Hema Singh Rance
Director Arts India British Council
We connect UK research with Indian craft for global impact
The British Council is playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of sustainable textiles by connecting UK and Indian designers, researchers, artisans, and institutions. Through initiatives like New Landscapes, it is fostering cross-border collaborations that merge innovation, circularity, and heritage craft.
In this conversation with Fibre2Fashion, Director Arts India Hema Singh Rance outlines how the British Council’s programmes such as New Landscapes, Circular Khadi, and BEQUIN are embedding sustainability into textile education, research, and industry. By positioning artisans as innovators and enabling dialogue between science, design, and craft, the organisation is helping build circular, culturally rooted, and future-ready textile systems.
How does the British Council support collaborations between UK and Indian textile institutions? How do you think the partnership with UAL through New Landscapes strengthens connections between UK and international fashion and textile communities?
At the British Council, we see our role as that of a connector, bringing people, ideas and institutions together in ways that create meaningful and lasting impact. In the textiles and fashion space, that means enabling collaboration between designers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and universities in both countries to explore how innovation and tradition can come together.
One of our flagship initiatives in this space is the New Landscapes India R&D Grant Scheme, launched in 2023 in partnership with University of the Arts London’s Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute (UAL FTTI). Through this three-year programme, we are supporting long-term collaborations between United Kingdom (UK) universities and creative SMEs with Indian counterparts who bring rich artisanal knowledge and technical skills. This is part of a wider New Landscapes Catalyst Grant Scheme, which since 2021 has nurtured research and development (R&D) partnerships across ten countries, all designed to seed ideas that connect sustainability, design innovation, and cultural heritage.
What makes New Landscapes so impactful is that it is not just about funding, it is about creating intellectual exchange and shared problem-solving across borders. So, when UAL’s FTTI partners with NIFT, or when UK designers co-develop prototypes with Indian craft enterprises, one really sees how research, innovation, and traditional craftmanship can converge to create sustainable, commercially viable models.
It is a true reflection of how collaboration can value culture while contributing to both India and the UK’s creative economies.
What role do cultural exchange programmes play in promoting traditional Indian textiles globally? How can British Council initiatives help integrate sustainability into India’s textile education and industry? Are there ongoing projects connecting UK designers with Indian textile artisans?
Cultural exchange programmes are some of the most powerful ways to keep traditional practices alive and relevant. When Indian artisans and designers collaborate with creative researchers in the UK, they move from being custodians of a tradition to co-authors of its future. These exchanges help heritage evolve and find new meaning in a global context.
Through our programmes, we are also seeing how sustainability can be embedded right from the design brief. The Circular Khadi project, for instance, brought together Khamir, an organisation based in Kutch, Conserve India, Khadi London and Where Does It Come From? to create systems to re-integrate waste into the textile value chain using Khadi skills.
Similarly, the BEQUIN project, a collaboration between The Stitch Archive UK, Botto Labs India and Vashishtha Luxury Exports India, combined bio-material innovation, luxury fashion and craftsmanship to develop a sustainable alternative to sequins which can be effortlessly implemented in the luxury fashion market.
We also have other exciting collaborations under New Landscapes India Grant Scheme:
Climate Positive Microbial Colours – This project is built on previous R&D to increase access to bio-based dye production in India and the UK.
Regenerative Underwear – This project focuses on the design and production of a prototype of 100 per cent organic and regenerative cotton underwear that is fully biodegradable at the end of its life.
Project Darn It – This project blends technology and tradition by connecting consumers with skilled Indian menders, making garment repair accessible and sustainable.
Desi Oon Wool Traceability Framework – This project created a digital toolkit to improve traceability in India’s wool supply chain, promoting sustainability and connecting local producers with global markets.
Such collaborations reimagine what’s possible when deep-rooted craft knowledge comes face-to-face with scientific experimentation. They not only promote responsible design but also influence how sustainability is taught in classrooms, inspiring the next gen of designers to view it as both creativity and strategy.
How does the British Council encourage innovation in textiles while preserving heritage crafts? How can traditional textile crafts be preserved while meeting modern market demands?
We believe that innovation and heritage go hand-in-hand. Processes like hand-spinning, weaving or block-printing are inherently sustainable. They carry generations of knowledge and resilience. It is important that we recognise artisans as innovators.
Our approach is to create spaces where artisans, designers and researchers can co-create, blending age-old techniques with modern research, materials and technology. This ensures that heritage continues to inspire innovation and innovation in turn protects heritage.
Preservation today is about adaptation with integrity. Craftspeople need opportunities to experiment safely, to test new designs, explore new fibres, or work with ethical brands that value their expertise. At the same time, markets must be educated to appreciate handmade value. The key is to evolve without losing authenticity. When artisans co-design products, adapt to new markets, and access sustainable materials, traditional crafts remain vibrant and relevant.
It is also about communicating the cultural and environmental value behind each handcrafted textile to audiences who increasingly seek meaning over mass production.
Through our programmes, we aim to strengthen that bridge, by helping craftspeople see themselves as contemporary entrepreneurs and helping consumers understand the depth behind each hand-woven fabric.
Furthermore, India has rich mending traditions such as Kantha and appliqué, which could hold immense value for modern markets as they centre on repair, reuse, and making the most of existing materials.
How does the British Council foster dialogue on circular textiles and new materials? How is the global textile industry adapting to the growing demand for sustainable and circular practices?
At the British Council, we see dialogue as the first step towards innovation. Our work in circular textiles and new materials brings together people from across the value chain, connecting scientists with spinners and academics with artisans on collaborative platforms. Through international collaborations, research grants, residencies and cultural exchanges, we create spaces where ideas can cross-pollinate and evolve into tangible solutions. This is what truly accelerates change.
Our New Landscapes initiative is a living example; we have supported the development of circular design toolkits and pilot projects which turn textile waste into new raw material. These exchanges move the industry’s needle from conversation to action.
What role do you see technology and digital innovation playing in the future of textiles and fashion? In your view, what is the biggest opportunity for UK-India textile partnerships in the coming years?
Technology has the potential to become a real catalyst for positive change. It is transforming everything, from how we grow, make and dye fabrics, to how we trace their journey from farm to wardrobe.
Digital innovation is helping democratise access, preserve craft knowledge and give artisans a global platform while maintaining their cultural identity. It is about using technology to amplify human creativity and craftsmanship rather than replacing it.
Our recent report ‘Arts and Technologies in India: Reimagining the Future’ highlights how artists in India are using digital tools to build communities, promote sustainability, and bridge the public and private realms. The same potential exists within textiles, to merge data, design and craft into systems that are regenerative and inclusive.
The recently signed Programme of Cultural Co-operation between India and the UK also gives us a long-term structure to build on, providing a framework to foster collaborative projects, knowledge exchange, and innovation.
The next opportunity lies in connecting creative research with industry by co-developing models that make textile value chains more sustainable, equitable and future-ready.
What opportunities exist for Indian students in the UK focusing on textiles and fashion? What are the key skills the next generation of textile professionals will need to thrive globally?
The UK continues to be one of the most exciting destinations for students interested in textiles and fashion, not just for its design excellence but also for its focus on sustainability, innovation and research-led practice.
Institutions such as UAL and others offer world class programmes that encourage cross-disciplinary learning, where science meets design and creativity meets technology.
Beyond formal degrees, our initiatives, from artist residencies to innovation labs create opportunities for Indian students to work alongside UK practitioners on real-world sustainability challenges. Students can contribute to real research and development projects, not just study sustainability in theory.
For the next generation of textile professionals, success will depend on creative agility, digital fluency, and circular design thinking, but equally on collaboration, empathy, and cultural awareness that enable truly global and sustainable practice.
Interviewer: Shilpi Panjabi
Published on: 06/02/2026
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
