Indian Textiles and the World Market

This study of Indian textiles takes us to the age when  India was the leading producer of textiles in the world about 1750, before the British invasion of Bengal. European firms began acquiring Indian textiles in the 16th century to market them in Europe. In the seventeenth century, these wonderfully made textiles were imported from India.

Costumes, muslin,  bandannas, and chintz were all exported in large quantities to Europe. Several more garments were identified by their origins, such as those from  Orissa, Calcutta, Patna, and Kasimbazar. For thousands of Indians, handloom weaving and associated activities became a source of income. The textile industry in England was commencing to flourish in the 18th century, but it was competing with Indian textiles.

Indian artwork was imitated and was kept in a process for it to get printed on Indian cotton in England. As a result of competition, the English textile industry prospered from advancements in technology and the more affordable Indian textile market. The invention of the spinning jenny and the steam engine enabled the production of vast amounts of fabric at cheaper costs.

Importance of Indian Textiles

Worried about the success of Indian textiles, wool and silk manufacturers in England began to protest the import of Indian cotton textiles in the early eighteenth century. English textile makers desired a stable market within the nation, without competition from Indian weavers. They did this by prohibiting Indian goods from entering the nation. 

In the eighteenth century, England was inspired to establish its textile businesses. The popularity of Indian textiles, on the other hand, alarmed English manufacturers, who protested the import of cotton textiles from India. The Calico Act was passed in 1720 to prohibit the use of chintz in England.

The World Market for Indian Textiles 

The British concentrated their efforts on two industries: textiles and iron and steel. Both of these industries were critical to the industrial revolution’s success. Britain became the world’s leading industrial country in the nineteenth century because of mechanized cotton textile manufacturing. After the development of its iron and steel industries, Britain became renowned as the “workshop of the world” in 1850.

The Company made money by purchasing items in India and exporting them to England and Europe in the late 18th century. With the expansion of industrial output, British manufacturers began to consider India as a large market for their products, and they inundated Indian marketplaces with their wares.

Growth of Indian Textile

Indian textiles have traditionally been regarded for their high quality and meticulous craftsmanship. Southeast Asia (Java, Sumatra, and Penang), as well as West and Central Asia, traded them. European commercial businesses began purchasing Indian textiles for sale in Europe in the 16th century. Fine cotton fabric from India was first discovered by European traders in Mosul, which is now part of modern-day Iraq. They began to refer to any beautifully woven fabrics as “muslin,” which became a widely used term.

Indian Textiles in European Markets

In 1720, the British government adopted a regulation forbidding the use of printed cotton fabrics — chintz – in England. This Act was known as the Calico Act. English textile makers, unable to match with Indian textiles, desired a stable market within the nation by prohibiting Indian goods from entering. Competition with Indian textiles led to a drive for technical innovation in England. In 1764, the spinning jenny was designed by John Kaye which enhanced the output of the conventional spindles. 

The creation of the steam engine by Richard Arkwright in 1786 transformed cotton textile weaving. Clothes could perhaps be woven in huge numbers and cheaply too. Indian textile began to decrease with the advent of cotton industries in Britain and by the start of the nineteenth century, English created cotton textiles effectively evicting Indian products from their historical markets in Africa, America, and Europe. This led to many Indian weavers losing their livelihood.

The Weavers

Weavers generally belonged to societies that specialized in weaving. Their abilities were handed on from one dynasty to the other. The initial stage of the process was churning work done largely by women. When the spinning was completed, the thread was stitched into cloth by the weaver. For colorful fabrics, the thread was coloured by the dyer, known as rangrez. Handloom weaving and the vocations related to it employed millions of Indians.

Some renowned communities of weavers are julahas or momin weavers of north India, kaikolar and devangs of south India, and the tanti weavers of Bengal. The initial stage of manufacture was spinning. The takli and the charkha were home spinning devices.

For printed fabric, the weavers needed the services of professional block printers called chhipi gars. Handloom weaving and the vocations related to it provided a sustainable livelihood for Indians. The thread was spun on the charkha and rolled on the Takli and after the spinning was done the thread was sewn into cloth by the weaver.

What was the cause behind the Decline of Indian Textiles?

By the 1830s British cotton textiles swamped Indian marketplaces. By the 1880s two-thirds of all the cotton garments worn by Indians were made of material produced in Britain. Soon it was witnessed that  Indian textiles were seen competing with British textiles in the European and American markets.

Handloom weaving continued to exist to some extent since some types of textiles could not be supplied by machines. The Textiles that were exported to England also grew increasingly difficult as very high taxes were levied on Indian textiles imported into Britain. Millions of weavers in India were now forced out of their jobs. Bengal weavers were the worst afflicted. English and European firms stopped buying Indian items and their representatives no longer paid out advances to weavers to ensure supply.

Many weavers and spinners who lost their livelihood became farm laborers. Some relocated to cities in quest of a job while yet others traveled out of the nation to work in plantations in Africa and South America. Thousands of rural women who made a living by spinning cotton thread were rendered unemployed. 

Some handloom weavers gained employment in the new cotton mills that were created in different areas of India.

Conclusion

Indian textiles continued to dominate international trade until the end of the eighteenth century. European commercial companies- the Dutch, the French, and the English gained great profits out of this blooming commerce.