Pradeep Pillai, who particularly enjoys working with tussars, started his career in weaving with the Bavanbuti cluster in Bihar. In fact, since 1999 he’s been working in the handloom and handcrafted sectors, adding, “Back then, there were hardly any designers working in this sector. It was only around 2011 that every other fashion designer has started dabbling in handlooms. ‘Sustainability’ has become the keyword for every fashion week and every other designer gets a weaver to walk alongside them on the ramp.” Much to his delight, he launches his creations at Kanakavalli today and over the weekend.
Although this might be a lot of exposure for the weavers initially, it needs to be seen how sustainable this approach will be as designers often move on to other looks the next season. Working with the handloom sector is a slow process and designers need to continuously work with the same group of weavers for a longer time span.
He adds, “Here, I’ve been using desitussar both in the warp and weft which makes the saris drape beautifully without getting crushed. I quite enjoy working with this material. By next year I do plan to come up with a collection of yardage/clothing line using a combination of the wild silks from different parts of India including tussar. The application of tussar in this sturdier form would be much more suited for a global audience.”
Hyderabad connect
Having participated in Crafts Council exhibitions in Hyderabad for the past six years, Pradeep has maintained a steady hand and clientèle alike, making the linkage with Kanakavalli perfect. “Although my saris are very contemporary, they still retain an heirloom feel, which is in sync with the values of Kanakavalli. Both the brands compliment each other. My saris were first introduced through Kanakavalli at their flagship store in Chennai.”
This introduction is no surprise; Telangana is one of the country’s champions for handloom aggrandisation. “Most people are very fond of wearing handloom saris and clothing. People are way more conscious of what they are buying, where the sari has been woven and what inspired me to make the motifs.” But there’s competition out there to ring in the buyers and Pradeep keeps an eye on the market to keep upping his methodology and routine.
As a designer, one has to strike a balance between the contemporary market and the loyalty to heritage. Pradeep agrees, “Freshness in whatever form of craft helps in its sustainability. Anything that becomes stagnant will fade out. Then there is no point of making a ‘sob story’ that it’s dying and there are no takers for it.”
The designer recalls one of his designs called ‘Tanjore.’ “It was inspired from the ‘Kodali Karuppur’ pattern which used to be woven for the royal families of Tanjore. I’ve simplified the design and made it in fine linen for the contemporary markets. Also if a particular sari has a very modern design vocabulary, then the use of yarn would be very traditional and vice versa. My saris tend to feel and drape better with regular use and hopefully will be passed on as heirlooms from mothers to their daughters. Added is the fact that I do not follow fashion trends or colour forecasts... so they will never go out of fashion.”
