The University of Moratuwa on their latest research into the handloom industry

By Naveed Rozais  2020 has certainly been a rollercoaster ride for the entire world, but for all its setbacks, it has also been an inspiring time for scholars and creatives, paving the way for new innovations and inventions.  With people all around the globe going under lockdown, this has also been a well-timed cue for humankind to take a step back, reflect, and appreciate nature and tradition while also embracing innovation and the possibilities it can bring. The world has been forced to adapt to new ways of living and working, and this, in turn, has given rise to new trends.  Proving their commitment to innovative research and being the academic knowledge hub for Sri Lankan textiles and fashion, the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology of the University of Moratuwa has taken advantage of 2020 and the pandemic to conduct a variety of research into indigenous Sri Lankan textile industries and the opportunities available to these industries in the global marketplace.  The two experts behind this research exercise, Dr. Ayesha Wickramasinghe and Dr. Sumith Gopura, together with their Research Assistant Dilmini Yasara spoke with The Sunday Morning Brunch about their lockdown research experience and how Sri Lanka’s handloom industry can align to global fashion and textile trends.  

Defining trend

Dr. Gopura and Dr. Wickramasinghe first explained their definition of the word trend, sharing that as a general term, “trend” refers to an inclination towards different forms of taste or behaviour. Trends play an important role in any field, be it education, arts and design, entertainment, fashion, and countless others.  The team explained that the biggest trends in fashion and textile in recent years have dealt with sustainable fashion and circularity.  “Sustainable fashion” is a conscious effort to minimise the effects of the fashion and textile industries, both environmentally and socially.  “Circularity” adds new depth to sustainable fashion and discusses how to prevent “waste” in the global supply chain, which still follows the linear economic take-make-waste production and consumption system.  The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful industries in the world and faces huge difficulties in managing its leftover waste that comes in different forms: pre-consumer waste (offcuts/excess fabrics in apparel manufacturing) and post-consumer waste (used/slow-moving apparel in the store). Globally, the fashion industry produces 13 million tonnes of textile waste each year, approximately 95% of which is reusable or recyclable.   Within the perspective of “circularity”, the fashion industry is forced to find solutions for waste either at the pre-consumer or post-consumer stage and use this waste as another resource in the product development cycle. This concept is called “responsible fashion”.   

The trends that 2020 and Covid-19 have created 

As educators in fashion design, the two experts Dr. Gopura and Dr. Wickramasinghe at the academic hub, that is the University of Moratuwa’s Department of Textile and Clothing Technology, hold in their hands the responsibility of instilling the best practices for fashion design in their undergraduates and highlight a thoughtful design philosophy that minimises the fashion footprint.  In their research, Dr. Gopura and Dr. Wickramasinghe have highlighted two major trends that have developed mainly in response to Covid-19 and the change in lifestyles this pandemic has created.  These trends, “ecological-self” and “hyper-localised”, are new forms of sustainable trends that aspire to cultivate deeper nature-human relationships and appreciate local production and consumption. These trends are set to add a more meaningful sense to the terms reduce, reuse, and recycle. Dr. Gopura shared: “These real-life trends are already gaining attention even in the country following the recent socio-political influences in Sri Lanka, and are well triggered due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.”  

Sri Lanka’s handloom industry

Sri Lanka’s handloom industry is a heritage craft industry with a history that goes back thousands of years. According to our traditional histories, the Yaksha princess Kuveni was spinning cotton on a spinning wheel when Prince Vijaya first landed in Sri Lanka and even today, millennia later, the handloom industry is still in existence, contributing significantly to the cultural identity of our country.  Over 90% of the handloom industry operates in the ambience of sustainable concepts, frequently using natural raw materials and craftsmanship. From the yarn which is hand-spun into bobbins through to painstakingly hand-crafted warp and weft in the traditional loom, an intrinsic emotional value is built into the production process of handloom by the artisans who weave these distinctive textiles – most of whom are women and have been weavers for generations.  In Sri Lanka, handloom has many uses, from apparel to interior design to various textile consumer goods. “The Sri Lankan handloom industry already has the capability to reach great heights in the global textile and fashion industry,” Dr. Wickramasinge said, adding: “What it needs is some fine-tuning to make its way clearer.”  

Taking Sri Lankan handloom to the global market

Focusing on this glorious, age-old industry, Dr. Gopura and Dr. Wickramasinghe pushed the limits of their research focusing on the inherited values of Sri Lankan craft sectors and artisanal skills through which they expect to build potential collaborations and introduce new product development techniques to uplift the fashion, functional, and value-additional qualities of Sri Lankan handloom.  Their most recent studies “Dreams of weaving”, “Believe in narratives?”, “Reshaping the craftsmanship”, and “Crafts get-together” embody these ideals of using local skills to grow a global market. “Contemporary global trends immensely appreciate crafts and artisan connections and encourage cross collaboration between sectors to make desirable craft-based innovations,” Dr. Gopura said.  Speaking on other crafts like coir products, wood carving, clay (pottery), lacquer work (laksha), and brass work in Sri Lanka, Dr. Gopura and Dr. Wickramasinghe explained that crafts tend to stand alone in their own spheres and therefore, no integration happens between the sectors, which leads to a lack of innovation and the stagnation of these culturally rich individual craft sectors. “Creative craft collaboration is a must for the handloom sector now,” Dr. Wickramasinghe shared, adding: “We are not loud enough about our artisanal activities. New marketing methods are required in this sector to intensify and globalise the products.”   

Looking to the future 

Dr. Gopura and Dr. Wickramasinghe’s research contributions to the handloom sector are set to open up many new avenues for industry and academia to do more intensive research. This research also embraces the potential of new product development collaborations with the handloom textile industry that will eventually create a positive impact on the economy of the country.   The emerging trends of globalising local and localising global with the knock-on effects of the coronavirus pandemic makes now the perfect time to do new things, and with the guidance of experts, Sri Lankan handloom is set to soon regain its prominence and establish an identity in the global fashion industry.