World Directory of the Handmade Trade

15 Craft Families · 57 Producing Countries · 24 Craft Cities · Free Directory 2026

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Craft family

Handloom & Textile Crafts

Cloth made on hand-operated looms is the largest single family of handicraft trade, and the hardest to buy blind. Yarn count, loom width, selvedge finish and dye method change the price more than the pattern does. This section covers hand-woven cotton, silk, wool and blended cloth, along with the dyeing and printing traditions that travel with it — ikat, batik, block print, tie-dye, mud resist and natural dyeing. Buyers use it to understand what a weaver can and cannot repeat across a production run, and where the world's weaving regions differ in width, weight and finishing capacity.

Explore this craft worldwide

Product range and what is availableExplore →
Best known products by countryExplore →
Design traditions and patternsExplore →
How to judge quality in the finished pieceExplore →
Telling handmade from machine-madeExplore →
Sizes, forms and typical dimensionsExplore →
Colours, finishes and surface optionsExplore →
Price levels in the marketExplore →
Care, cleaning and durabilityExplore →
Uses, styling and where the product fitsExplore →
Buying, minimum orders and lead timeExplore →
What buyers should check before orderingExplore →
Geographical indications and craft marksExplore →
Market demand and current trendsExplore →

Fix these before asking for a quotation

  • The technique, named exactly — the process, not the look.
  • The input specification: material, grade and source.
  • An agreed variation tolerance for size, colour and weight.
  • The finish system, including who applies it.
  • The compliance regime of your selling market, identified before sampling.

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