Recent research calls for more dedicated and attention towards crafts based ventures (Bell et. al, 2018; Korezen et. al, 2021). A call for papers for a special issue on Craft-based ventures in the Strategic Entrepreneurship journal attests to the need for creating a dedicated space for studying crafts based ventures. In India, the study of strategic entrepreneurship in the production and sales of handloom saris is a relevant and rather understudied context which we aim to use as our empirical setting to make a contribution to the management literature on craft-based ventures. We are broadly interested in understanding how producers and intermediaries involved in the production of handloom based saris balance authenticity, traditionality and innovation (Kuhn and Galloway, 2015; Kroezen and Heugens, 2019) to seek opportunities in the market and attain competitive advantage.  

The handloom industry in India has a rich history of craftsmanship that has been passed on from one generation to the next over centuries. According to the Handloom Census of 2019-2020, this sector employs more than 3 million workers in direct and allied activities. Women constitute 72.79% of the total handloom workforce.