Looming over the world of fashion

Handlooms from India are making waves on fashion runways around the world, writes Jayanthi Madhukar

In any of the small towns which are famous for handlooms, weavers spend their days weaving exquisite magic on their looms. Be it brocade, silk or cotton, each Indian state has its own traditions in fabrics. The same goes for embroidery. Across the length and breadth of the country, the embroidery is unique and exceptional, from Kashmir’s Kashida and Tilla embroidery to Karnataka’s Kasuti embroidery. For the fashion-conscious, the emergence of handlooms on international fashion ramps has rekindled the love for the traditional weaves and works.

According to Prasad Bidapa, a well-known fashion curator, the years of effort by textile experts in India to create and promote new design vocabularies in heritage textiles, traditional processes and exquisite hand-crafting have finally paid off. “It forced international design houses to acknowledge the huge amount of Indian fabrics and labour that went into the making of their haute couture ensembles,” he notes.

Today, Indian handlooms are used for styling gowns and other haute couture creations that will invoke the creators of the sensations – the weavers and the artisans specialising in needlework. In recent times, Indian designers have taken centre-stage for crafting clothes that highlight the richness of handlooms. As Bidapa points out, “Indian designers Rahul Mishra and Gaurav Gupta have garnered global praise by showing their exquisite couture creations on international fashion runways to great acclaim. While Mishra shines the spotlight on the various embroidery techniques from the sub-continent, Gupta shows how Indian designers can create a sensation with his fluid, hand-crafted pieces that could compete with the finest of design ateliers.”

Apart from the aesthetics, handlooms have sustainability goals. Pavithra Muddaya, a handloom activist, having worked for the welfare of weavers and their families apart from reviving vintage handloom designs that are dying out, says, “Handlooms address at least nine of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Many youngsters are working with empathy, commitment and sensitivity to create beautiful marketable handmade fashion. This is now getting recognition as hi-fashion and has become aspirational for people because it doesn’t destroy Mother Earth.”

So, it’s truly India’s time to shine on the global stage. Fashion is one of the ways in which we can establish the beauty of India’s handloom textiles and handcrafted embroideries, and their dominance over the luxury markets of the world. “The world of fashion now realizes that if it isn’t made by hand, it’s not really luxury,” Bidapa says.

Some iconic handlooms

Ikat

In Ikat weave, the warp is dyed before weaving it. Natural colours are used to dye the yarns which are then woven into intricate patterns.

States: Andhra Pradesh (Pochampally), Odisha (Sambalpuri), Gujarat (Patanpatola).

Bandhej

Also known as Bandhani, it is a type of tie and dye by plucking the cloth into many bindings, that form a design. The yarns are dyed with natural colours.

States: Rajasthan, Gujarat and some parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Jamdani

It is a special ‘supplementary’ weft technique of weaving, where motifs are produced by a non-structural weft and the standard weft holds the warp threads together. The standard weft creates a fine, sheer fabric while the supplementary weft has thicker threads.

State: West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh (Venkatagiri).

Chanderi

It is woven with a silk warp and a 100-count cotton weft. Until the 1950s, it was woven with 200-count cotton. It is similar to Jamdani.

State: Madhya Pradesh.

Kalamkari

The designs were at one time hand-painted on cotton fabrics. But today, it is done in a long, detailed 23-step process.

State: Andhra Pradesh.

Panja

This specialised weave is used to make Indian dhurries. A claw-like tool is used to beat and set the cotton and woollen threads in the warp.

States: Northern states, especially Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Paithani weave

It’s a plain weave with weft designs, similar to the principles of tapestry. The yarns are of silk and zari.

State: Maharashtra.

Kanjeevaram

The weaving, usually by two weavers at a time, is done in a throw shuttle loom where the shuttle is thrown across to weave the design using the ‘adai technique’. Sometimes, depending on the design, it takes two days to just set up the loom before the weaving happens. There are special techniques in weaving a solid border and for a contrasting pallu, the petni weaving technique is used. This is time-consuming and laborious.

State: Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Kinnauri

The kinnauri weave is used to make shawls which have distinctive geometrical designs. Pit looms are used for making bespoke intricate shawls whereas frame looms are used to make shawls commercially.

Designer: Pavithra Muddaya
Event: Rajasthan Heritage Week

Saree

Saree