With an intent to support sustainable livelihoods and promote eco-friendly clothing, the social enterprise, India Handmade Collective (IHC) brings a Natural Dye Handmade exhibition to Hyderabad. The three-day exhibition of clothing and artisanal products celebrating sustainability is on at CCT Spaces, Crafts Council of Telangana in Banjara Hills, from April 19 to 21. “The feel of a handspun and handwoven fabric is much nicer than a plain handwoven fabric,” says Mahima Tanggapan, co-ordinator, IHC referring to the exhibition’s significance.
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A-line tunics | Photo Credit: special arrangement
With more than 10 brands including Blue Lotus, Tula India, Porgai, Nature Alley and Khamir from across the country displaying their collection for women, men and children, the exhibition also showcases sustainable utility and artisanal crafts, accessories, home decor, jewellery, workshops on natural home cleaners, floral eco printing and an e-waste collection drive.
Handspun sari | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Handspun has its charm as it is handwoven and the twist of the yarn is so soft that wearing comfort is much higher in it. Mahima says few people know the difference between handloom and handspun/khadi. It took six months for her to understand the difference and realise khadi is one step ahead of handloom and natural dyes are a further step ahead. “When a yarn is handspun and fabric handwoven it is handspun/ khadi whereas a handloom is machine-spun yarn woven by weavers.”
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Handspun is rare as weavers find it difficult to use hand-spun yarn. The skill is slowly dying, she adds. “Unlike the traditional box charkha, we use amber charkha where eight strings of yarn are woven by hand and have a smaller carbon footprint too. The event provides livelihood to weavers and artisans as the brands create stock exclusively for the exhibition. We hope to have a better impact on the environment.”
Kids wear | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Reusable and eco-friendly cloth pads and diapers by Konnai from Tamil Nadu are also on display for the first time. While the price of clothing starts from ₹1,000 and goes up ₹5,000, cloth pads and diapers (single piece) are priced at ₹250 and ₹350.
Also, on the sidelines, a talk on menstrual hygiene and sustainable menstrual and diapering practices and floral eco-printing and bioenzyme workshops are being held.
Prior registration at 7305127412 is a must for the workshops.
Natural Dye Handmade exhibition is at CCT Spaces, Crafts Council of Telangana in Banjara Hills, from April 19 to 21; 10:30am to 6pm.