Assam’s sublime silk textiles – Muga, Eri and Paat silk – would soon have contemporary patterns and designs of National Institute of Design’s (NID) and National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) with an eye on emerging global trends.
Although the ethnic hand woven pattern on these silk textiles are in huge demand, however, the new NID centre at Jorhat and NIFT, Shillong have shown interest in giving a “contemporary touch” to the exquisite silk textiles.
The crafts bazaar is upbeat about the new development as NID and NIFT’s expertise would come in handy, Tapan Kumar Sharma, Marketing Manager, North Eastern Handicraft and Handlooms Development Corporation Ltd said here today.
“NID and NIFT’s expertise in evolving new contemporary designs and patterns on Eri, Muga and Paat silk textiles would definitely give a boost to the already famous textiles,” he said.
Sharma said that there is a huge demand for these forms of silk commonly called Assam Silk in all the fairs, the corporation organises in different parts of the country.
“We are trying to keep pace with the market demands and we usually get feedback from prospective buyers. These feedbacks are passed back to concerned government Research and Development organisations for new products,” the Marketing Manager added.
Apart from Assam silk, the intricate Cane products from different states of the northeast are a huge crowd puller in the National fairs. The furniture made of Cane had done exceptional business apart from Assam silk.
“In the past year alone we sold handloom and handicraft products worth Rs. 17 crore and this fiscal we are targeting a much higher figure,” he said. This sale figure of the corporation is almost double the amount from 2007-08 figure of Rs. 9 crore.
In the process, local artisans are getting a fair share of the business done by the corporation and tremendous exposure in showcasing their products and learning from experiences in the National market, Sharma said.
