India has been a center for handmade carpets for centuries, with artisans passing down their skills through generations. With dozens of STEP partners producing in India, the organization works to verify and promote fair wages, ethical practices, and sustainable production—preserving tradition while adapting to present challenges in rug making.
With a tradition spanning centuries, India has long been a global hub for handmade carpets. The intricate craft of rug making is deeply embedded in the country’s cultural fabric, passed down through generations of skilled artisans. India’s vast weaving regions have traditionally been known for finely knotted wool and silk carpets, rich Mughal-inspired motifs, bold geometric Dhurries – flatweaves – in vibrant hues, and countless other styles. The country’s strength lies in its skilled artisanship, technical versatility, and ability to innovate. Workshops master everything from fine knotting and high-low textures to new weaving techniques and inventive dyeing and material blends using wool, silk, hemp, and recycled fibers.
The combination of craftsmanship, strong infrastructure, access to quality raw materials and a competitive market environment makes India a preferred destination for both traditional and contemporary carpet production. The size of India’s rug industry has a direct relationship with the size of STEP’s footprint in the country, with the majority of its partners producing handmade carpets in the country. STEP collaborates not only verifies compliance with its comprehensive fair trade standards but also actively supports producer improvements while empowering weavers and workers through educational programs that cover such topics as health and safety and social security.
Capturing the Craft: A Journey Through India’s Carpet-Making Regions
The ancient art of handmade carpet weaving is an incredibly complex and time-consuming craft. The final product can only be fully appreciated when one understands the dedication, skill, and joy of the many hands involved in its creation. To capture not only the detailed craftsmanship but also the stories of the people who bring them to life, STEP’s local team, in collaboration with US partner SAMAD, documented India’s unique and intricate rug-making process.
Beautifully captured by Indian photographer Amit Sihag and videographer Prateek Shrivastava, this visual journey travels through the country’s famous carpet-producing regions around Bhadohi, Agra, and Jaipur.
Mapping the Weave: From Naksha to Loom
The process begins with translating the carpet design into a Naksha, a detailed graph or rendering that serves as a pattern for the weavers. Traditionally drawn by hand on graph paper, each square represents a single knot, meticulously mapping out the colors and design. Some producers now use digital tools to create these graphs more precisely before transferring them to paper. Large-size color printers are commonly used today to print the Naksha.
One of the first steps in production is organizing the materials. Depending on the design and texture requirements, the wool and cotton (or other natural or synthetic raw materials) are carefully cleaned, carded into fibers, and spun to prepare yarn for weaving.
While traditional hand-spun methods, such as spinning wheels, remain widely used, many workshops have adopted mechanized carding and electric spinning wheels to ensure uniform fiber alignment and consistent yarn thickness. Additionally, high-twist spinning machines enhance durability, while automated blending technologies mix different fibers to create unique textures.
Dyeing with Precision: The Art Behind Carpet Colors
Dyeing the yarn is a critical step in ensuring the vibrancy and longevity of each rug. Machine dyeing, often used in larger-scale production, is more efficient and consistent in color application but can sometimes lack the nuanced results of traditional methods. Many smaller workshops, however, still rely on pot dyeing methods, which allow for greater artisanal flexibility. In this traditional process, bundles of yarn are rotated on large wheels in a pot containing chemical or natural dyes.
Today, machine dyeing is strictly regulated to meet environmental standards, with mandatory wastewater treatment and pollution controls in place. STEP has been actively involved in monitoring wastewater treatment in the facilities where its partners produce, promoting more sustainable dyeing practices without compromising the craft’s integrity. In India, many yarn dyeing facilities are moving towards implementing environmentally friendly solutions for wastewater management, including Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs). ETPs treat the water used in the dyeing process, ensuring that harmful chemicals are removed and only clean water is discharged. Local STEP auditors in India are supporting dyers in enhancing their compliance measures by incorporating regular water quality testing as a standard audit criterion.
Mastering the Loom: The Art and Labor Behind Every Handwoven Carpet
Weaving is the heart of rug making, requiring immense skill and patience. The craft dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization (circa 2500 BCE), where the earliest evidence of spinning and weaving was found, including the use of simple, open knots like the Ghiordes knot (also known as the Turkish knot). This early form of knotting laid the foundation for the intricate and varied techniques used today. In India, the most common knot is the asymmetrical Persian knot, or Senneh knot, which allows artisans to achieve finer details and denser patterns.
Carpet sizes vary greatly, with some reaching several meters in width and length. The number of weavers involved depends on the complexity of the design; larger, intricate carpets require collaborative teamwork. The workshop environment fosters a strong sense of community, with artisans sharing long hours, meals, and moments of rest.
Sita Devi, a 43-year-old weaver from Manoharpur, has over 20 years of experience in crafting 7×7 and 6×6 quality carpets. Though she’s the only one in her family skilled in weaving, it remains her main source of income.
For a long time, weaving has been the most important activity in our village. If it would not have been for weaving, we would have had to abandon our village in search of work elsewhere.
Weavers in Agra, India
The Art of Perfection: Washing and Finishing Handmade Carpets
Once woven, carpets are returned to the factory for quality checks, where any defects are corrected before or after washing. The washing process removes dust and enhances the rug’s vibrancy, using soap, detergent, and soda. Traditionally, rugs were washed in natural water sources, but today, more eco-friendly systems treat wastewater before it is released into the fields.
The water is filtered by passing through three chambers for filtering, dosing, and aerating the wastewater. After washing, carpets dry in the sun, gaining brilliance before being stretched to counteract shrinkage. The final finishing stage involves shearing the pile to the desired height and applying techniques like clipping, binding, and embossing to refine texture and design. Once complete, the rugs are returned to exporters, ready for a final quality check and to be admired for their craftsmanship and durability.
A Shared Vision: Collaborative Efforts to Shape the Future of Rug-Making
As showcased in this journey through India’s carpet-making regions, each step— from selecting materials to dyeing, weaving, washing, and finishing— combines artisanal skill with technical precision. As the handmade carpet industry evolves, ensuring ethical production requires a deep understanding of local challenges and continuous engagement with those directly involved in the craft. Issues such as responsible water use, chemical dye management, and wastewater treatment demand ongoing attention. Transparency is essential—not only to uphold high standards but also to foster trust among artisans, suppliers, exporters, international brands and rug buyers.
STEP’s dedicated team in India works closely with producers, combining cultural and technical expertise to guide improvements. Regular independent audits and direct dialogue with workshops allow STEP to identify gaps, support positive change, and position fair labor practices and environmental responsibility at the core of handmade rug production. This hands-on approach creates a lasting impact, preserving tradition while paving the way for a future of responsible production—essential for the sustained prosperity of handmade carpet weaving.
Watch the full production video, captured by videographer Prateek Shrivastava in collaboration with Label STEP’s partner SAMAD.
