Premier handcraft producing and promotion agency of the State ‘Jharcraft’ would be organising fashion show in order to promote local silk producers and designers and in the process facilitate them in getting national and international platforms.
During the five-day event at least four international and 14 fabric designers from the State would be invited to put-up their stalls displaying the products exclusively of Jharcraft.
“The fashion festival would be organised from May 25 to May 29 in Ranchi. Purpose of the event is to promote the products by local handicraft artisans and facilitate them in marketing and getting employment,” said Industry Director K Ravi Kumar who is also CMD of Jharcraft, on Thursday.
The Government is already sourcing supply of blankets, bed-sheets for hospitals, curtains in offices and saries for anaganwadi workers from the agency in order to revive it financially. Ravi Kumar said that the effort was the next step in that direction.
“Jharcraft is the only agency in the country that has acquired organic tasar silk certification. The certification has been given to it on April 20 only and the festival is going to be an added advantage for us internationally. During the show and otherwise also the products would be made available for selling on the biggest online store, Amazon.in. Designers—locals or international—would only use the fabrics produced through Jharcraft. Around 20 stalls would be erected to showcase the materials for buyers during fashion show,” added the CMD.
Several ‘business-to-business’ and ‘business-to-customers’ meets would also be organised during the ‘Jharkhand Fashion Festival’. “We expect that organic certification is going to fetch us international customers especially from the European markets. It can be an amazing platform for local artisans and producers to make their reach up to international markets,” said Ravi Kumar, flanked by Renu Gopinath Panickker, CEO of Jharcraft.
In future the designs would be placed at stores of Jharcraft as well. The agency for proper promotion of the festival has roped in global consultancy firm ‘EY’ as knowledge partner, FICCI as industry partner along with FJCCI and ‘Adfactors PR’ as communication associate. ‘Silk Mark India’ is silk partner of the entire event. On the promotion part, Jharcraft is in the process of hiring some celebrities in due course of time.
Ravi Kumar also informed that the agency had received some proposals related to handicraft industry during the ‘Global Investors’ Summit’ which were under consideration. “Some proposals have come which are being discussed at the highest level.