I’ve spent my life around looms

I’ve spent my life around looms.
Fourth generation. 1,200 looms. 3,500 artisans.

Numbers I say with pride but lately, with growing concern.

📌 Here’s the reality:
Our handicraft sector contributes 7% to India’s GDP and employs over 7 million artisans.

Yet we’re facing a crisis: master weavers in their 60s and 70s are creating magic with their hands, but their children aren’t taking up the craft.

China holds 30% of global handicraft exports. India? Just 2%.

In 10 years, many of our finest artisans will retire. If we haven’t built bridges to the next generation by then, we’re not losing a workforce, we’re losing living libraries of technique and cultural knowledge that cannot be recreated.

📍 What needs to happen:
→ Make traditional crafts financially viable—young people aren’t leaving because they don’t value the craft; they can’t afford to stay

→ Bridge heritage with innovation – the craft doesn’t need to be frozen in time to be authentic

→ Leverage digital platforms wisely – they’re helping artisans double their income and making crafts “cool” again

→ Tell better stories – in a world of mass production, our narratives are our competitive advantage

→ Create systems that work on the ground, not just on paper

📍 The inflection point:
The Indian handicraft market is projected to grow from $4.5 billion to $8.2 billion by 2033. Consumer appetite is there. Technology is democratizing access.

But if we lose the artisans, none of it matters.

This isn’t about nostalgia.
It’s about securing India’s position in global luxury.
It’s about dignified rural livelihoods.

It’s about proving that in the age of AI, there’s unmatched value in work done by human hands with generations of knowledge behind them.

The next decade will determine whether Indian craftsmanship becomes a museum exhibit or a thriving 21st-century industry.

At Understorey, we’re betting everything on the latter.

What are you doing to preserve traditional crafts in your industry?