Jaahal Gadhvi’s roots in Kutch shaped her love for textiles long before she became a designer. She grew up wearing intricately hand-embroidered chaniya cholis and admiring the heirloom poshaks and Patola saris in her mother’s wardrobe. Today, those early memories find expression in her Ahmedabad-based label, Raedh. Miniature paintings continue to inspire her work, with floral motifs from Bundi, Kangra, and Mughal schools flowing across her creations. Working with artisan clusters in Ahmedabad and Dholka, alongside Patola weavers in Patan, Gadhvi has translated scenes of Radha and Krishna into richly embroidered sari pallus. “My Gita sari (named after the iconic 12th-century poem Gita Govinda by Jayadeva) features an Indian miniature in intricately hand-embroidered threadwork and appliqué. It depicts Krishna as a lovestruck boy yearning to meet his beloved in seclusion, with a lotus-filled lake, a smattering of peacocks, rain-bearing Meghdoot clouds,” says Gadhvi.
Her latest collection, Elsewhere, travels beyond India, drawing inspiration from old children’s storybook archives, Disney’s pre-animation slides and artists’ dossiers while remaining rooted in traditional Indian craftsmanship. “We drew from old children’s storybook archives, Disney’s pre-animation slides, artist dossiers... yet the silhouettes and colours stayed true to the theme. That’s what we do best at Raedh—setting eclectic motifs within traditional design,” she says with a smile.