering revised courses, internships, research, patents, incubation, placements and active collaborations could document this journey and allow institutes to learn from one another. It would also help ensure that good intentions acquire outcomes, and that MoUs acquire a little movement.
IIHT SUTRA 2026 has opened a valuable window. The handloom carries India’s memory; with thoughtful education, patient collaboration and circular innovation, it may also weave a more responsible and rewarding future.
About the author:
Rony Banerjee is a strategy and policy advisor working at the intersection of textiles, MSMEs, sustainability and public policy. With over 25 years of experience across government, industry and development programmes, he focuses on industrial competitiveness, circular economy and institution building. He is a frequent commentator on emerging economic and governance issues and hails from Bihar.