- The Swadesh store will house a wide range of products, including handmade textiles, handicraft, agriculture products and other artisanal merchandise, which will be sourced directly from artisans.
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
MUMBAI, APRIL 23.
Reliance Retail said it will launch a dedicated artisan-only store format ‘Swadesh’, which will showcase agriculture & food products, handlooms, clothing, textiles, handicraft and handmade natural products.
This will boost its handmade in India programme and provide a global platform for artisans and sellers of handcrafted products, said a statement by Reliance Retail.
The first Swadesh store is expected to open in the second half of 2022, it said.
“The programme is being spearheaded by Reliance Retail’s handicraft brand Swadesh, which envisages an artisan-only dedicated store format for handcrafted products from across the country,” it said.
Besides, Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL) is exploring new partnerships with state governments to create a strong, vigorous and sustainable ecosystem for local artisans, the statement added.
As part of that, an MoU was signed on Thursday at the Bengal Global Business Summit in Kolkata with the state government.
The Swadesh store will house a wide range of products, including handmade textiles, handicraft, agriculture products and other artisanal merchandise, which will be sourced directly from artisans.
“Swadesh will also build a global marketplace to connect Indian artisans and sellers of authentic handmade products to consumers across the world,” it said.
Commenting on the development, RRVL Director Isha Ambani said the future of Indian arts and crafts is poised for an exciting stage.
“We see a great opportunity for the artisans of our country in co-creating and co-curating handcrafted Indian products for the world. To realise this opportunity, Reliance Retail is partnering with various government organizations to help popularise various local art forms, both nationally and globally,” she said.
Swadesh will showcase everything from apparel, home textiles, home decor, furniture, jewellery, wellness products and more, Ambani added.
Reliance Retail will also explore new partnerships with state governments and create a sustainable ecosystem for local artisans.
It has already signed an MoU with Ministry of Textiles which enables the sourcing of authentic crafted products, directly from artisan communities.
“Another unique partnership has been finalized and an MoU has been signed with Department of MSME & Textiles, Government of West Bengal. The aim of this partnership is to build a healthy, dynamic ecosystem that will help both Government of West Bengal and Swadesh realise the vision of sustainable employment and an enriched standard of living for the artisan community,” it added.
RRVL is the holding company of all the retail companies under the RIL Group. It had reported a consolidated turnover of Rs 1,57,629 crore for the year ended March 31, 2021.
Reliance Retail has announced the launch a new store format ‘Swadesh’ to promote authentic handcrafted products and rich Indian art forms globally.
Swadesh will be an artisan-only dedicated store format for handcrafted products from across the country. The first Swadesh store is expected to open in the second half of the current year and will house a wide range of products across categories sourced directly from artisans.
Additionally, Swadesh plans to build a global marketplace to connect Indian artisans and sellers of authentic handmade products to consumers across the world.
Commenting on the launch, Isha Ambani, director of Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd in a statement said, “Our standalone handicrafts destination store format, Swadesh is now on the anvil and will present India through its art and crafts and it will showcase everything from apparel, home textiles, home décor, furniture, jewellery, wellness products and more.”
“We see a great opportunity for the artisans of our country in co-creating and co-curating handcrafted Indian products for the world. To realise this opportunity Reliance Retail is partnering with various government organizations to help popularize various local art forms, both nationally and globally,” added Isha Ambani.
Swadesh will also provide skill enhancement /design trainings, capacity building workshops to help artisans all over India sell their products on the platform.
