Crafted for celebrations
CHENNAI: With a focus on preserving and marrying age-old weaving techniques with contemporary design, Textile and Accessories Show organised by The Crafts Council of India (CCI) is all set to enthral Chennaiites with its latest edition. Jayasri Samyukta Iyer, joint secretary of CCI shares, “We had been doing the show for more than 20 years now. This is a biannual show. The idea of the show is to display the prominence of handmade textiles from India. We collaborate with designers, makers and artisans, the best people who work with handcrafted textiles from around the country.”
Collections aplenty
Adding magic to the festive season, the plethora of brands plunges you into a world of authentic choices. Aadyam Handwoven brings you the works of weavers of Pochampalli, Varanasi and Bhuj. Dwaraka Plus embraces the Kalamkari craft excellence by intertwining curvilinear birds, and flora mythological stories on a range of saris, dupattas, salwar sets and accessories. Unique digital prints, delicate embroidery, patch and applique work on Chanderis, mulls, linen, khadi, and organzas are the speciality of Mulberry Blue.
The event will also witness the participation of first-timers like Mrinalini Sarees alongside veterans like Abdul Razak Mohammad Khatri. Speaking of presenting their designs for the first time in Chennai, Shivani Chandran, co-founder of Mrinalini Sarees says, “We are presenting our Benaras, Kanjivaram, Chanderi, Ikat and Bandhini saris. The quality of what we are selling is definitely value for money. We curate from different parts of the country. Weavers around Benaras, Andhra Pradesh, Chanderi and Kanchipuram collaborate with us.
Our highlight is the Ikat weaver who is the only weaver in India who can do ikkat from different parts of the world, including Cambodian Ikat.” Based in Bengaluru, Mrinalini Sarees was started by four women to help weavers ravaged by the pandemic. The focus is currently on reviving the skills of long-forgotten weaves and designs. At the show, the brand promises to offer the best and most unique creations of the weavers. Abdul Razak Mohammad Khatri has preserved and sustained the dying art of the beautiful and evocative Ajrakh hand block print for the past 50 years.
He took the leadership of Ajrakh artisans to create new designs, experiment with format and patterning and create an amazing new palette of natural dye colours. Explaining his collection, Abdul Razak Mohammad shares, “We have been collaborating with CCI for almost three years now. This year we are bringing fabrics in linen, Mulmul, Chanderi and so on. With hand block printing, we will present a variety of clothing.” Their collection also promises to present yellow, pink, multi-hued and striped saris filled with Ajrakh motifs of stylised flowers, geometries and stripes.
Promoting tradition
Established in 1964, The Craft Council of India aims to promote and sustain dozens of Indian traditional artisans. With a dedicated team, they aim to display the best collections for the people of Chennai. Jayasri sums up, “We have various wings in CCI. We work as groups and committees. The Textile Show committee works with various designers, labels and artisans and has a long-standing commitment to promoting artisans and handmade textiles. The team is constantly studying who is doing what, who is making new improvements, new collections and what is trendy.”
Textile and Accessories Show will be held on October 14 & 15 (10 am to 7 pm) at ITC Hotels (Formerly Chola Sheraton), No.10, Cathedral Road, Chennai – 600086. For details, contact: 9840541456