Leading up to National Handloom Day on August 7, which will be marked by an event Woven 2017 – A Walk of Fashion, actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu started a campaign on social media asking women to post photographs giving a contemporary twist to their mom’s saris. Samantha sported her mother’s green sari with an edgy white shirt-blouse with bell sleeves. Enthusiastic young women followed suit.
Designers who’ve been consistently working with handlooms have an obsession with old saris; an obsession driven by passion for vintage weaves. Reviving forgotten motifs may bring in exclusivity and fetch higher price for a sari but there’s also a story of craftsmanship. Designers disclose how they often ask, even plead with their clients to source heirloom saris and try to recreate them.
‘Korvai’ to ‘Bangadi-Mor’
Gaurang Shah
Gaurang Shah recently sourced a 70-year-old Kanjivaram sari from a client. The sari with korvai weave, large pallu and small borders is an inspiration for a new creation. He also purchased Banarasi cotton and silk saris from an antique seller. “These saris were priced around ₹500 to ₹1000 and I bought saris worth ₹4 lakh to study the jamdani work on cottons and silks,” he says.
Analysing heritage weaves to understand the technique is the first step. Often, weavers hesitate to take up labour-intensive processes as experiments unless assured of more orders and wages. “We’re now recreating the Bangadi-Mor (bangle-peacock) motif of Paithani. A weaver told me it will take three years and I told her we’ll meet the cost,” says Gaurang. This Bangadi-Mor pattern will have two rows of 1-1/2 inch overlapping bangle patterns between which peacock motifs of 3/4 inch will be sandwiched.
Vintage weaves also offer a learning ground. Gaurang discusses his visit to Calico Museum of Textiles, Ahmedabad, where he observed Mughal motifs on khadi Paithanis. “A few floral motifs appeared circular from a distance. We stepped closer and noticed that the petals were woven in squares. This helped us understand how to draw those patterns and give them to weavers,” he says.
Kanjivaram revival is also part of Gaurang’s repertoire. Traditional Kanchi saris were known for animal motifs inspired by patterns on the walls of Madurai Meenakshi and other temples.
‘Oosi’ to ‘Gollabhama’
Shravan Kumar Ramaswamy
A model poses in a Shravan Kumar creation, a revival of Banaras from 1920s.
Shravan, who will be showcasing his collection at Woven 2017 next week, is excited about working with weavers in Yadadri region for a line of Gollabhama saris. These saris are distinguished by their motifs of cowherd women carrying milk pots.
“These designs were earlier done in white, off white, black and red; in recent years weavers began doing this in a range of pastels,” says Shravan, who also wants to recreate Pochampally saris of 60s and 70s, known for their bright shades and tissue borders.
“In 20 to 30 years, more people will wake up to vintage techniques. We’re embracing an organic way of life and returning to our roots. Revival of traditional textiles is part of the process,” he says.
Liaising with weavers across India, Shravan prides in collections of chequered Kotas and Kanchis with korvai weaving and oosivanam (needle-shaped motif). “We’re also trying the older way of washing silk yarn using reeta and other ingredients which soften the yarn. Old Kanchi saris were soft. In later years, people added more gum and starch, making the saris heavy and stiff,” he says.
Kalamkari meets Kanchi
Sashikant Naidu
“I’ve been buying more than selling,” says Sashikant Naidu, who’s been accumulating old saris sourced from his clients or from antique sellers when he travels. While he’s fascinated with vintage Kanchi and Banaras, he observes it’s tough to recreate them impeccably.
“It might look good, but someone with a keen eye will know it doesn’t always match up to the original. I don’t know if it has to do with the yarn or zari,” he says.
A few players in the retail sector have attempted fusion of Kalamkari and Kanchi but Sashikanth explains it’s tricky: “The sari has to look seamless; you don’t want it to look as though the Kanchi border and pallu have been attached to a Kalamkari body. It’s not easy to get a stunning Kanchi sari with Kalamkari work, which involves several washes and boiling.”
His new collection explores the Kanchi-Kalamkari fusion. Sashikant is also working on a Banaras collection in khadi for which he has sourced khadi yarn from Andhra Pradesh.
“We’ll be using several old motifs — animal motifs of yore and a few small, wave-like patterns,” he says.
Did you know?
* Vriksh Designs, spearheaded by Gunjan Jain, is reviving forgotten weaves of Odisha such as Bomkai, Dhalapathar, Dongria and Siminoi among others.
* Bangalore-based The Registry of Sarees revived the Patteda Anchu saris of Karnataka apart from heritage Kanchi techniques.
