Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Tina Tahilianis connection with the handwoven sari dates back to her college days when she did her senior honours thesis in Maheshwar,Madhya Pradesh,with revivalist Sally Holkar. After her wedding,she inherited her mother-in-laws vast collection of saris and it further fuelled her fascination with the traditional Indian drape. But the true eye-opening moment came on a flight five years ago,when she was seated next to a gentleman who ran a sari business. He told me that his sales were plummeting year after year. Fewer and fewer women were buying and wearing saris in India and he was worried about his business. This sort of stayed in my mind, says Tahiliani,who joined her designer brother Tarun Tahilianis pioneering fashion store Ensemble in 1990 and is now its executive director.
Even in Maheshwar,I was astonished to see that these women were weaving gorgeous Maheshwari saris,but they were actually wearing polyester saris. While that may have been for convenience,I think after I met the businessman,I decided that I was going to devote a part of the store to the woven sari, says Tahiliani,recounting how a boutique famed for being the launchpad for a gamut of glamorous designers from Rohit Khosla,Tarun Tahiliani,Rohit Bal,Monisha Jaising and Manish Malhotra to Cue by Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna,Varun Bahl and Gaurav Gupta changed directions to include handcrafted saris in its repertoire.
A preview of Sanjay Gargs Raw Mango range of Banarasis and chanderis last year further reinforced her convictions. The response was mind-blowing. It gave me faith that people still believe in the sari. It wasnt just grandmothers buying them. A lot of young women were buying them too as an important part of their trousseau, says Tahiliani.
The current showcase sees Garg present a new collection called Berang,exhibiting a resist-dyeing technique of Akola,with the primary colours being indigo,grey,black and white. Joining him is PotliArts,whose founder and textile historian Rta Kapur Chisti (author of Saris of India) is displaying luxury khadi saris,lightweight Kanchipurams,Kerala saris,cotton Paithanis,Shantiniketan batik saris and Banarasi weaves as part of her collection titled Qalb. The illustrious line-up also includes Vidhi Singhanias Kota saris in bright jewel tones,with motifs such as parrots,elephants,ferns and water lilies. Its our way of being proud of being Indian and the craft our country has to offer, says Tahiliani.
The fact that the Indian fashion industry is going through a handloom renaissance has only helped in the endeavour. Its been a lucky coincidence for us. We started supporting something that has been garnering national interest. I want women to believe that the sari is not just a ceremonial attire; I want them to make it a bigger part of their lives, says Tahiliani,who hopes to do two sari previews annually,dedicated entirely to handcrafted weaves. Ive inherited the most gorgeous saris. But now Im buying these and building my own collection so that I can pass it on to my daughter and my daughter-in-law to-be, she says.
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram
