Mad about the sari?

At Taneira, traditional weaves meet modern designs and tell tales about the place of their birth

Tata takes its first step into the world of handloom in a remodelled villa on 100 Feet Road in Indiranagar, Bengaluru. While there are dupattas , stoles, lehengas and yardage, the jewel in Taneira’s crown is the sari — both the traditional nine-yard and the relatively newer six-yard drape.

There are rooms dedicated to saris from different regions: Bengal’s tant , kantha and jamdani in one; handwoven saris from Gujarat, Orissa and Varanasi in another; tussar and silks from Bhagalpur in Bihar occupy a third; and kanjeevarams , naturally, have an entire section.

Design forward

Designers work directly with weavers to create modern expressions of traditional weaves. “We are trying to give weavers a better opportunity to retain their craftsmanship and keep their unique art form alive,” says Ajoy H Chawla, Senior Vice President, Titan Limited. The design team is led by Anindita Sardar, an alumnus from NIFT. They travel to different parts of the country, choosing fabrics, motifs, colours and weaving patterns. Some of these weaving patterns, which have nearly died out, have been revived. So each sari has a story to tell, about the place it comes from or the life of its weaver. The patterns say it all: for instance, clay pots and earthen toys from Orissa are handwoven on a sari from the region. Read the little notes with delicate, hand-painted images that tell you about the sari you are buying. They make you feel like you are purchasing a small slice of the region along with the sari.

 

Step by step

While the price range starts from ₹2,000 (cotton saris), look out for gems like the Patan Patola which, at ₹2.5 lakh, can take up to eight months to produce. Each yarn is individually tied and dyed in several colours and this process continues till the required colours are in the picture, a process that takes one or two months. The yarns are then twisted together to form the warp and weft. The weft needs to sync with the warp for the required pattern to emerge, and this is one weaver’s job!

As for the Benarasi saris, Taneira houses one which has a shloka from the Ramayana woven repeatedly into it, across six yards. There is another sari with Kabir ke Dohe , while the Ganga ghat sari features the beautiful ghats (this one takes the weaver roughly four to five months).

“The brand is a testimony to the woman who wears a sari out of choice and not necessity and feels a complete transformation when she drapes it,” says Shyamala Ramanan, Business Head of Titan Limited. Taneira is currently in a pilot phase where the focus is on understanding how the business model works and the response from customers. Chawla adds, “We want to understand our audience better and fill the missing elements in their wardrobe. When they stand out in a crowd, so will we.” As for expansion, the brand has plans for about three stores in different regions, as well as exhibitions.

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