A New Spin

While last autumn-winter saw her draw inspiration from renowned 18th century artist and textile designer William Morris,this season the charkha pashmina takes pride of place. Exhibiting the special collection at a trunk show at Art Folio in Sector 9,Sud explains the uniqueness of the pashmina wool spun on a charkha. “The pashmina wool is collected every spring and is spun by hand on a spinning wheel or charkha. It’s a laborious process that requires patience,dexterity and dedication. The weaving process is in itself an art,which has been passed down over generations,” explains Sud,who wants to give the charkha pashmina global recognition.

“These days,jewellery is seen as an investment as well as an heirloom. Hand techniques such as these are slowly fading away and I want the future generations to value these,” adds Sud. Another uniqueness of the

charkha pashmina is that,given how fine the fabric is,two shawls are stitched together making it double-sided. “In our parlance,it is called do-rukha shawl,meaning double-sided,” says the designer,pointing to combinations in rust and black as well as indigo. The shawl is priced at Rs 40,000 but,as Sud puts it,“It’s like a piece of art.”

The designer’s Autumn-Winter 2013 collection also includes an assortment of shawls,stoles,capes,woollen tunics and pashmina kaftans. The new arrivals are also the digital print shawls and stoles (for those who prefer contemporary versions) in vibrant colours as well as shawls that can be worn as capes. The collection is priced upward Rs 1,200.

The exhibition is on till today