At the 35th Surajkund International Crafts Mela, eleven designers unravelled the saree story. The show was curated by the Fashion Design Council of India in association with the DC Handlooms.
It may be a cliche to call the ubiquitous saree a six-yard-magic, but indeed saree is a magical garment. Saree is India’s pride but there have been phases when it lost its allure amongst young women. But over the past few years and particularly with the revival of the handlooms with a vengeance that a saree has once again become a staple in an Indian woman’s wardrobe. Be it for daily wear or for occasional wear , saree is a great possession.
11 designers showcased their craft-soaked creations, accentuating the saree and giving it a contemporary rendition. Each designer represented a different state and incorporated the craft and style of draping of the state. They were Abraham & Thakore (Madhya Pradesh), Akaaro (Haryana), Asha Gautam (Maharashtra), Jahnabi Phookan (Assam), Madhu Jain (Odisha), Manish Tripathi (Uttar Pradesh), Rajesh Pratap Singh (Odisha, Benaras), Samant Chauhan (Bihar), Shruti Sancheti (Rajasthan), Suket Dhir (West Bengal), Taani by Tanira Sethi (Jammu & Kashmir).
Sanjay Rastogi, DC (Handlooms) stated, “Handlooms have cultural and socio-economic significance, this show hopes to bring this to the fore by representing the real treasure we possess. Designers have truly captured the innate beauty of each weave, giving the sari a memorable representation.”
Sunil Sethi, Chairman, FDCI said, “We are thankful to the Ministry of Textiles, Haryana Tourism and the team at Surajkund International Crafts Mela for giving us an opportunity to curate and showcase artisanal fabrics, purely executed by hand making each piece unique. The 11 designers experimented with this prolific craft and introduced new flavours to savour, as the woven saree took centre stage.”
Saree is probably the only unstitched garment the world can boast of that encapsulates the art of draping at its best and exudes sensuality and femininity to the hilt. We saw Ikat, Tangail, Brocade, Chanderi and various other indigenous craft forms in those gorgeous sarees. The traditional weaves were given contemporary touch and won the ladies’ hearts. The show indeed unravelled the saree story, a deep story of Indian fashion.
“When I used to work on the trousseau of the to-be-brides a few years back, saree was hardly there. It was all about lehengas, cocktail gowns and on rare occasions, a pre-stitched and pre-draped cocktail saree,” says Samant Chauhan. Yes the cocktail saree became popular in place of the traditional saree but that didn’t really have the same charm.
Today daughters are treasuring kanjeevaram saree, benarasis, mekhla chadors, patolas passed on as heirlooms from the mothers and grandmothers. They are also keen to learn the various draping forms of the saree – the ‘seedha palla’; the ‘ulta palla’ and in the process rediscover the diversity of culture and style of different regions. Saree also finds a place of pride in celebrity weddings. Last year, Ramesh Menon, a fashion commentator who works with textile clusters developed a monochromatic (black and white) saree with few designers for lawyers and advocates as their professional attire. The effort was well appreciated. Hence it did not come as a surprise when the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) decided to unveil the saree Story at the Surajkund Crafts Mela.
Text by Jaydeep Ghosh
Image Courtesy: Abraham & Thakore Akaaro, Asha Gautam, Jahnabi Phookan, Madhu Jain, Manish Tripathi, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Samant Chauhan, Shruti Sancheti , Suket Dhir, Taani, and FDCI
Find more about the Designers and their designs:
https://www.abrahamandthakore.com/
https://www.instagram.com/manishtripathi14/
