Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 23 : In a strong push to locally made artisanal products, Reliance Retail showcased more than 40,000 artisan-crafted products from over 50 Geographical Indication (GI) clusters to its customers this festive season.
A direct result of its three-year-old flagship initiatives - "Indie by AJIO" and "Swadesh" - started to provide avenues for sales and employment to local craftsmen, the programmes now engage with more than 30,000 craftsmen, representing over 600 art forms across a wide spectrum of clothing, textiles, handicrafts and handmade natural goods, a company statement said here on Monday.
"We are delighted that our development efforts over the last few years are now bearing strong results both in our ability to engage with an increasing number of craftsmen as well as our ability to co-create and co-curate products that are being increasingly accepted by today's consumers," said Akhilesh Prasad, President - Reliance Fashion and Lifestyle.
Indie by AJIO is an online marketplace for local artisans and handcrafted products and celebrates the brilliant textile and handloom traditions of India with careful curation and contemporary interpretation.
The craft repertoire includes Ikat, Shibori, Banarasi, Bagh, Ajrakh to Jamdani, Tangail, Chanderi and many more. The Indie range is sourced from over 50 GI crafts clusters from across India - including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
The GI tag identifies natural produce, handicrafts or manufactured goods as products native to a territory, region or locality for their unique characteristics by attributing them to their geographical origin, the release stated.
"The diversity of sourcing from across the length and breadth of India has resulted not only in the creation of a stunning portfolio that is every handcraft connoisseur's dream but also in the direct employment for over 30,000 skilled artisans across the country. We will continue to grow this segment with time," said Prasad.
Swadesh is a special brand of Reliance Retail that brings alive India's rich handcrafted traditions and offers over 400 types of handmade textiles, handicrafts and agricultural products that are listed with Geographical Indications. Swadesh has an MOU with the Ministry of Textiles which enables sourcing of 100% authentic crafted products, directly from artisan communities. Swadesh brand is available across multiple formats including AJIO and Trends.
"The future of Swadesh is poised at an exciting stage. It is emerging not only as the preferred brand of artisanal and handicraft products for consumers but is also aiding the revival and growth of artisans and weavers across apparel, home textiles, home decor, furniture, accessories and more," Prasad added.