Amazon India Celebrates the Growth of Local Artisans and Sustainable Fashion

KOCHI:
Amazon India will be celebrating the upcoming National Handloom Day 2024, with a special emphasis on handloom artisans and sustainable fashion. It will be leveraging one of its key program for sellers – Amazon Karigar, to raise awareness about the enduring importance of the handloom industry, showcase exquisite handloom products from across the country, and provide economic opportunities for the marginalized weaving communities.

Customers can shop for over 1.5 lakh products featured from 25 states depicting regional various crafts of India. Amazon will also launch a showcase of selection from over 35 State Emporiums including Biswa Bangla, Panthoibi, Garvi Gurjari, House of Himalayas and more.

The Amazon Karigar program positively impacts the lives of over 18 lakh artisans with a selection of more than 2 lakh handmade products, including 470+ unique arts and crafts from across the country. Over the years, more than 2,500 master weavers, co-operatives, artisans and government organizations under various Ministries like Textiles, Cottage Industries, Tribal Welfare, among others have been on-boarded on Amazon.in to sell online.

Gaurav Bhatnagar, Director, Sales, Amazon India said, “National Handloom Day is a cherished opportunity to honor the incredible talent and resilience of the local artisans and handloom weavers of India, who have nurtured the country’s textile traditions and kept it alive for many generations. At Amazon, we are committed to empowering the artisan and weaver communities with e-commerce, to help them build and scale their business, while also promoting
sustainable usage of their products.”

In alignment with the Government of India’s vision to promote local craftsmanship, Amazon India rolled out the Karigar program in 2017 to support the handloom artisans. It includes dedicated e-commerce program, skills development workshops, and marketing assistance for the artisans across India. It further enables the revival of indigenous arts and crafts, while providing local sellers a platform to list and sell their merchandise online to a larger consumer base. These efforts aim to ensure the handloom sector’s long-term viability and empower weavers to preserve India’s rich textile heritage.

The Karigar store on Amazon.in is a dedicated storefront for sellers under the Karigar program that enables weavers and artisans to showcase ‘Made in India’ products to customers. It not only promotes handlooms and handicrafts from across the country, but also educates consumers about traditional handicrafts while allowing them to purchase these on the Amazon.in.