The government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative is giving a new lease of life to some relatively-unknown varieties of indigenous fabrics. Thanks to the efforts of designers and some state governments, fabrics such as ikkats and Uppada silks are being adopted and revived, as are the more popular Banarasi and khadi varieties.Mumbai-based fashion designer Anita Dongre has started an initiative which takes craftsmanship to the cities from the rural areas so that unemployed residents of villages are not forced to migrate.Dongre is trying to revive gota patti, the craft of appliqué, from a village near Jaipur in Rajasthan, where gold and silver fabrics are meticulously hand-cut by craftsmen and embroidered into myriad patterns with zari. These will be branded Grassroot, a sub-category of the Anita Dongre label.“We are working closely with the artisans of Naila village,” said Dongre. “We have started with 50 artisans with the craft of gota patti from the village but will soon include more artisans for our community-building programme.”The initiative is not limited to a single collection and will be built into a sustainable model for Anita Dongre-branded ensembles, she said.Ritu Kumar, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 for her service in fashion, textiles and craftsmanship, has been working with weavers from across the country since the mid-60s. Some of them are craftsmen from Phulia and Shantipur districts, which are home to the Tangail and Jaamdaani cotton woven saris of Bengal.Of late, Kumar has been busy making a 21-sari special Banarasi collection with local weavers under the ‘Make in India’ banner and has also taken up efforts to revive Odisha’s ikkat, a 12th century technique of dyeing and binding patterns into threads before the cloth is weaved.“These weavers initially only used to stitch fabrics for the temple but my revival project is to get a collection out of it. This should be out before the festive season kicks off this October,” said Kumar. “Using this material shall not just be restricted to making sarees but also other garments and accessories. We have ordered 4,000 metres of exclusive ikkat silk from these weavers and waiting to see what they come up with.” It’s not just textiles that Kumar is reviving, she is also involved in bringing back embroidery. Kumar started an initiative in Srinagar where unemployed women are working to reincarnate the age-old ‘Kashmiri stitch.’ The project is in its nascent stage and a similar model is being replicated in the Kutch area of Gujarat.“These projects need patience and a designer should give these revival works at least three years to yield results. When we look at a place and decide to revive its art form, I personally visit it, interact with the master weavers, get in touch with the weaver’s service centre and draw up a plan. These projects do not work on the usual format that we have,” Kumar said.Similarly, Abraham & Thakore, a designer label initially set up by David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore, has tied up with Ekaya, a store that promotes the textile heritage of Varanasi, to come up with a new collection of Banarasi saris. It is also working with weavers of Shantipur and Phuliya in West Bengal, Mangalgiri in Andhra Pradesh and Maheshwar and Chanderi of Madhya Pradesh, each of which has a textile specialty that is being revived.“We choose those areas and weavers who have the understanding of the art in discussion. While they use their basic expertise, we help them with more technical knowhow to add value to the products in terms of quality, design and commercial viability,” said Thakore.Kanishka, a Kolkata store reputed for contemporary hand-block printing and handloom weaving for over five decades, has also stepped out of its comfort zone of traditional cottons and silks to work with looms in places such as Andhra Pradesh, where Uppada silks are made. It teaches weavers to add modern blends to the traditional craft to make them commercially more viable.Uppada silk and pattu saris are famous for their high-quality, intricate design and purity.Some state governments, too, are working to keep traditional handicrafts alive. Muslin is getting a push from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The lush cotton fabric is getting a new brand, Club Muslin.The West Bengal Khadi & Village Industries Board has identified about 1,800 muslin weavers for a Rs.62-crore scheme to skill them and their families. An amount of Rs.5 crore has already been allotted in the current financial year. The money is used for skill development programmes administered through 172 weavers’ associations.To keep up with market trends, emphasis is also being laid on the production of coloured muslin and on teaching weavers how to create new designs.