Jitendra Kumar is the founder and director of Varanasi Loom to Luxury, a social enterprise focused on the preservation of India’s ancient craft of handloom weaving by supporting the economic empowerment of weavers and helping to build stronger communities. At the same time, Loom to Luxury is bridging the gap between its skilled weavers and the world’s luxury designers who have long faced challenges accessing the local market for hand woven silks jacquards.

Born and raised in rural Bihar, Kumar, who had long been influenced by the fashion and flair of Bollywood, decided to peruse his degree from the Inter National Institute of Fashion Design in Chandigarh, where he studied textile design. His childhood trips to Varanasi - the epicenter of hand loom silk weaving in India - also gave him a profound interest and appreciation for traditional crafts and the artisans who create it.

The foundation of Loom to Luxury was built upon the goal of overcoming the three biggest challenges faced by weavers to sustain their livelihood – adhering to tight lead times, high standards of quality and efficient management of decentralized artisan clusters. One of Kumar’s cornerstone ideas to solving these issues for the weavers was the creation of a centralized weaving facility where weavers could work together, share ideas and bolster a renewed pride for the incredible work do.

During his first summer break from university and with only Rs 5,000 in his pocket, Kumar traveled to Varanasi with a mission to learn how to weave and to understand every aspect of the weaving culture in the area. After continuously being turned away by weavers who were fearful that he was trying to steal designs, he finally crossed paths with a young weaver at his morning chai stand who agreed to take him into his home. Under the guise of being a journalism student, Kumar was able to spend 2 weeks with the family intimately understanding their skill and embracing the myriad challenges they
faced in the rapidly changing industry.

Upon his departure, Kumar purchased a jacquard loom from his host family which he brought back to Chandigarh and studied it extensively. He assembled and disassembled the jacquard machine countless times until he understood every
part of its mechanics. His passion for hand loom weaving had begun and he vowed to one day return to Varanasi and help the weavers.

Kumar got his chance to return to Varanasi in 2009, when he was appointed as the Production Manager for the Varanasi Weavers Foundation, an organization founded to help revive the then dying craft which was quickly losing its foothold to
less expensive imports from China and power loom fabrics. His ability to speak the local language helped Kumar to slowly grow the team of weavers and an interest from the western market allowed him to expand his vision for the future of the weavers. After the initial funding for the foundation ran out, Kumar, Along with support of his family and New York based NGO, Nest, decided to take the business to the next level and Varanasi Loom to Luxury was born.

In a few short years, Loom to Luxury has become recognized for exquisitely crafted handloom textiles. In 2013 – his first year of business, Loom to Luxury showed its collection of textiles at Première Vision in Paris. In the seasons that followed, Loom to Luxury produced for brands including Dior, Maiyet, KITX, The Row, Talitha, Good Earth, Akkaro, Jean Paul Gutiar, Azzaro, Mastani and Abraham Thakur and many more national and international brand.

The foundation of Loom to Luxury was built upon the goal of overcoming the three biggest challenges faced by weavers to sustain their livelihood – adhering to tight lead times, high standards of quality and efficient management of decentralized artisan clusters. One of Kumar’s cornerstone ideas to solving these issues for the weavers was the creation of a centralized weaving facility where weavers could work together, share ideas and bolster a renewed pride for the incredible work do.

With more effective oversight of production, Loom to Luxury could reduce lead times and ensure better quality with less wastage in the process. Building a safe, healthy and inspiring work space for the weavers would also help to attract the
younger generation of weavers who are critical to the long term sustainability of the craft.