Owing to the cultural diversity and heritage, India’s scope in fashion industry is huge. It is further advantaged by centuries of rich traditions behind it and the knowledge of sewn garments since ancient history. Textile of North-East (NE) India specifically had always carved a niche for itself in the country. In the NE, textile making is an integral part of the tradition and is rooted deeply in the society and culture from time immemorial.

The weaving, spinning and dyeing have always been the three important industries in the NE. The textile consists of locally spun thread, natural coloring, and design that have symbolic meanings among some of the tribes of NE. Till date, women weavers continue producing the traditional clothes, keeping alive the colors and designs of ancient time through natural dyes and lion loom, which as a heritage has been passed down over generations. The loin loom is one of the oldest looms in the world, and a vast variety of textiles that are indigenous to NE is slowly losing favor with the younger generation.

In the past, there has been a scattered contribution of Divyangjan for the sector in the capacity of model, designer, craftsmen, make-up artists, fashion photography, videography, fashion journalism, sales, marketing, production house, outlet etc. However, these contributions have not been able to be mainstreamed. And it is the historically demonstrated exceptional artisanship, creativity and abilities of divyangjan in the north-east, that has been the genesis of this program.

With India’s commitment to representation of divyangjan towards embracing diversity, it has been a slow ascendance for the artisan industry towards an overall promotion and inclusion of individuals with disabilities. When it comes to fashion, the NE states of India always top the chart. The tribal sense of color combinations, and culturally vibrant over 200 indigenous and ethnic dress forms make the region stand out from the rest of the country. The NE fashion industry has gained multifold popularity over last decade.

The involvement of divyangjan in the artisan industry is commonly observed, however, the aspects of scalability, marketing, promotion, publicity and awareness has not been addressed. The “North East Divyangjan – The Artisans Movement” aims to bridge this gap along with providing opportunities and inspiration to organizations and individuals with disabilities in the industry.

Expected Footfall

700 per day of the event, about 5600 people for the eight day event.