• An intriguing conversation on craft revival at Rithihi, the cultural space at Alfred House Gardens dedicated to South Asian heritage textiles and their contemporary designer expressions

When a craft disappears, it takes with it centuries of accumulated knowledge, skills and creativity. The loss extends beyond a particular product or aesthetic, affecting the social and economic networks that support artisans, farmers, spinners, carders, dyers, weavers and toolmakers.

The question of how such losses can be prevented, and how nearly extinct crafts can be revived along with the ecosystems that sustain them, was explored at a recent knowledge-sharing session hosted by Rithihi in Colombo.

The event was the fourth edition of Rithihi’s Textile Tales knowledge-sharing series. It brought Rajasthan-based revivalist designer Alka Sharma to Colombo and featured a documentary screening focusing on indigo dye-making communities.

Speaking at the session, Sharma stressed that preservation and innovation must go hand in hand. A craft that stops evolving can lose relevance as society changes, while innovation without a deep understanding of traditional methods can erode the knowledge that gives a craft its distinct identity.

She described the designer’s role as one of listening and creating conditions in which inherited knowledge can continue to find meaning. A trunk show by Aavaran, the Rajasthani brand founded by Sharma, provided an example of how collaboration between designers and artisans can translate this approach into contemporary practice.

The screening also highlighted the wider ecosystems behind traditional crafts. Indigo dyeing, for instance, involves networks extending from dyers and woodblock makers to designers and artisans. These relationships and maker-to-maker networks can play an important role in keeping traditional skills alive.

The discussion underlined why reviving a nearly extinct craft is rarely a simple process. Beyond technical knowledge, it requires sustained collaboration and a belief that the craft remains valuable.

Through its Textile Tales series, Rithihi aims to continue discussions around South Asia’s handcrafted textile traditions and the communities and cultures that sustain them.