Head To The Handloom Expo In Bandra For Affordable Kashmiri Rugs, Gujarati Bags & More

National Handloom Expo is ongoing in Bandra at ground 1 opposite Lilavati Hospital and it hosts over 100 odd stalls from 18 different states showcasing beautiful handmade products until April 2. If you haven’t been, here’s why you should check it out.

The National Handloom Exhibition has been organised by Maharashtra State Handloom corporation, and additionally sponsored by the ministry’s development commissioner for handlooms, and the state textiles department. The expo is open daily from noon until 9pm.

The exhibition offers a unique platform the the handloom weavers, and the skilled artisans who otherwise do not get an opportunity to showcase their products in a city market. A fresh change amidst the mass produced products, the handloom industry is booming, all thanks to such exhibitions pan-India. Stalls have been set up by multiple states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Odissha, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Kashmir and so many more.

For the simple handmade and handcrafted products. We hopped from one state stall to another and were completely spoilt for choices and enamored by the sheer quality and surprisingly, the affordability aspect of it.

You can get your hands on Andhra cotton dress/suit material for as low as INR 600 or ethnic handcrafted bags from Solapur for INR 200 even. We spotted hand-painted beautiful Bengali sarees with intricate Jamdani work; shawls and Aladdin-esque carpets from Kashmir, silk from Assam, simple khadi bedsheets for INR 180 from Solapur and so much more that we could take in from the enormity of the exhibition.

We discovered adorable elephant-theme bedsheets from Rajasthan for INR 2,500, suits with tila work form Srinagar for INR 7,500 {pure silk}, outstanding and bold handbags/wallets from Kutch for as low as INR 350 and simple, plain rugs for our living room for INR 280. Simple put, it’s a handloom loving person’s haven, and definitely demands more than one visit {we’ve bookmarked our stalls}.

With the expo going on until April 2, there’s plenty a time to raid the state stalls, empty out our pockets for beautiful handmade fabric, dresses or bags and give our wardrobe a makeover.

It’s also a strong initiative to support the local weavers, the poor artisans who come from far flung villages and work in small cottage industries to make such amazing products. As they, it’s all good in the hood if it’s “Made in India”.