As the world move to New Year 2021 tomorrow, who would have, even in the wildest dreams, ever imagined that their wishes for good health, peace and prosperity conveyed to family members, friends and colleagues at the dawn of the impenetrable year 2020.

2020 is a stressful year to all of us, Our Nation faced instability and failures all over the place, economy went down, business faced Kodak moments, peoples struggled to survive, even we lost our loved ones too.

Brought difficulty to the life, Handloom textiles, weaving and Batik hold a special place in Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage. Weaving, being a source of livelihood for 1000 of families. Since 2012 East Star Handlooms contributes on Sri Lanka’s handloom textile and weaving industry and East Star Handloom is making a huge contribution to rural women livelihood in Sri Lankan economy.

The crisis caused by covid-19 has resulted in a sudden disruption of business across the globe and the Sri Lankan economy is not immune to this pandemic. Artisans, workers across the spectrum have felt the effect of the resultant down turn.

The handloom sector has to been severely affected as we all sectors in the economy with the traditional and contemporary markets for our designs being totally closed, Covid-19 has cost resulting abrupt interruption to artisans livelihoods.

Impenetrable year for East Star Handlooms

East star handlooms works with the hundreds of artisans in covering vast areas in Sri Lanka, these artisans make handloom products. Our industry is helping and provides job opportunities and wages to improve the families and rural women of rural areas.

Returning to home turf, Sri Lanka came face to face with coronavirus on January 27, after the spell of quiet, the virus made its presence felt in march, from then normal live turn upside down, during the unfold year, it filled with misery, pain and tragedy.

Unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic it is not feasible to hold conventional weaving progress, handloom, industrial progresses, marketing events such as running shop, sales etc. To deal with decrease this Coronavirus pandemic have forced the mankind, not only adopt the new habits of interesting with people, but have also made all of us to restructure the business operations.

The handloom industry could however take the maximum benefits even while following the set norms of pandemic situation like one-meter distance between people at work and public. Most of the hard artisan woman live in rural areas and unable to cash in on the opportunity.

Lockdown outbreak

While the spread of virus, the lockdown, Crisis has been started at the same time, handloom weavers and artisans have been hit hard by slump in sales due to these lockdown restrictions and most of artisans are out of work. However East Star Handlooms, which are known Idol white for its quality of thread weaving, have come to a halt due to suspension of production, emit Coronavirus outbreak.

The impenetrable year created struggle market for festive season when our handloom sale entirely lost by the things get to abnormal. This not only created a liquidity crunch, but also severely affected the ability to investing in yarns for creating products and also down for sales. Sudden stalling of orders, due to the island by Lockdown and no signs of immediate recovery as the crisis unfolds the business wind up.

After the few months of prolonged curfew and several cluster later it was, to a large extent, brought under control. Here after the Condition of our country is back to normal. The lock down is stopped and workers joined work again Schools were reopened People get back their normal days of life.

In the meantime, East Star Handloom also found its way to get back, and endured the life of our employees. Celebrations of several festivals, school reopen, people back to work, family events, gave us the new hope for our workers and business to stand again a chance for serve our country’s economy.

On the run of Second Wave

However, again, the world timing could not have been worse. A falling economy and employment reduces, the pandemic and subsequent lock down have had a devastating impact on Sri Lanka.

Since the second wave of the pandemic let the Production stopped. Huge unsold inventory has piled up. There has been no sales either through shops or through orders. The Struggles of business came again, more and more faced vast struggle in the second wave.

Since the lock down and social distancing resulted in minimize production. East Star Handlooms supported the producers by providing basic income from its own reserve.

Win and Loss

To deal with this Covid-19 in increases, our East Start handlooms provide online marketing opportunities to our customers, weavers, and handloom products. Financial assistance is provided for our rural Women Society, marketing of products as. Add concessional rates we did our sales on online. We handled it. East Star handlooms provided provisions Just enough to that they are able to meet their urgent basic needs.

Once again, with the December holiday’s season gave us some hope to back again to serve this country economy, however all praise always goes to our beloved customers who gave the biggest support for us while the situation in impenetrable year.

You all have been such a significant part of our business and we could not imagine we can survive this year without you all. Customers are the backbone of any kinds of business. For us it’s highly emotional and there no word we can find how to express it. You are reason we exist and because of you all, we would be able to attain our vision that serve the rural women community.

Wish you the Happy New Year

We’ve truly inspired by your support to East Star Handlooms to make the difference in these unprecedented and challenging time.

We would like to give a big thanks to all of our customers from the bottom of our heart and wishing you health, wealth, and happiness in the New Year ahead.

This year has been a stressful one, it is time to wave good-bye to the year that has passed by and time to welcome a new one, which will bring along many surprises, will hope, it would be great for all of us.

Stay safe, hope and strength will come upon you, Hope that it will turn our better than 2020 and the strength to hold on until it does.