The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted industries across the board, but small and local businesses have gotten the raw end of the deal. One such section of persons impacted are the traditional artisans and weavers of India. While earlier they would go to various exhibitions showcasing their handloom products, those avenues of income have now closed.
It is in this context that Go Coop – an online marketplace for weavers and artisans – decided to have a virtual exhibition called ‘Go Swadeshi Online’. “The weavers and artisans have suffered terribly. They have no customers, no events, no avenues. Some of them are just sitting on the materials they have. And even if there is some demand, the supply chains are affected,” says Madhavi Naidu, General Manager, Sales and Marketing at Go Coop.
Started in 2014, Go Coop is headquartered in Bengaluru, and has been bringing Indian handlooms to the online market. The idea behind Go Swadeshi Online is to give some support to the struggling weavers and artisans, who have been brought on board from all over India. The platform describes the products featured in the exhibition as a “perfect mix of contemporary and traditional handlooms with collections by weavers from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.”
“From the exquisite Uppada sarees of Andhra Pradesh, Molakalmuru silk sarees of Karnataka, vibrant Jamdanis and Tangail sarees from Bengal to the subtle elegance of Maheshwaris and Chanderis, the collection will surprise you with choices. Along with bright and beautiful designs, you also get to pick from a range of timeless classics like Pochampally, Sambalpuri and Tussar sarees,” a press release adds.
The Go Swadeshi Online exhibition on the Go Coop website offers four ways to shop – ‘go east’, ‘go west’, ‘go north’, and ‘go south’. Click on any one and you will find fabrics, sarees, men’s wear, home furnishings, handicrafts and more from the corresponding parts of India. There is also a little bit about the context, history or the meaning of these handlooms, so you know its significance as well.
The exhibition began on August 1 and was to go on till August 15, Independence Day. However, Madhavi says that they have decided to extend it till August 21 given the demand from customers, many of whom are new ones as well.
Go Coop works with over 350 cooperative societies and more than 50 craft clusters across the country. For the Go Swadeshi Online exhibition, around 90 weavers and artisans have been brought on board. “Many of them have come on board with us only for the exhibition and may not necessarily stay on. So, this is an opportunity for us to help them in whatever way possible to minimise the impact of the lockdown and COVID-19,” Madhavi says.
It has been challenging to get them online in the first place as most of them are not used to doing this online, also because they live in remote areas, including tribal settlements. “They’re not looking for any charity. They need marketing support because their usual network also broke down during the pandemic. So, we’ve had our people go and help train them in some aspects of online sales, such as packaging, building catalogues and photographing their products. We work with them to write descriptions of the products as well,” Madhavi explains.
The response to the exhibition has been good so far, Madhavi says, even as people are getting used to shopping for handlooms online without the touch and feel factor. Ultimately, she says, whether more weavers and artisans come online depends on what sort of support they receive from patrons and customers.
You can check out Go Swadeshi Online here.