Shopping in Co-optex showrooms around a decade ago was an exercise in boredom. Unimpressive collection, indifferent staff, and badly maintained showrooms lost out heavily when newer and younger stores selling sarees and clothing sprang up. But years after it was thought to perish, Co-optex, government of Tamil Nadu’s flagship enterprise which sells handlooms, has lived to tell a tale of resilience and re-invention.
This wasn’t always the case though. In 2004-05, mounting losses of Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society Limited, or Co-optex, were touching a whopping Rs 85 crore. It became imperative for the vintage over seven-decade-old brand had to pull up its socks and think out of the box to sustain itself.
This transformation of Co-optex from sleepy to contemporary happened over ten years, of which the last five have been crucial.
Reviving an ailing brand
“It was a brand that was in vogue in the ‘80s and early ‘90s,” begins TN Venkatesan, the Managing Director of Co-optex.
“Co-optex is a heritage organisation. Most households in Tamil Nadu will have some connection with Co-optex. They would have bought a bed sheet or a bath towel from Co-optex and would have memories of outings with grandparents to Co-optex showrooms and exhibitions. We didn’t want its legacy to die,” he says.
“Even bus stops in Chennai and Salem are named after these showrooms. That’s how popular and intertwined Co-optex was in the lives of the people,” Venkatesan adds, referring to the Vaanavil and Thillayadi Valliyammai bus stops in Chennai named after the Teynampet and Egmore showrooms of Co-optex, and Thangam bus stop named after the Thangam pattu maligai in Salem.
“It was a conscious decision to give these showrooms nice Tamil names. For example, our Madurai showroom is named Angayarkanni, which is one of the names of goddess Meenakshi, famous in Madurai. Similarly, Thillayadi Valliyammai, our Egmore showroom was named by Dr MGR himself, when he was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” he explains.
And this – the people’s connection with Co-optex that spans over generations of families – was one of the main reasons behind why they decided to completely overhaul the brand and its perception.
Bringing together the old and new
As a first step in revamping the vintage brand, the state government brought in a team of alumni from the National Institute of Design (NID), led by Sumiran Pandya, who is also the co-founder of Gaatha, a website that documents Indian handicrafts and heritage.
“To lend a fresh look to the products, we started by enabling the weavers to be involved in the growth of the brand,” Sumiran tells TNM, adding that weavers rarely get identified for their skill and production.
Further, to innovate the products without disturbing the traditional processes and aesthetics, the team brought in new colour palettes and designs that had a pan-Indian appeal.
“The NID designers sat with the weavers and worked on feasible designs. There was mutual exchange of knowledge. They created new designs by merging innovative patterns in natural yarns, while the weavers tried it out in the looms to see what works. So, it was a mutual educational and experimenting phase for both the parties,” Venkatesan says.
An example of such collaboration is the introduction of silver zaris in sarees, says Sumiran. “In Tamil Nadu, golden zaris are very popular. But we tried products with silver zaris and it worked very well with our customers. Similarly, we experimented with variants of materials in products like bedsheets to cater to both urban and rural markets, where people prefer thicker bedsheets than in cities.”
Better deal for weavers?
The resurgence of Co-optex has meant betterment for the weavers too.
Speaking to TNM, A Ganesan, a third-generation weaver from Tiruvannamalai district says that Co-optex has been prompt in giving orders and paying them on time. A member of a silk cooperative society which has around 300 members, Ganesan’s expertise is in weaving Arani silk sarees.
“Each weaver produces eight sarees a month here. Co-optex takes 90% of our produce, and credit the payment the subsequent month also,” he says.
Adding that the proactive role of Co-optex has encouraged more youngsters to learn the profession, and to stay in their native places than migrating to cities. “Instead of going to places like Tiruppur to earn Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 a month while staying away from families, they prefer to stay back here and learn the art,” he says, adding that his son is also a weaver who makes Arani silk sarees.
For 40-year-old Balaji in Nagal Nagar in Dindigul district, the last 3-4 years have been the best in terms of income and quality of life for the 213 weavers in his cooperative society. They supply all of their products to Co-optex only.
A loom in Nagal Nagar, Dindigul district
Balaji adds that Co-optex gives them assurance of buying their stock, mitigating the fear of having unsold products. “We mainly weave organic cotton sarees, pure cotton sarees like Kanchi cotton. Recently, we have started making linen sarees also. They give us the designs and colours in catalogue and we make it for them. We get assured sales and prompt payment.”
Stepping into the future
While things seem to be changing for the better, for Venkatesan, the task is far from over. “Our focus is now on the Indian diaspora. It is a large, untapped market and we want to take our products to them,” he says adding that trade expos and an active social media page is helping the enterprise move towards its goal.
“We want to weavers do more work, get good wages and working conditions,” says Sumiran adding that it is a matter of luck and pride that India still has people making handmade products. “Artisans have to be respected and given good money so that more people from the younger generation will take interest in learning the skill and come into the profession.”
Source: The News Minute