Supriya Sahoo

India | Handloom Gamcha wraps and shawls

Supriya Sahoo is a textile designer based in West Bengal, India, working closely with traditional Gamcha weavers whose livelihoods have declined with the spread of power loom production. Trained at the Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata, Supriya spent years working in the textile industry before returning to village weaving communities long connected to Gamcha cloth.

Gamcha is a traditional Bengali cotton textile (towel) used daily for bathing, rituals, travel, and work. Handwoven Gamcha cloth is known for its absorbency, strength, and cultural importance. In recent decades, many handloom weavers abandoned the craft as cheaper, synthetic power loom versions flooded the market, leaving looms unused and skills undervalued.

In 2017, Supriya began working directly with Gamcha weavers in West Bengal to bring them back to handloom weaving. The work started slowly, rebuilding trust and reviving looms one at a time. While honoring the traditional structure of Gamcha cloth, the group developed new products including scarves, dupattas, wraps, shawls, sarees, and yardage, using the same cotton yarns and handloom techniques.

Today, Supriya works with a small but growing network of weavers and artisans. Each loom supports multiple livelihoods, including preparatory work often done by women. As demand has grown, some weavers have been able to return from daily wage labor to weaving full time.

Designs are developed collaboratively, drawing on motifs from village life, such as fish, birds, boats, huts, trees, and fields. All textiles are made from natural cotton, and yarn waste is reused wherever possible.