Lovers of textile handicraft are in a for a treat these next two days, when an exhibition-cum-sale of “hand-woven and handicrafted saris, dupattas, jewellery and bags” is on at the Women’s Club on December 6 and 7.
The organisers of the event, Varnachitra, held a ‘trunk-show’ on Tuesday where invited guests had a sneak peak at the designers’ – Rema Kumar and Puneet Kaushik – wares.
Handloom cotton and silk saris with handicraft embellishments are the highlight of the exhibition. Delhi-based textile designer Rema Kumar delights in mixing and matching works from different parts of India.
Intricate kalamkari borders on Tussar silk, patti work on Kota silk, Kanchipuram silk with a Kashmiri ‘ari’ border are some of the combinations visitors may expect.
“I like to experiment with technique and colour and sensibilities,” says Rema, who works with artisans from various parts of the country – Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Kashmir to name a few. The dark Tussar silk sari with Banarasi work adorning one border and Kalamkari on the other reflects her statement.
The price range of the saris fall between 2500 and 15000. While the cotton works fall in the 2000-3000 range, the Chanderi saris are a bit costlier at 3500 with the silk touching 8500 at least.
“The price is decided by the amount of detail that has gone into it,” says Rema. “So, I usually do heavy ‘Kalamkari’ work only on silk, which is costly anyway. If it is done on cotton, the price would increase and there would be no takers.”
While Rema weaves the colours of India into a single fabric, her husband Puneet puts it together in his jewellery. It is not just work from Indian states like Rajasthan and Kashmir that is presented but also from places like Tibet and Nepal. For example, one necklace has a pendant of pink topaz from Rajasthan and another sporting intricate gold designs from Tibet.
“We travel a lot so while Rema sits at the loom, I work on this,” he says.
The price range of the jewellery falls between rupees 1500 and 45000.
Accessories like embroidered and sequinned mobile purses and clutches are also on sale.