Heritage took on a contemporary expression as Hyderabad-based luxury bespoke jewellery label SANSA Jewellery collaborated with Chennai-based handloom house VL Zaris for a three-day pop-up at its Banjara Hills store. United by a shared commitment to traditional craftsmanship and artisan empowerment, the collaboration brought together handcrafted jewellery and handwoven textiles in a thoughtful celebration of heritage and design.
For Chandana Shailendren, founder of SANSA Jewellery, the collaboration was a natural coming together of two worlds rooted in craftsmanship. “SANSA is a luxury bespoke jewellery brand that was established as a retail brand in 2020, although we have been in the jewellery business for much longer. Our pop-ups are usually an effort to promote and support artisanal work. We work with several artisans, and that is something that is very close to us,” she said.
The association with VL Zaris followed Chandana’s meeting with its founder Vidya Ananth at an exhibition. “There are probably millions of people doing wonderful work, but we happened to meet at an event and I found her work very interesting. She works closely with weavers and is also a bespoke saree designer, which aligns very well with what we do at SANSA. I thought it would make for an interesting collaboration,” she said.
The pop-up showcased SANSA’s contemporary handcrafted jewellery alongside VL Zaris’ selection of handwoven textiles, including Kanjivaram silks, Banaras sarees, Kalamkari, Tussars and Maheshwari silk-cottons. Among the pieces that particularly caught Chandana’s attention was VL Zaris’ interpretation of Kalamkari. “She has given the traditional craft a different treatment by doing original Kalamkari work on silk. We usually see Kalamkari on cotton, and while tussar is also relatively common, she is experimenting with Kanchipattu silk. I found that very interesting,” she said.
For Vidya, VL Zaris’ journey had remained rooted in supporting the people behind India’s weaving traditions. “We started VL Zaris about four years ago with the mission to support handloom weavers, artists and artisans. I quit my corporate job in America, where I was the vice president for food safety and quality, to start this business,” she said.
The Hyderabad pop-up proved to be a positive experience, with several exclusive VL Zaris designs on display, including the newly launched Radha-Krishna saree. The label also presented sarees featuring Ravi Varma-inspired imagery woven into the fabric, alongside Kanchipuram silk-cottons, Maheshwari silk-cottons, Kanjivaram silks and Banaras fusion sarees.
Vidya’s connection with weaving was also deeply personal. “My grandmother started wearing sarees when she was 14, and there are five sisters in her family. For every special occasion, they would have sarees woven for everyone. So there has always been a strong connection with weaving in our family,” she said.
Preserving heritage, however, also involved keeping traditional techniques relevant. Vidya highlighted VL Zaris’ work towards reviving Korvai sarees, a technique practised by only a small percentage of Kanchipuram weavers. “We take old sarees and revive their designs by recreating them, so that the art form continues to survive,” she explained.
The brand had extended this approach across weaving centres including Kanchipuram, Banaras, Bengal, Maheshwar and Pochampally. “In every region, we develop our own designs while working closely with the local weavers. It is a very exciting journey. There is a lot of hard work involved, but it is equally rewarding. Eventually, we hope to take this initiative across weaving communities throughout the country,” Vidya said.
Meanwhile, SANSA had also been preparing for the festive and wedding season with a new diamond collection shaped by changing consumer preferences. With gold prices rising, the label had introduced lightweight pieces that retained the appearance of traditional jewellery while reducing the weight considerably. “With newer techniques, we are able to achieve a similar look at almost half the weight, or even less in some pieces,” Chandana shared.
The brand had also introduced diamonds and gemstones set in silver, along with everyday jewellery, making precious materials more accessible. “The idea is to create pieces that people can buy almost as easily as they would buy clothes,” she said.
Looking ahead, SANSA planned to take its shows, pop-ups and collaborations to cities including Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi. Together, the two labels demonstrated how traditional craft could find new audiences when jewellery, textiles and design came together with a larger purpose, keeping heritage alive while placing artisans at the heart of the story.