A Brief History of Our Textiles

Our textiles were proverbial in parts of the ancient world as early as 200 B.C. Roman ships docked at ports on the Southwestern India to pick Indian fabrics. And they paid dearly for the prized fine cotton fabric which was known as mul mul khas. Trade in cotton with the west continued to flourish and our delicate woven fabrics were exported to the Arab states, to Africa and the prospering nations of Europe. Greek traveler Megasthenes wrote about the quality fine muslins of India. Centuries later British colonial rule drained India of its precious textile heritage. With the Industrial Revolution in Europe, India was reduced to becoming a supplier to textile mills in Manchester, Birmingham and Lancashire. The handloom weavers were nearly destroyed, with the import of cheap printed fabrics from England. Mahatma Gandhi's zeal inspired nationalists to reject foreign fabrics and hand spun cotton known as khadi became a statement which decried foreign exploitation of the Indian economy. Indian fabrics have come a long way since then.

During the 1960’s handloom industry faced another threat from within the country – that of the power looms. The cloth these machines produced were finer and cheaper and buyers looking for value turned to milled cloth. Despite this very tangible threat, because of its tradition of design and texture, the handloom industry continued to survive with the dramatic rise in exports. Indian handloom fabrics are a prized commodity abroad. Besides mass produced fabrics were never a match to the beauty of hand woven fabrics. Today the handloom industry is the largest economic activity in the informal sector after agriculture. It is an integral part of rural life and thousand depend on these looms for their livelihood.

Peoples’ tastes have of course changed and today colorful fabrics are very popular in Kerala. However, the charm of the off white cotton with delicate gold work still remains a favorite of Malayalis. And just as the multicolored fabrics have spread to Kerala, the elegance Kerala cotton is popular in other parts of India and abroad.