reliance retail news: Reliance Retail to launch Swadesh to sell products sourced from artisans

Reliance Retail said on Thursday that it will launch a new format called Swadesh that will sell handmade textiles, handicrafts, agriculture items and other products sourced directly from artisans.

The first Swadesh store will be rolled out in the second half of the current fiscal year, Reliance Retail said in a press release on Thursday.

The company said Swadesh is part of its ‘Handmade in India‘ programme that is aimed at showcasing authentic handcrafted products and promoting the rich Indian art forms in markets around the world.

“It will be a collection of carefully curated products, part of the rich legacy of India’s heritage that come alive in the hands of our supremely skilled and talented craftspeople,” the press release said. “Swadesh aims to create a unique eco-system for reviving languishing crafts, enhancing skills of the communities by providing skill enhancement /design trainings, capacity building workshops that will ensure sustainable livelihoods for artisan communities.”

The company further said Swadesh is partnering with various governments undertakings and state governments and has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry of textiles to source handicraft products directly from artisan communities.