From Kalamkaris to hand block printing: Ritu Kumar’s new flagship store is a tribute to India’s rich textile history

Veteran designer Ritu Kumar who is known for her design centric stores launched her largest flagship store in South Mumbai at Kalaghoda. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

The designer presented a collection which celebrated the age old technique of Chintz and hand block printing, a vintage craft of India. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

The collection captures Ritu Kumar's interpretation of the handblock printed ensembles which she created in the 70s and 80s. These were meticulously collaged with handblocks from the five different schools of printing in India. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

Ajrakh printing, a technique which goes back to at least two thousand years, native to Kutch and Gujarat, forms a capsule which celebrates the age old vegetable printing (a resist technique of printing used for both religious and daily use). It is a part of the REVIVAL SERIES of the Ritu Kumar design house. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

A contemporary take on the embroidery of the Bhuj area forms a collection of prints on murshidabad silk, which resonates with the desert theme. The Chintzs and Kalamkaris with their perennial classicism forms a section of the print section, almost Europeanised but central to the theme of the interiors of the store. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

What sets this space apart from other stores in the city is the expanse and specialised attention to reviving and bringing back focus to Palampores or Kalamkaris. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

Making it the first store of its kind, the decor is anchored around the 'Chintz' textile trade of India. The store is a veritable museum of India’s rich textile history. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

The studio is persistently exploring opportunities and potential for integrated collaborative design, and is based on a search for Genius Loci to immerse its customers in an atmosphere that is of its time and place, yet reflects timelessness. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

The store also boasts of a unique installation of Benarasi cotton, in an attempt to vitalize the handloom weaving of the holy city of Kashi. This project, among others, focuses attention to a lesser known weaving tradition of the white on white palette of the ancient city. (Source: Varinder Chawla)

The store will house the designer’s bridal collections, Indian formal-wear as well as the pret brand, LABEL. (Source: Varinder Chawla)