The textile industry has a unique place in India. It contributes on a larger scale to the growth and development of the Indian economy. It is one of the earliest to come into existence in India, it accounts for 14% of the total Industrial production, contributes to nearly 30% of the total exports and is the second largest employment generator after agriculture. Almost all the states in India have a characteristic feature in manufacturing their own textile fabric. From the Pashmina’s of Kashmir and Banarasi Silk of Uttar Pradesh in the north to Kalamkari of Andhra Pradesh and Kanjivaram of Tamil Nadu in the south varying from the Bnadhani of Gujarat and Paithani of Maharashtra in the west to the Sambhalpuri of Odisha and Jamdhani of West Bengal in the east, each of these fabrics have their own defined character which marks their symbol that emerges in each of its states.

One of the styles which marks its symbol in the state of Maharashtra are the Solapuri Chaddars. It manufactures not only chaddars but also items such as, towels, terry towels, napkins and bedsheets have marked their symbol because of its strength and durability. They are made up of cotton, as cotton is grown on a larger scale in Solapur because of its favorable conditions. The city has evolved from the origin of mills to the use of handloom and powerloom sector and developing itself to the use of autolooms and rapier looms. The textile industry in Solapur provides employment to large number of laborers. Today hand - looms and powerlooms are used on a large scale, mostly powerlooms. The products manufactured from these equipment’s are exported all over the world. Also, the waste fabric isn’t thrown away, people use it to make handicraft items such as fabric lanterns, purses, bags, mobile covers, etc. To carry forward this legacy the proposal is to create the Textile Hub wherein, people can learn the entire process, handle the equipment’s, and understand the required marketing strategies. This proposal will not only be favourable for the people to learn but also to earn in the same space. It will also promote textiles which are made here and mark the presence of Solapuri textiles on a global scale.

This research is divided into three parts wherein, first part talks about Solapur as a transit city, introduction of Solapuri textiles, history and literature review. The second part is about understanding the process, issues faced by the textile industry, introduction to handloom and power loom, activities and user analysis, skills and the organizers. The further stages talk about the case studies, proposal and site identification. The third part concludes the dissertation.