In the era of fast fashion and mass produced garments, it’s reassuring to realise that textiles too, have a history. India’s fabrics have their roots planted right in 2500 BCE, the time of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Indigoferra Tinctoria grew abundantly on the banks of the Indus, and was used as one of the chief exports of the province when the British annexed the land in 1843. Textile connoisseur and businesswoman, Purvi Patel, is fascinated by the use of Indigo to make ajrakh, whose jaali motifs have been heavily inspired by Afghani architecture. In a three-day event named, Vasutra, Patel will showcase this history with workshops, home furnishings, and apparel by weavers and craftsmen from India, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Nepal.
Experimenting with tradition
Over a period of eight months, Patel, along with two other trustees, travelled across West Bengal, Bihar, Patna, Madhya Pradesh, Jaipur, Benares, Karnataka, Kashmir, and other states to curate a team of 36 craftsmen. With the support of FICCI FLO, which is a division of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the textile aficionados catered a space for artisans to experiment with their work. “We encouraged Manas Ghorai, a weaver from West Bengal to use two different yarns — khadi, and kala to create kalakha, which has never been created before. Likewise, Paresh Patel from Ahmedabad has experimented with ashavali on khadi to create sarees, custom made for this event,” elaborates Patel. In celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, there’s a large collection of khadi sarees, and garments with modern silhouettes. The collection showcases sarees with natural dyed khadi, block printed, bandhani, and jamdani khadi. There’s also a range of block prints made on banana, lotus, and milk fibres to look out for.
Patel is enthusiastic about Shabirbhai’s collection of leheriyas made in the navrangi style of tie and dye, and Sufiyan Khatri’s Afghani jaali work on ajrakh. For those who still struggle with draping a saree, there are planned sessions on draping traditions and styles, alongside workshops on the revival of vintage prints, the use and challenges of Himalayan indigo, and free guided textile tours on each ancient craft. Reviving local hand-weaving crafts such as thulma and chutka from Uttarakhand, artisans have also created a range of throws, rugs, carpets, and cushion covers. These products incorporate Hershil wool, that’s native to the region and hand-spun by Kumaoni craftspeople. On display, will be home-furnishings lined with traditional toda embroidery patterns along with geometric shapes made with black and red thread, that are loosely woven onto white cloth.
Contemporary chic
Patel has commissioned seven designers to use these traditional fabrics and artforms to create their Summer collections. Suvankar Pramanick, Vibhuti Behl, and Sonu Bijlani are amongst the designers who will be showcasing their garments. “Visitors are also encouraged to interact with the artisans and weavers who are present. We have seventh and eleventh generation artisans who are keen on sharing their histories, lest with their art, their stories too fade,” concludes Patel.
Vasutra will take place from today until April 21 at the Coomaraswamy Hall, CSMVS Museum.