“Walk into Weavers Village and leave it looking like a princess!” say designers Sobha Ashwin and Sreeremya Sambath, standing tall in their brand’s first store in the city.
Set up in a section of the stately Rosscote Bungalow, a 150-year-old property in Vazhuthacaud that was once home to litterateur C.V. Raman Pillai, Weavers Village is a design studio, art café and creative space, all rolled into one. “It’s a dream come true; a dream that’s been three years in the making, ever since we started the brand,” adds Sobha.
Tastefully done up in jewel tones with wicker stools and polished wooden furniture, the store’s contemporary décor, designed by the brand’s resident artist Vishnu Chandran, along with the two enterprising women, well complements the heritage architecture of the bungalow. As it is with traditional Kerala architecture, the ‘nadumuttom’ with handcrafted wrought-iron railings, said to have been gifted to Raman Pillai by prince and artist Raja Ravi Varma, is the focal point of the store.
The various studios within the store branch out from the nadumuttom. It’s the art café, Gallery Nanny [so named by artist Riyas Komu] that first catches the eye. Throughout the common area of the house, there is a provision for paintings and sculptures to be displayed. The gallery currently features paintings artist K.L. Leon and sculptures by Lenin. It’s also a space to showcase samples of mural painting-inspired objet d’art pieces, pen stands, vases, jugs and so on, each of which can be customised. “This space was actually the prasava muri (birthing room) of the bungalow, which we think neatly ties up with the creation/creative concept that we are going for with the brand and the store,” explains Sobha.
The design studio, to the left of the nadumuttom, comes as a bit of surprise, where trendy, pricey ethnic wear in chiffons, georgettes and silk, in a multitude of hues, have been displayed in all its finery. “Apart from designer pieces from our own brand, the design studio is a space to display choice pieces from top designers from across India such as Tarun Tahiliani and Preeti Sahni as well as up-and-coming designers from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, which can be customised. One of the other highlights is a range of designer wear for men,” explains Sobha. The studio also has a wall of chunky, hand-crafted antique silver jewellery (necklaces, jhumkas, earrings and the like) from Bangalore-based brand Rabbit Out of The Hat, and ‘Unniarcha’ series of gold-plated silver jewellery series by Mumbai-based Malayali jeweller Divya. Off the design studio is a small makeover studio, where customers can sign up for makeover services from a roster of celebrity make-up artists.
Next up is the ‘organic’ studio piled high with Weavers Village’s Bodha handloom collection, featuring skirts, kurtis, kurtas [for men and women], saris and the like in Kerala kasavu, which has been given a trendy twist, besides a range of ayurvedic home linen, floor mats and and so on. In keeping with the organic theme, Sobha and Sreeremya have started growing vegetables in the backyard, which leads off from the organic studio. They also plan to install a loom in the backyard, where customers can try their hand at handloom weaving.
Finally, sipping hot black tea in mud cups and munching hot unniappams that is served to all customers, sit back and relax at the store’s ‘creative space’ with one of the books from the bookshelf or just dream that you really are a princess!
Weavers Village is on Rosscote Lane, Opposite Trivandrum Club. Contact: 8606060399
