CHENNAI : The Crafts Council of India (CCI)’s biannual ‘Textiles and Accessories Show’ is making a comeback to the Welcomhotel, just as the city prepares for sunlit days and sari-ready climate. The show’s exclusive spring-themed collection has a variety of block-printed and hand-woven textiles from fabrics, saris, dupattas, and blouses. The exhibition has also knitted in elements of social justice and ecological awareness.
This time, the CCI has roped in 27 participants — including Delhi-based designer Vivek Narang and award-winning Ajkrakh artisan Sufiyan Ismail Khatri — from across states to wow the city crowd. The display will showcase textiles that were crafted keeping in mind contemporary narratives, says Jayasri Samyukta Iyer, joint secretary of CCI. “The exhibition is all about textiles from all across India — from very fine handloom cotton silk saris to muslins, from diverse areas. We look at what’s new in the market and then put together a good set of artisans, craftspersons, designers, weavers, and those who bring the best of craft and textile to Chennai,” she tells CE.
What’s in store
Patrons can sift through and select from multitudes of saris including the popular delicate sheer muslins, Lucknow-based patterned Chikankari, the distinct Maheswari and Tussar, traditional Khadis, and Odisha’s Ikat. Keep an eye out for Jyothi Gupta’s ‘Handwoven Heirlooms’ designed exclusively for the show which focuses on a revival of old weaving skills and has art splashed on textiles. Jyothi has revived 400 Rajasthani Kota-Dori saris with 400 khats in a range of soft colours.
The artwork motifs celebrate the natural world with flowers and animals as well as traditional motifs, the delicate compositions of birds, says a press release. “There is nothing on par with artisan-made textiles. The artisans and entrepreneurs always bring newness to the show although the craft has been handed from one generation to the other. They work in such a way that it has meaning to the present market,” says Jayasri. The price of the saris will start at Rs 2,500 and go over Rs 1 lakh.
Apart from the racks of saris, jewellery including neckpieces, bracelets, and gleaming jhumkas dotted with precious stones like diamonds, rubies, and emeralds to pair the textiles will also be on display. The pieces have been designed to accessorise outfits for various events such as lunch, cocktails, dinner, festivals and weddings.
Of fabrics & fusion
Award-winning designers Jabbar Khatri and Abdullah Khatri from Kutch-based SIDR Crafts are not first-timers to the show but admit they haven’t visited the city since 2015. This time, they are armed with collections of bandhani tie-and-dye saris, hoping to receive a raving response from here. Familiar with South Indian customers, the Kutchi brothers have previously worked in exhibitions in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. “We are bringing saris combined with chikan embroidery and Benarasi silk. Our main focus is on fine bandhani craft on traditional colours like yellow and contemporary ones like pastel shades,” says Jabbar.
Kaapas Kolkata, which was established in 2011, is going to make its 12th appearance at the exhibition. The firm is set to bring textured fabrics that have been designed with prints including kantha. “We try to give clients, especially working women, items that are easy to use and not easily crushed. We give 99% cotton, khadi, chanderi, and a minuscule collection of light silks. We have a larger clientele because of textured fabrics and we customise them to their size especially for Chennai clients because we think tailoring is an issue in the city,” says co-founder Bhanu Jhunjhunwala. The price starts at around `3,500 with basic cotton kurtas and goes up to `15,000 with silk kurtas.
Bhanu says that she is proud to present a handstitched khadi fabric designed with kalamkari, and the textile is naturally dyed shades of yellow and blue and maroon, “Chennai is just something else, we always hear back from our clients in Chennai. The place is truly special,” she says.