Encouraging response at Amazon India Fashion Week in March and the very recent organic silk certification from international authority OneCert have prompted Jharcraft to design a Jharkhand Fashion Festival in Ranchi later this month when it will formally board e-commerce site Amazon.
K. Ravi Kumar, state director of industries who is also the managing director of Jharcraft, said the five-day fiesta would be organised at BNR Chanakya on Station Road from May 25. "Chief minister Raghubar Das will inaugurate the programme," he said.
An official brochure said the festival was aimed at establishing Jharkhand as a textile hub capable of showcasing organic tussar silk and other indigenous fabric in the global market.
"Jharcraft has introduced the state's fabric to the world and this festival will offer value addition by bringing both buyers and sellers together. Amazon will, henceforth, sell the entire range of Jharcraft products," Ravi Kumar said, addressing a news conference at Suchana Bhavan in Ranchi on Thursday afternoon.
Earlier, Jharcraft sold only a limited range of products on the e-commerce site.
"Besides celebrities from the fashion world who were involved in Amazon India week, around 15 local designers will showcase their creations at the festival," he added.
The Delhi gala, hosted from March 15 to 18, had the august presence of designers Shaina NC, Rina Dhaka, Shruti Sancheti, and Ambika Jain and Divya Kapur, representing Dabiri Couture.
According to Ravi Kumar, Jharcraft is the only organisation in the country that has acquired the OneCert pat for its silk. "We had applied for certification in February and the agency had sent a quality audit team to see our products. The certification was finally issued on April 20," he said, expressing hope that the same would attract foreign buyers.
Incidentally, chief minister Das had met some designers during one of his visits to the national capital last year and tried to bring them on board to turn around Jharcraft's fortunes. "The strategy worked. And now, the festival will give Jharcraft the required fillip," Ravi Kumar added.
