While their colours or the prints, maybe contemporary, the handloom collection by Weaverstory promises to retain the timeless charm of your grandmother’s trousseau.
Weaverstory (weaverstory.com), co-founded by former financial services expert Nishant Malhotra, is displaying its collection of Banarasi and Chanderi handloom saris, lehengas and dupattas, at Mithila this weekend.
“Our forte lies in the revival of traditional weaves, especially the Banarasi weaves and textiles. This time we are presenting weaves such as the jangla and the shikargarh, that depict scenes from the royal hunting expeditions. We are also bringing zero-zari saris,” says Nishant.
“We don’t see zero zari saris any more. Banarasi saris have come to be defined by their ‘bling’. We tried to bring back the old thread work. We work directly with weavers, we have our own production and pricing process. And we believe that tradition needs to be valued. That is why we are focused on older designs.”
Their colour palette, on the other hand, is more contemporary, featuring pastel shades that are more popular today.
“On the Chanderi side, we are bringing pure silks, not silk cottons. These are Katan silks woven in Chanderi, they are perfect for summer weddings. These saris are just as grand as the Banarasi sari but are not as thick. Our dupatta collection is also designed along similar lines.”
Since they work directly with weavers, eliminating the quintessential ‘middleman’, they also take in account their perspective on the design.
“Otherwise, our intervention in the design end lies in reviving older designs and in experimenting with textiles. Some of our collections, for instance, feature a mix of silk and mercerised cotton, instead of just silk that is common to Banaras. We have also worked on linen saris in the Benarasi weave, experimenting with yarn.”
One of their upcoming collections, he explains, even features a woven Munga Tussar fabric with digital prints.
“At the same time, most of our ideas are drawn from museums, and textile books. We don’t come from a design background. We stepped into the field purely by accident, after seeing the way the weavers were being treated. We have been learning the job, with the weavers.”
The e-tail platform, which also has a flagship store in New Delhi, has also been working on involving more women in the traditionally male-dominated trade.
“More women are now gradually contributing to the financial eco-system. They are making tassels for the saris. Some girls are learning to weave, while a few have already started weaving.”
Weaverstory’s collection of saris is priced at ₹ 5,000 onwards and will be on display at Mithila until January 20. Mithila is located at B-3&4 Devatha Plaza, Residency Road. For details, call 22242422 or 9686627256.