Too hot to handloom

With summer hitting the City, there is no better time to get adorned in cool cotton fabrics. Straight from the handloom weavers of Andhra comes the exhibition at The Lady Jehangir Kothari Memorial Hall, which is on till June 15.

The handloom products, including ready-made garments for men, women and children, furnishings and home accessories, are made with 100 percent natural dyes and are apt for those who want to beat the heat in style.

For those who follow fashion with a conscience, the exhibition is an opportune time to support a cause. According to the manager of the exhibition, Dastkar Andhra’s vision is to establish handlooms as a viable livelihood, product and technology, working with weavers, weaver institutions, market and state in achieving this. Facilitating producer control and equity within the handloom industry is its long-term goal. Through this, it aims to impact the bargaining power of weavers across a range of contexts, from cooperative to government and market, he says.

As one enters the exhibition, an array of khadi sarees and dupattas in crisp texture adorn the aisle. This include sarees with woven and zari borders from the weavers of East Godavari and from ikat to Kalamkari.

Perhaps, the most striking are the khadi sarees in vegetable dyes of indigo, katha and anaar with typical woven borders, and the kalamkari work, all reasonably priced between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. A separate section on furnishing apparel also proved to be very popular. It comprised curtains, cushion, pillows and bed covers in vibrant colours and intricate textures.

The salwar-kameez section, which displayed unstitched pieces, were swamped with women who couldn't get enough of the myriad varieties in natural dye fabrics and exquisitely woven checks, stripes and self-woven patterns.