Kantha Embroidery (West Bengal)

What it is & where it’s from (region specificity)

• A Bengal needlework tradition built on the running stitch, historically used to join/recycle layers of old saris and dhotis into quilts and decorative textiles; today also seen on sarees, stoles, garments and home linens.
  
• West Bengal’s own portals profile Kantha as a key district craft (e.g., Birbhum, North 24 Parganas, Nadia, Murshidabad), reflecting a concentrated artisan base (Shantiniketan/Bolpur cluster commonly cited).
  

Quality & authenticity signals (what buyers check)

• Handloom Mark = Government of India authenticity mark for hand-woven textiles—useful when the base fabric is handloom cotton/silk.
  
• Silk Mark (Central Silk Board/SMOI) = purity assurance for silk-base Kantha (e.g., Tussar Kantha sarees).
  
• Dyes/chemicals: India Handloom Brand guidance emphasizes AZO-free/natural dyes for handloom textiles—a good benchmark to mirror in tech packs where relevant.
  
• Motifs & stitch density (craft cues): lotus, vines, fauna, narrative panels; fine, even running stitches are the hallmark. (State handloom enterprise Tantuja provides an official motif/stitch description used on Kantha sarees.)
  

How it typically ships (HS codes)
Depending on the product, exporters usually classify Kantha as:

• Embroidery in the piece/strips/motifs – HS 5810 (yardage, panels).
  
• Quilted textile products – HS 5811; India’s 8-digit line 58110010 is literally “Kantha (multilayer stitched textile fabrics …)”.
  
• Bed linen & other furnishings – HS 6302 / 6304 (if exported as made-ups), or HS 9404 for quilts/comforters, depending on construction and stuffing. (Classification depends on the exact make-up; these are the lanes most buyers use.)
  

Exports & markets (category scale)

• India’s handicrafts exports were ₹31,095 crore (US$3.8 bn) in FY24, with USA, UAE, UK, Germany, Netherlands, France as major destinations; the USA accounted for ~40.85% of handicraft exports in FY24. Kantha sits inside these handicraft/embroidered-goods flows.
  

Strengths to highlight

• Authentic Bengal provenance + visible handwork (dense running-stitch surfaces, narrative motifs).
  
• Certification stack available (Handloom Mark; Silk Mark for silk bases) that importers recognize.
  

Nakshi Kantha (GI—West Bengal)

What it is & why it’s India/Bengal-specific

• “Nakshi Kantha” refers to motif-rich embroidered quilts and panels (the classic Bengal form of Kantha). It is registered as a Geographical Indication for West Bengal (Application No. 52; Registered; validity currently shown till 06-Apr-2026 on IP India).
  

GI & authorised users (provenance you can cite)

• The Govt. of West Bengal GIS registry lists Nakshi Kantha among the state’s GI products and maintains authorised users records (QR-coded lists), which you can reference in catalogs and tenders.
  

Materials, technique & quality cues

• Traditionally multiple cloth layers quilted with running stitch to create central medallions (e.g., lotus) and dense pattern fields; workmanship is judged by evenness/finery of stitches, motif clarity, and colourfast thread.
  
• State entities (e.g., Tantuja) describe canonical motifs (lotus, fauna, epics, everyday scenes), helpful for buyer education and spec language.
  

How it ships (HS codes)

• HS 58110010 = “Kantha (multilayer stitched textile fabrics …)”—the most direct fit for quilts/panels in the piece. Cybex
  
• If exported as finished quilts/comforters, many shippers use HS 9404; if as embroidered yardage/panels, HS 5810 is also used. (Confirm with your clearing agent per item construction.)
  

Exports & channel context

• Product-level (GI-specific) export numbers aren’t broken out in public customs series; Nakshi Kantha moves within the larger “embroidered/crocheted goods” and “handloom/handicraft” export baskets noted above—USA is the single largest destination for Indian handicrafts by share.
  

Why it sells (strengths)

• GI-backed origin + highly legible handwork and storytelling motifs → premium positioning for quilts/wall-art/home accents and for high-work sarees and stoles.
  

Buyer-ready spec & compliance checklist

Provenance & marks

• Cite GI: “Nakshi Kantha” (West Bengal) on relevant SKUs; include Handloom Mark for hand-woven bases; Silk Mark if pure silk.
  

Typical HS codes (for PFI/LC/Invoice)

• 58110010 (Kantha multilayer stitched textile fabrics, in the piece), 5810 (embroidery in the piece/strips/motifs), 6302/6304 (bed/table/other furnishings), 9404 (quilts/comforters).
  

Quality parameters to document

• Fabric base (fiber, count, GSM) and whether handloom; stitch density/motif coverage; thread type; colourfastness results; AZO-free dyes (align with India Handloom Brand guidance where applicable); size/weight for quilts.
  

Packaging & labeling

• Include origin (West Bengal, India), care instructions, and—where used—Handloom/Silk Mark labels; quote GI on marketing material for eligible goods.
  

Market context

• Position within India’s handicraft flows (US$3.8 bn in FY24; USA top buyer), which already have strong channels for embroidered goods—use this for retail onboarding decks.
  

Quick “why India & this region”

• Kantha Embroidery: Bengal’s running-stitch quilting/embroidery tradition with deep district clusters (e.g., Birbhum/Shantiniketan) and visible handwork that signals authenticity.
  
• Nakshi Kantha: GI-registered West Bengal craft—motif-rich quilts/panels with canonical lotus/folkloric layouts—giving exporters a legally recognized provenance story.