Bangalore is now part of the Silky Cities Network, an international network of silk cities and metropolises located in eight countries. With this, India becomes the ninth nation on this silk map alongside France, China, Brazil, Japan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Italy and Spain .

Renowned French textile artist Isabelle Moulin announced Bengaluru’s bid during her visit to the city last week. She was speaking here to the participants of a hackathon on AI in fashion and design.

Talk to Metrolife, Isabelle said that she has been actively pursuing India’s introduction to the network for the past three years. Welcoming an Indian delegation to the French silk festival and the annual meeting of the Silky Cities network in 2019 kicked things off. The network was created in 2019 by the Métropole de Lyon in France, and the Consortium Intersoie, a French silk association. It involves the public and private sectors.

Bengaluru seemed to be the most suitable candidate as it is located closer to the main silk producing regions of the country and is well connected internationally.

Additionally, the International Sericulture Commission (ISC), an intergovernmental organization focused on the development of the sericulture and silk industry, moved its office to Bengaluru from Lyon in France and has been operational since January 2013, Isabelle said. .

Since Bengaluru is called India’s Silicon Valley, it offers technological competence that could facilitate innovation in textiles, just as Techtera, a textile cluster in France, seeks to improve its competitiveness through collaborative innovation, he said. she continued.

We asked how Bengaluru, and with it India, would benefit from the network. In a globalized trading environment, the future of silk depends on sharing skills and knowledge, she said. “Textile is everywhere. It’s a high-tech area now, and Bangalore is a high-tech city. Connecting clusters like Lyon with Bangalore could do wonders.

In addition, silk offers strong business opportunities. “Silk has unrivaled qualities, hard to find in other fibers, and has many applications. It could be one of the materials of the future,” added Isabelle.

Bengaluru’s entry into the network could be formalized later this year in France in November at a silk-focused event, she said. After visiting Bengaluru, Isabelle launched her book ‘Indian Impressions’ at Oxford Bookstore in Kolkata.