A post on Instagram (where else?) recently made us pause and take a closer look. A rose gold-bordered sari with floral patterns was a picture of elegance. It was a far cry from what you find from the regular retailers. Designed by Hyderabad-based Archana Rao, this sari was a departure from the more girly ensembles made for the fashion forward clientele by her label. This sari, a part of Rao’s collection for brand Ekaya that specialises in handwoven saris, had the aesthetics of Banaras weave and highlighted the ease of draping a lightweight sari for the younger buyer.
Archana Rao discloses that this line ‘Archana Rao for Ekaya’ is her attempt at making more young women wear handwoven saris. The collaboration with Ekaya began in 2015 and has continued since. “We use handwoven textiles; the technique remains the same. The emphasis is on colours and wearability. We use lightweight silks, be it Banaras silk or kora which is lighter like organza, and the border has rose gold zari,” explains Rao.
Their first collection attempted a cross-stitch-like-weave to arrive at motifs that appear like pixelated roses. Summer 2018’s ‘Archana Rao for Ekaya’ collection will have saris, jackets, palazzos and smart blouses with placement weave motifs.
