Reviving Lost Traditions
It’s almost like a precious jewel fondly tucked inside the varnished
wooden box. This gem,
handwoven by a weaver in a nondescript address of Varanasi,
bears the hallmark of exquisite craftsmanship, quality and intricacy. Most
importantly, it mirrors the legacy of tradition and heritage. This elegant six-yard
wonder, and similar stunners, can charm the discerning today because of the labour
of textile designers Swati Agarwal and Sunaina Jalan. Doggedly reviving the
dying weaves of Banaras with a fresh design perspective that is both luxurious
and versatile, these sisters-in-law have infused new life into forgotten warps,
wefts, designs and fabrics. Their limited-edition heirloom saris, under their
eponymous label, are synonymous with bespoke brilliance. As the soft mulberry silk
rustles against the skin, you marvel at the subtle glamour of their extravagant
craft. Opulent, with the dazzle of real zari, yet feather-light, a true jewel
this is…
Imbibing the love for heirloom saris from ancestors, Agarwal
and Jalan, based out of the City of Joy, were affected by the dearth of quality
handwoven saris in the market back in 2003. “We grew up seeing beautiful saris
that were passed on to us over the years. We felt proud owning them. While shopping
for saris, those images stayed rooted in our minds. But even as we scoured even
the most upmarket boutiques, nothing
caught our fancy. Most of them stocked
only about 8-10 good ones. The rest wasn’t even worth a dekko. When my
brother-in-law was getting married I failed to get a sari even close to what I
was aspiring to wear during the wedding. That was a wake-up call,” recalls
Agarwal.
The two women embarked to Varanasi to analyse the ground
situation. “We wanted to enlighten ourselves about the procedure and the craft.
During one rendezvous with an award-winning master weaver we implored him to
create a sari with an ancient pattern. His reply baffled us. He lamented the
decline of such elaborate weaves citing lack of demand. When probed further he
revealed that artisans were forced by the traders to create only certain types
of saris. What emerged out of the discussion was that these brilliant craftsmen
were subject to skewed up market mechanics, often manipulated by the traders. Amidst
this fracas, the stunning design graphs were getting lost,” elaborate the duo.
Armed with knowledge and determined to revive the old treasures
of Banaras weaves, Agarwal and Jalan launched their label in 2003. But the
focus, they maintained, would always be on quality and not quantity. Hence, one
design is replicated in only 12 colours so that the owner of one sari
cherishes
it even more. The play of colours, a handiwork of Jalan, coupled with interesting
blouses, give the saris a contemporary spin. It’s been an uphill task educating
the buyer about the luxury aspect of their work. They were bombarded with
remarks about the relevance of a sari when the entire world was shifting to
separates. “Even a few years ago, there was this erroneous notion that saris
are for women over the hill. Thankfully today, the garment is being celebrated
across all age-groups. We created a demand in the market for this kind of
luxury saris for women who understand the hard work that goes into its making. We
have young entrepreneurs, even living abroad, who proudly drape our saris to
important meetings, shunning the pant suit. It gives them that gravitas,” says
Jalan.
There was also the concern of costs. While the industry eulogises
the weaver, it is a fact that there is a wider network soldiering to give a design
concept its final shape. “It’s painstaking creating each sari. For instance, a
Rangkaat sari takes months to make because of the complex weaving procedure. It
is not just the weaver who is behind an heirloom sari, there are a lot of
artisans involved. When clients showed their concern over the pricing for a
real zari sari, we simply suggested they drape it for the feel. After a while,
they themselves could differentiate between our creations and
what the market
was flooded with. Ingenuity and quality come for a price. As well as the
experience,” justifies Agarwal.
While each woven heirloom sari is a piece de resistance, the
designers are layering the collectible with special features. The creation,
neatly wrapped in a muslin cloth, comes in a wooden box that also contains a
diary, a authentication certificate of the zari used, a spool of the shimmering
thread and a description of the handcrafted piece. There is also a diary to jot
down the memories every time you wear it, which eventually can be handed down
to generations, with love and anecdotes. “The essentials we provide in the
package stretch its longevity, as these are one-off items. Our banarasi saris
and muslins are picked by youngsters who want to flaunt tradition but with an edge,”
maintains Jalan.
Swati and Sunaina are immensely popular for their concept
saris as well. Like an ivory silk sari with real zari raindrops cascading down is
helmed by a woven ivory border. Then there is the black and olive mulberry silk
woven with hukum bootas reminding one of the spades in a card game. Quirky
motifs such as sufi singers, Rajasthani gotapatti, Persian vases, and jhumki
bootas run galore in many while there are also the traditional shikaargah patterns
as well as figures inspired from the Pichwai paintings of Nathdwara.
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Swati Agarwal and Sunaina Jalan (right) |
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