Industry overview
What is shaping textile
Textiles run from handloom weavers and spinning mills to garment exporters and retail brands. Buyers demand quality, compliance and speed; workers and artisans need fair, stable livelihoods.
- International buyers expect compliance and traceability
- Handloom and artisan programmes support livelihoods
- Fabric preferences change with fashion and climate
Client background
A handloom development programme, working in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal & Andhra Pradesh. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A handloom development programme
- Sector
- Textile
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Government research, Quantitative research, Qualitative research
Client challenge
The programme supported weavers with loans, design training and market linkages, but many weavers were still leaving the craft. Officials needed to understand incomes, dependence on master weavers and the reasons young people were not continuing the tradition.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: understanding the livelihoods of handloom weavers.
- Understand the views, needs and behaviour of weaver households.
- Understand the views, needs and behaviour of clusters.
- Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 10 weeks.
Target audience
The work focused on 2,000 weaver households and 15 clusters.
- weaver households2,000
- clusters15
Audiences we typically reach in textile
Weavers and artisansMill and factory workersGarment exportersInternational and domestic buyersFabric retailers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal & Andhra Pradesh. Market: India.
- India
Research methodology
A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.
- 1Brief
- 2Weaver household survey
- 3Cluster group discussions
- 4Insight
Interviewers visited weaver households in each cluster, recording income from weaving and other work, raw material access, payment arrangements with master weavers and family members’ involvement. Group discussions with women weavers and young people explored aspirations and frustrations. Interviews were conducted in Hindi, Bengali and Telugu.
Government researchQuantitative researchQualitative research
Sampling strategy
- weaver households
- 2,000
- clusters
- 15
- Respondents were selected across Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal & Andhra Pradesh using quotas set in advance for each location and respondent type, so no single area or group dominated.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- Trained local-language interviewers conducted interviews in person, supervised in the field.
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Back-checks on a share of completed interviews
- Time and location checks on field interviews
- Supervisor accompaniment in the field
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Most weavers depended on master weavers for yarn and payment, earning a small share of final prices, while young people saw no future in the work.
Value chain dependence, not skill, was the main reason weavers struggled.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: value chain dependence, not skill, was the main reason weavers struggled.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: most weavers depended on master weavers for yarn and payment, earning a small share of final prices, while young people saw no future in the work.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The programme expanded yarn banks, supported weaver cooperatives to sell directly and introduced design training linked to online marketplaces.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Evaluation findings with programme recommendations
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: what do buyers look for in a sourcing partner?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.