Blog 13 - Handlooms to Powerlooms_ The Transmission in Indian Garment Industry
                     Handlooms to Power looms: The Transmission in Indian 
Garment Industry 
 
The handloom industry is one of India's oldest industries. Egypt was the first place where 
Indian handlooms were discovered. Dyed and cotton garments were later discovered in the 
Indus Valley Civilization -Mohenjo Daro. The traditional handloom style is one of the oldest 
types and has been described in Vedic literature. Indian weaving styles have a long history 
that predates imperialism and colonisation. Handwoven natural materials such as jute, 
cotton, khadi, and silk were used. 
 
Although the sector was reduced to ashes during colonial authority, it saw a massive 
resurgence after independence during the planning era. Today, the industry employs around 
10 million people and accounts for more than 23% of the total textile output in the country. 
 
India produces 5% of its fabric through the organised sector, 20% through the handloom 
sector, 15% through the knitting sector, and 60% through the decentralised power loom 
sector. 
 
The decentralised power loom sector is critical to the Indian textile industry's survival. India 
has around 19.42 lakh power looms, which weave nearly 19,000 million metres of fabric and 
employ more than 7 million people. The business today manufactures a wide range of 
fabrics, including grey, printed fabric, coloured fabric, cotton fabric, and diverse blends of 
cotton, synthetic, and other fibres. The country exports commodities worth Rs. 44,000 million 
to countries such as the United States, France, Germany, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and 
Italy. 
 
Although the expansion of the power loom sector was modest at first, it has now begun to 
accelerate. The number of shuttle-less looms has nearly doubled to nearly 50,000, with 
approximately 35,000 of these looms functioning in the decentralised sector. 
 
Reason for the Transmission of Indian Garment Industry from Handloom to power 
loom 
 
Despite the fact that handloom weaving is practised in several states across the country, 
including Bengal, Telangana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, the 
handloom sector in India faces an uncertain future, with little government support and a lack 
of reform efforts. 
 
It is worth mentioning that power looms have grown substantially in India for the reasons 
listed below. 
 
1. Indian consumers are constantly price-conscious: Power looms began producing 
precise and similar replicas of handloom products at a fraction of the price. Unlike the 
handloom industry, which is always in the short run, they had a solid handle on their 
production in terms of variety, a super-fast manufacturing process, and endless 
alternatives in terms of colours, quality, and materials, allowing them to transition 
from the short run to the long run quickly. Indian consumers, who are constantly 
price-conscious, readily embraced this move. 
 
This resulted in a fall in demand for handloom items and a significant increase in 
demand for power loom products. Unlike Europeans and Americans, Indians are 
always looking for a better deal rather than superior quality and workmanship. 
 
2. The use of crop yielded fabrics in Handloom: Local natural fibres such as cotton, 
linen, and silk are used in the handloom industry. With the severe change in weather 
in the Indian subcontinent, and cotton and silk production being reduced over the last 
few decades owing to drought and flood. Power looms, which use a combination of 
synthetic and natural fibres, and bulk imports of natural fibres such as cotton from 
China and linen from Europe, on the other hand, were unaffected by the paucity of 
raw materials in India. 
 
The power loom industry is critical to the Indian textile industry. Today, the handloom market 
in India is one of the most elastic in the country, with an unpredictable and never-ending shift 
in equilibrium, always sliding to a new low number due to the following reasons: 
 
Close replacements are available in the form of power loom goods. 
 
Handloom products are now seen as aesthetic, non-functional luxury items that are no 
longer required. 
 
The elasticity of demand has increased as the time horizon has increased, as consumers 
have switched totally to alternatives or now purchase handloom only on rare occasions. 
 
To know more information about Oxym Crafts visit us on: 
https://www.oxymcrafts.com