The theme of the new Selvedge issue is India! So of course it is full of colour, beautiful pattern, rich history, fascinating stories and contemporary innovations within textiles. It also highlights the important issues arising from fast textile production and demand, and the place of handcrafted textiles. On pages 62 to 64 various writers discuss the current situation of handloom in India and what the future holds. This includes Laila Tyabji of Indian craft NGO Dastkar highlighting the recent lobby against the government’s decision to repeal the Reservations Act which gives exclusivity to certain handloom products and aims to prevent powerloom copies. Luckily, the protests were heard and the Ministry of Textiles withdrew the…
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Exhibitions and Fairs – Reviews and Roundup
Selvedge Winter Fair I went along to the Selvedge Winter Fair on Saturday. It was the first time I’ve managed to get along to the internationally renowned magazine’s annual fair of beautiful textiles mostly hand-made in the UK, or collected from around the world. When I first arrived about 12 noon, the hall was packed out and at times even became difficult to see any of the textiles on display. I slunk off to the side hall-ways where I chatted to Neha who was representing the non-profit organisation Women Weave in Maheshwar, India. It was founded by Sally Holkar in 2003 following a successful growth of the Rehwa Society formed by…
