2024 June-July Analysis

Woven wonders – reviving Georgia’s timeless textiles

Georgia boasts a wealth of textiles, from the UNESCO heritage lurji supra tablecloths that are the background to so many feasts, to the richly patterned flat woven carpets called kilim, to multi-use Tushetian felt. Although walking past sellers along Tbilisi’s Dry Bridge Market can give the impression that these cultural items have been relegated to souvenirs, there are many passionate people and organizations that are popularizing and preserving these traditional crafts.

While its best known for its proudly held moniker as the “cradle of wine,” the history of Georgia’s textiles is as ancient and captivating as the qvevri wines tourists come from afar to sample. Explaining that this history stretches back before Christ, Director of the Heritage Crafts Association in Georgia Ana Shanshiashvili highlights that “Georgia has a rich textile tradition. You have the archaeological finds, which show the textiles that were unearthed in ancient burials,” noting that textiles have traditionally been “mostly wool and silk, because we have a tradition of producing these materials in Georgia.”

Silk production stopped after the collapse of the Soviet Union and production of wool and woolen items has decreased, but there are centers that are still dedicated to the conservation of skilled work with this wool. This is being driven by Georgians and is particularly visible for some textiles. “Embroidery is being revived – and felt, which has become very big in the last 15 years – nobody was doing felt, but it has become very popular because it’s not a very difficult technique so it can be learned quite quickly,” says Shanshiashvili.

Partway along the central street of Kvemo Alvani in Kakheti is the 100-year old house-turned-textiles-museum owned by Lili Murtazashvili. Murtazashvili has been the recipient of multiple grants for her work restoring and sharing the techniques required for kilim production, from preparing and dyeing wool with natural materials, to weaving traditional Kakhetian patterns. Slightly further along that same road in Zemo Alvani is Dito’s wool factory – the only wool processing plant in Georgia that produces skeins of brightly colored wool as well as felted material and products. Kakheti is also home to the Workshop Museum of Tushetian Handicrafts, which offers products and workshops for a variety of woolen media. In Tbilisi, professors Tinatin Kldiashvili and Ketevan Kavtaradze at Tbilisi State Academy of Arts established a workshop focused on researching lurji supra techniques in 2010, and they continue to teach students how to handprint these beautiful fabrics.

However, handcrafts today are not just an effort in conservation – they represent a rapidly growing sector. A 2023 report by U.S.-based market research firm Grand View Research valued the global demand for handicrafts at nearly $678.2 billion in 2022 and forecasted it will grow at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2023 to 2030 on the back of “rising popularity of travel, enabling consumers to discover traditional crafts from various countries and regions.”

In the EU alone, research by Market Tribunal valued the arts and crafts market at $49.4 billion in 2022 and expected the market to reach $76.8 billion by 2030. Although not everyone is a potential customer, those who are interested in crafts are willing to invest – the World Crafts Council Europe found that EU consumers spent an average of €346 in 2022 on craft products like ceramics, textile crafts, woodworking products, jewelry, and leather crafts, with this figure increasing with older demographics. In Georgia, Shanshiavlil believes that handcraft consumers are largely foreign: “The market is definitely international. It’s more about the visitors who come to Georgia and the expats who live here because of the prices.”

Georgia is benefiting from an increasing global interest in handicrafts that has been spurred by various shifts and consumer trends. MarkWide Research highlighted customers’ growing demand for “authentic” products with a story as a key driver of growth. This was corroborated by research done by the World Crafts Council Europe that identified an increased desire for “ancestral” crafts as consumers use these products to find identity and make meaning. Tourism and support from NGOs and governments to preserve cultural heritage has also given this sector a significant boost in the EU. The projects being developed in Kakheti are examples of this kind of support – both Dito and Murtazashvili received foreign grants – and of this new brand of sustainable tourism within Georgia.

The growing consumer interest in sustainable and ethical products is turning a spotlight on traditional and handmade items with a clear story. In one U.S.-based survey by McKinsey, 67% of respondents considered the use of sustainable materials an important purchasing factor, while 63% considered a brand’s promotion of sustainability. Consumers are also willing to pay for these values. A U.S. survey conducted by First Insight and the Baker Retailing Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School found that across generations, consumers are now willing to spend more on sustainable products; over a third choose brands based on their demonstrable support of environmentally sustainable practices or values.

Businesses working with traditional crafts and artisans can leverage their stories to appeal to this appreciation for quality and sustainability, however, Shanshiashvili explains the importance of making the human touch visible. “The most important thing for makers is to highlight the idea of handmade in the design, because if it’s too close to computer or machine-made items, the customer cannot differentiate them.” She adds: “it’s important that the concept of handmade is visible. It’s not only about telling them [the consumer], but [this] should be visually evident.”

As well as the individuals and organizations working in preservation, there are Georgian brands whose products demonstrate a dedication to quality and modernity with their interpretations of tradition. “There are both reproduction and modern interpretations,” says Shanshiasvili of the Georgian handcrafts market. “You can find patterns that are totally modern, but woven with traditional techniques; and, there are many different people who are combining techniques, like batik [a technique of wax-resist dyeing] with felt.” These brands are breathing new life into motifs and techniques, proving that artisanal production can feel contemporary.

CHECK OUT THESE LOCAL TEXTILE WORKSHOPS IN AND AROUND TBILISI

Igrika works to preserve woodblock printing with hand-carved blocks they use to adorn a variety of textiles. They produce products from wall hangings to tote bags, all of which are hand printed with motifs inspired by traditional designs. Delicately-coloured pomegranates, Georgian letters, and birds feature alongside geometric patterns like the “Flowers of Katskhi” table runner, which emulates decorations on the walls of the Katskhi Church, an eleventh century church in Imereti. Their products can be purchased from their online shop, igrikashop.com.

reWoven is a charity devoted to preserving the art of traditional carpet weaving in the Azerbaijani communities of Georgia. The villages of southern Georgia have given their names to some of the world’s most famous weavings: antique Karachop, Borchalo and Fachralo carpets, all in south and east Georgia, sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Sadly, the last hundred years saw traditional weaving almost completely die out in these areas, and today only a handful of weavers remain. reWoven aims to preserve, popularize, and reinvigorate the superb textile tradition of the region using only naturally dyed yarn and traditional patterns. As a non-profit, all proceeds from sales are funneled back to the community and the women who weave our carpets. You can find out more and see what’s on offer at their website www.rewoven.net or on Instagram @rewovenrugs.

Svan hats are traditionally made with white or gray felt and black cross made of string, but Giorgi Wazowski is breathing new life into these hats with a rainbow of colors that are sold at the painfully stylish Le Chic Radical shop in Zemeli. Wazowski is the co-founder of Le Chic Radical, which produces modern jewelry made in Georgia. The shop is tucked away at 1 Vashlovani St and is open every day 11:00-21:00.

Just outside Tbilisi in Dedoplistskaro is the social enterprise Pesvebi Studio. The studio was founded in 2005 by entrepreneur Nino Bakhutashvili, and its name means ‘roots’ in Georgian. The all-female team uses local natural dyes to color the wool that they weave into carpets, panels on bags, and other textile objects using traditional Kizikian carpet weaving techniques. Their designs are often inspired by nature found in the nearby Vashlovani National Park. It’s possible to arrange a visit to the studio, or buy their products at the Ethnodesign shop in Tbilisi. The Ethnodesign shop is located at 23 Giorgi Akhvlediani St and is open 11:00-20:00 everyday.

Samoseli Pirveli makes designer clothing for adults and children based on traditional Georgian garments. They have chokha, the tunic-like jacket, as well as dresses, shoes, and other accessories. The shop is an aladdin’s cave of textiles full of luxurious fabrics, beautiful embroidery, and rich colors. It reopened in 2023 at 10 Leo Kiacheli St. and is open everyday 11:00-20:00.