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As the year draws to a close, parts of Bangladesh come alive with anticipation for another wedding season. Houses are decorated, alleys sparkle with lights, and the air is buzzing with excitement as families prepare for the holidays. When looking for colorful sarees and Punjabis, it’s worth stopping and paying attention to the hands that weave these garments.

The country’s tant (handloom) industry, a vital part of the country’s cultural and economic fabric, is currently reeling under the weight of economic woes. This season, our support of these artisans who breathe life into traditional clothing is more important than ever.

A labor of love and legacy

The taant industry in Bangladesh has deep roots that go back centuries and are intertwined with the cultural identity of the country. The industry’s resilience has withstood wars, economic downturns and political turmoil, but today it faces a more insidious threat – consumer disinterest and limited local support.

Qutub Uddin, a weaver from Benaroshi Polli in Mirpur 10, who has been weaving since childhood, reflects on how his career began out of necessity in the years after Bangladesh’s independence. His family, stricken by poverty, survived by weaving.

Over the decades, he has seen demand for handcrafted Benaroshi sarees fluctuate, with a noticeable decline in recent years. “Ten or twelve years ago, Benaroshi saris were in great demand,” he says. “But now the industry is in crisis.”

While demand increases slightly during the wedding season, imported sarees, especially from India, flood the market and divert buyers away from local artisans.

The weaver explains that creating a Benaroshi sari can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on its complexity. He used to work with a team where each person specialized in a particular step of the process, from thread twisting to zari making. However, many of his former colleagues left the industry, taking jobs as rickshaw pullers or in restaurants to support their families.

Today, local weavers like him are overshadowed by cheaper imported alternatives that deprive Bangladesh’s taanta industry of the support it needs to survive.

The process of creating a sari on a handloom is labor-intensive and requires enormous skill, but the artisans are paid modestly for their work. A weaver from Chapai Nawabganj explains that they are paid by the yard, and on a good day one weaver can produce three to four yards.

Each piece they create is a labor of love, painstakingly crafted to perfection, but also the result of escalating material costs. The prices of threads, dyes and silk have risen significantly in recent years, reducing profits and forcing weavers to struggle to maintain their craft.

This weaver points out that while one would expect the wedding season to boost demand, the reality paints a different picture. Buyers often ignore sarees handwoven on local looms in favor of imported options, limiting local weavers’ access to new business.

“We think the wedding season will bring bookings, but we mostly see demand pick up only during Eid,” he explains. “Although people often look to India or other countries for weddings.”

Economic difficulties and limited support

For many artisans, the art of weaving is a family tradition, the skills of which are passed on from generation to generation. However, the economic realities of weaving make it difficult for artisans to encourage their children to continue in their footsteps.

Sandeep Basak, a sari seller from Tangail, describes how rising production costs and low sales affected his business during the recent puja season, when they hoped there would be a surge in demand.

Instead, sales were disappointing and many artisans now faced the prospect of leaving the weaving industry entirely. “If this trend continues, we may not have anyone left to pass on this knowledge,” he notes.

This loss of generational knowledge is one of the most serious threats facing the weaving industry. If young people do not see a viable future in weaving, they will turn to other professions, leading to the disappearance of traditional techniques that have been perfected over centuries.

Md Sajeeb, a Jamdani-based weaver who once catered to a regular customer base, now finds himself in a quandary as even his most loyal clients have started canceling orders due to rising prices. He approached banks with a request to get a loan to support his business, but was refused.

“The banks don’t want to support us because they think the Jamdani market is struggling,” he explains, acutely aware of the lack of support. In his opinion, the future of the ta’ant industry depends not only on customers, but also on financial support to allow artisans to continue their work and maintain the craft.

The weavers’ calls for financial assistance are more than just requests for personal assistance – they reflect the need to protect an industry deeply tied to Bangladesh’s identity. Without support, they risk losing not only their income, but also part of their legacy.

Let’s support our weavers this wedding season.

Wedding season provides an opportunity for each of us to make a difference. By selecting locally sourced handwoven sarees, we are directly supporting the artisans who keep this age-old tradition alive.

One weaver reminds us, “The saris of our country – be it Jamdani, Benaroshi or cotton – are unique. People need to understand this so that weavers like me can continue their work.”

Let us show our appreciation for their skill and dedication because by supporting our weavers, we are creating a more sustainable and culturally rich future for Bangladesh.

Photo: Hadi Uddin

Model: Najma Chisti and Shanila Mehjabeen.

Wardrobe: NOBO x Sharmin Rahman (Sharminrahmandesigns)

Mirpur Katan

Weaver: Qutub Uddin

Original vintage saree: Nasreen Shams

Mua: Shababa Rashid