Raising the gold standard

Swati and Sunaina bring their precious Benarasi weaves to the city, and yes, we cannot look away

How much more would you value a sari if you knew that only about one to two cm of that particular textile could be woven in a day? And what if there were only 12 pieces in that design in the world, and it was the only one in that colour?

Chennai favourites, Swati Agarwal and Sunaina Jalan are past masters when it comes to exclusivity. Every time the Kolkata-based revivalists’ eponymous brand has a showing here, there is a near-stampede of the genteel kind.

After all, their modern interpretations of ancient textiles easily fall into the heirloom category. This time around, the designers promise four types of weaves from their ‘Gold’ collection, at their show at Buva House.

Curated by gallerist Sharan Apparao – “Sharan is an authority on art and has worked with us over the past year and a half,” says Agarwal – the event will include lectures by conservation experts on maintaining fragile heritage textiles. Here’s why Agarwal thinks fellow textile lovers must pay a visit:

Why is the show called Sacred Textiles – The Art of Woven Gold?

In India, we have always made gold offerings to the gods. All of our collections feature 98.5% pure silver and are plated with 24K gold for the zari, so we have a clear connotation of this ancient practice. In that sense, our textiles are sacred.

How have you added to the Benarasi narrative with your research?

The saris that we will be showcasing have always been a part of the Benarasi repertoire. Take gyasar; the Oriental style was influenced by Buddhist monasteries and monks, and was smaller in width and length. We have taken it up in length and width to create saris.

Rang-kaat, which translates literally to colour cut, is a technique practised by only a handful of people. A couple of years ago, we found that those artisans had moved on to do other things of little consequence, and we brought them back. There will also be Persian- and European-influenced styles on display and sale.

Good to know that your show offers equal parts retail therapy and dialogue.

Both Sunaina and I feel that the women in Chennai have a deeper understanding of textiles and appreciate the nuances that others tend to overlook. And so we will have a session (on February 4 at 4.30 pm) that will take you through our artisanal workshop and collection, and an illustrated talk on sacred textiles by professor Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan (on February 5 at 5.30 pm).

On February 4 and 5, 11 am to 7.30 pm, at Buva House, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam:

Upwards of ₹2.10 lakh; swatiandsunaina.com