The history of Indian textiles stretches back thousands of years. Few industries in the world can claim such continuity of craft, commerce and cultural influence. To study Indian textiles is to trace the rise and fall of empires, the flow of global trade and the everyday life of millions of people. The story is long, layered and tied to the fabric of India itself. 

Textiles in the Ancient World 

Archaeologists have uncovered fragments of woven cotton at Mohenjo-daro, one of the main cities of the Indus Valley Civilisation, dating back to around 2500 BCE. These scraps, preserved by chance, are among the earliest evidence of cotton use anywhere in the world. India is one of the few regions where cotton grew naturally and its people were among the first to spin and weave it into cloth. 

Classical sources confirm this early lead. Greek historians wrote of “tree wool” from India. Herodotus noted the fineness of Indian cloth compared to what he knew at home. Cotton fabric travelled along land and sea routes, reaching Persia, Egypt and later Rome. The word “muslin,” later used to describe fine cotton from Bengal, probably came from the ancient city of Mosul in present-day Iraq. In this hub, Indian textiles often arrived before moving westward. 

Textiles were not only about trade. They were deeply tied to culture and religion. Early Indian sculptures and temple carvings show figures draped in patterned cloth, suggesting that dyeing and printing techniques were already advanced. The use of natural dyes from indigo, madder and turmeric gave fabrics a striking range of colours. Even today, fragments of these traditions remain visible in rural weaving clusters. 

The Age of Empires 

By the first millennium CE, Indian textiles had become a major export. Cotton, silk and blends travelled to Southeast Asia, East Africa and the Mediterranean. Ports along the Coromandel and Malabar coasts buzzed with merchants. Cloth from India was exchanged for spices, precious metals and horses. 

The arrival of the Delhi Sultanate in the 13th century and later the Mughal Empire in the 16th century added new layers to the textile tradition. The Mughals, in particular, were great patrons of weaving and embroidery. Under Akbar, the imperial karkhanas (royal workshops) produced luxurious fabrics for the court. These included silk brocades woven with gold and silver threads, as well as velvets and fine muslins. 

Different regions developed their own reputations. Gujarat became known for its resist-dyed fabrics, where patterns were created by tying or covering parts of the cloth before dyeing. Bengal excelled at producing muslin so fine it was said a full length of cloth could pass through a ring. Banaras (now Varanasi) developed into a centre for brocaded silk, a tradition that continues to this day. 

Indian textiles were not just decorative. They were deeply functional, designed for the climate and for social customs. The sari, dhoti and turban evolved as versatile garments suited to different conditions. Cloth often signified identity: caste, region and occupation could be read through weave, motif and drape. 

Indian Textiles and Global Trade 

By the 17th century, European demand for Indian cloth had surged. Portuguese, Dutch, French and English traders competed to secure cargoes of calico, chintz and muslin. These fabrics were lighter, brighter and more affordable than many European alternatives. They quickly reshaped tastes abroad. 

In England, “calico craze” became a common phrase. Printed cottons from India were so popular that local wool and silk producers lobbied for bans. Laws passed in the early 18th century restricted the import and sale of Indian cottons, but demand only shifted toward imitation. European manufacturers tried to copy Indian techniques of dyeing and printing. 

This was the start of a prolonged economic conflict. Indian artisans, skilled in hand-spinning, hand-weaving and natural dyeing, faced competition from mechanised mills in Europe. While India still supplied huge volumes of cloth, the balance of power was shifting. 

Decline under Colonial Rule 

The arrival of the British East India Company marked a turning point. By the late 18th century, the company had established control over large parts of India. Its policies reshaped the textile industry. British mills, fueled by industrialisation, produced machine-made cotton at a lower cost. These were shipped to India, while Indian raw cotton was exported to feed those same mills. 

The effect was devastating for traditional weavers. Handloom weaving, once a major source of livelihood, went into steep decline. Many local industries collapsed. Famines and social dislocation followed. Gandhi later described how the weavers of Bengal were reduced to beggary in their own land. 

The British did not wholly abandon Indian textiles. Some luxury goods, such as Kashmiri shawls and Banarasi silks, remained valued. But the large-scale export of everyday cotton cloth, once the pride of India, was now dominated by Britain. India became both a supplier of raw material and a captive market for finished goods. 

Textiles and the Freedom Struggle 

Textiles played a symbolic role in India’s fight for independence. Gandhi made the spinning wheel or charkha, a central image of the nationalist movement. He urged Indians to spin their own yarn and wear khadi, a hand-spun and hand-woven fabric, as a rejection of British-made cloth. 

Khadi was more than a fabric. It was a political statement of self-reliance. Wearing it signalled resistance to colonial exploitation—the act of spinning connected the wearer to village life and to the dignity of manual labour. Although khadi could not meet the entire demand for clothing, its symbolic value was immense. It gave a fractured movement a unifying motif. 

The Textile Industry after Independence 

When India gained independence in 1947, textiles remained central to its economy. Millions of people still worked as weavers, spinners, dyers and embroiderers. At the same time, modern mills had grown in cities such as Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Coimbatore. 

The government faced a double challenge: revive traditional crafts while also building a competitive industrial sector. Handloom cooperatives were established, and research institutions promoted new fibres and techniques. The All India Handloom Board and institutions like the National Institute of Design played a role in linking tradition with innovation. 

Mills expanded production of cotton and synthetic blends to meet urban demand. Exports began to grow again, this time supported by policies that encouraged foreign trade. By the 1970s and 1980s, Indian textiles had returned to global markets, competing with other Asian producers. 

Regional Traditions 

Despite the dominance of large mills, India’s strength continues to lie in its diversity of regional textiles. Each cluster reflects local history, climate and culture. 

• Bengal: Known for muslin and jamdani weaving, with intricate patterns woven directly into the cloth. 

• Gujarat: Famous for bandhani (tie-dye) and block printing. 

• Rajasthan: Centre for bold prints and mirror work embroidery. 

• Varanasi: Home to brocaded silks woven with gold and silver. 

• Kashmir: Renowned for its exquisite woollen shawls with fine embroidery. 

• Andhra Pradesh and Telangana: Producers of ikat, where yarn is dyed before weaving to create blurred patterns. 

• Tamil Nadu: The Kanchipuram sari, woven from heavy silk with rich borders, remains a prized garment. 

These traditions survive because they are tied to ceremonies, festivals and cultural pride. They also adapt, finding new life in fashion markets. Designers often draw inspiration from these crafts, lending them relevance in a modern context. 

Cirocco Fabrics: The Modern Textile Industry 

The history of Indian textiles is not only national but also deeply personal for families who have carried the craft and commerce of fabric through generations. One such legacy belongs to Cirocco, a family-owned business with roots stretching back to 1932. 

Founded in Karachi by Tahilram Tulsidas Mulchandani and later expanded in Bombay (now Mumbai), Cirocco grew through the decades by balancing tradition with innovation. From early trading in imported textiles to pioneering exclusive shirt fabrics with Morarjee Mill in the 1990s, the family business consistently evolved with the industry. 

Under the leadership of Vijay Mulchandani and, later, his son, Karan, Cirocco adopted new fabrics, international collaborations, and cutting-edge technologies. The introduction of luxury Italian collections, eco-friendly blends and high-performance fabrics has placed us among India’s most respected names in fabric manufacture. 

In 2025, Cirocco is poised to redefine textile innovation again, launching India’s first AI-powered fabric tool with AR/VR technology. This step connects centuries of textile tradition with the digital future, ensuring that the Indian textile story continues to inspire the world. 

Conclusion 

The Indian textile industry is one of the oldest living traditions in human history, yet it remains vital and forward-looking. From the cotton fields of the Indus Valley to AI-driven fabric design, the journey has been one of creativity, resilience and reinvention. 

Cirocco embodies this journey. With a heritage of more than nine decades, we represent both the endurance of India’s textile past and the vision of its future. In every thread woven, every fabric finished and every innovation introduced, we continue the story of Indian textiles—one that remains as rich and vibrant as ever.