Meitei brides traditionally wear the potloi at their wedding, and Manipuri dance troupes and schools need Ras Leela costumes. A workshop in Imphal can make, repair and rent out these stiff, mirror-worked skirts and their matching pieces.
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This workshop makes the potloi, the stiff, barrel-shaped skirt covered in mirrors, sequins and embroidery that is worn in the Ras Leela dance, along with the matching blouse, veil and headdress. It can sell new sets, repair and refresh old ones, and rent sets to brides for the wedding day.
In Meitei weddings the bride traditionally wears the potloi, so weddings bring steady demand, on top of Ras Leela performances at temples during the Ras festivals. Manipuri dance is also one of India's classical dance forms, taught by dance schools in other states that need proper costumes. Imphal West has a deep pool of stitching and embroidery skill, and NABARD's credit plan counts 91 handloom and handicraft societies in the district.
You need a work room, sewing and embroidery machines, a steady supply of cloth, stiffening material, mirrors and sequins, and craftspeople who already know how a potloi is built. The hard part is the slow, detailed hand work: each set takes many days, so pricing and training new hands matter. Rental sets need careful cleaning and mending between uses, and a costly set can come back damaged.
Reach brides through wedding decorators, beauty parlours and word of mouth, and dance schools through teachers, festivals and online listings.
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