The circular economies that supported nomadic and rural communities in Gujarat’s harsh terrain faded with the arrival of the East India Company. By the 19th century, the British Crown had subjugated the subcontinent, and the power looms in Ahmedabad were serving the needs of the Empire.
The spinning wheel or charkha re-emerged in the national consciousness when it embodied Mahatma Gandhi’s call for self-rule and eventually became a potent symbol of the Indian independence struggle.
In recent years, mechanization, digitization, and globalization have flooded the domestic market with affordable look-a-likes that many consumers find hard to distinguish from the more expensive but exquisite handmade textiles. Discerning consumers, including global designer brands, however, continue to support and promote these local artisans, many of whom work from their homes. The disruption of the global supply chain in 2020 annihilated demand for these exquisite crafts, imperiling the lives of home-based artisans across India.
Woven Together
For generations, Gujarat's women have sustained their communities through weaving and embroidery, adapting their craft through colonial rule, shifts in global markets, and even the pandemic.
For centuries, Gujarat has been a center of innovation in weaving, dyeing, and embroidery, its textiles were traded with the world long before the Jacquard loom threatened these ancient crafts.
Gallery: World Bank Headquarters, Washington, D.C., December 2025.
Each warp at the base of this exhibit represents a woman’s often lonely emergence from childhood to embrace the unbidden responsibilities of womanhood.
The warp and weft unite as the women come together in mutual cooperation, their lives enriched in SEWA’s many trade unions and cooperatives. The fabric rises to gain strength, form, and beauty until the pandemic drains the textile of its color. But only momentarily.
Fingers that embroidered blouses, stoles, and bags learned to deftly stitch masks to protect lives and livelihoods. Seventy percent of the households interviewed received masks from SEWA in 2020-21.
A Closer Look at the Textile
This textile was woven and embroidered by 50 of SEWA’s home-based artisans from across India using 27 distinct stitches. Each pattern is a unique signature of the region or community from which the artist hails.
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