Light-weight drapes with uncluttered motifs mark festive collections of ikat and kalamkari in Hyderabad

A kalamkari artist at work. Artisans at Kalam Creations labored on new collections through the pandemic, handpainting tales from the epics
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association

Submit-pandemic, whereas the retail sector observed the tendency of ‘revenge buying’ — splurging — instantly publish lockdowns, the shopping for patterns have roughly shifted to a brand new regular, say entrepreneurs in Hyderabad. Whereas gross sales have picked up and look promising, preferences lean in direction of light-weight, easy-to-drape and easy-to-maintain materials. Tussar, organza and comfortable silks are most well-liked for festive events or to attend weddings. Heirloom-worthy Kanchi and Banaras silks are most well-liked for the bride and the fast household. 

Uncluttered design aesthetics

The design and color vocabulary has witnessed a shift. Sudha Rani of Abhihaara (@abhihaara on Instagram), who works with ikat weavers, says weavers have been desperate to weave a number of motifs on saris to cater to the retail demand for busy-looking saris. “Geometric motifs of rectangles, triangles, easy strains, florals, elephants and birds are generally woven within the ikat methodology. Some weavers have been recreation so as to add a number of layers and mix totally different motifs to make the saris look busy. However the saris find yourself trying cluttered. We needed to reassure weavers that we are able to maintain the patterns easy and uncluttered patterns however can experiment with colors.” 

Together with the time-tested deep reds, blues, blacks and whites of ikats, the festive assortment has monochrome blue, black, gray, cinnamon brown and pastel shades.

The tendency in direction of light-weight clothes and saris has additionally heightened post-pandemic, factors out Mamata Reddy of KalamCreations (@KalamCreations on Instagram), who works extensively with kalamkari artisans. “Younger girls don’t want clothes with lining. Equally, girls in numerous age teams need light-weight saris.” 

Chapters from the epics

The absence of retail/wholesale stress to ship orders through the two years of the pandemic, says Mamata, helped her and her artisans to develop new designs over video calls. The saris with borders depicting tales from the epics have been developed through the interval. 

Each entrepreneurs state that there was a revival of the three-shuttle ‘kuttu’ border. Saris with multicolour checks and the kuttu border, paying homage to the Chettinad type, have various takers, provides Mamata. Worth-conscious consumers have been embracing silks from Gadwal which have comparable design sensibilities as that of Kanchi silks, Sudha factors out. 

Sarvamangala of Anagha (@anagha_designs on Instagram) has observed extra girls shopping for light-weight tussars, organza and comfortable silks in lighter shades. Habituated to prolonged intervals of make money working from home through the pandemic, preferences have veered in direction of lighter saris, she notes. “Being a handloom curator, I discover that girls who love sporting saris accomplish that even now, however much less usually. One of many important stress factors is concerning the upkeep concerned; for example, not many need cotton saris that require starch and ironing.” 

WFH hangover

Whereas Sarvamangala shares handpainted kalamkari silks for many who need one thing distinctive, she additionally notices teenagers and younger girls enquiring about ready-to-wear saris with stitched pleats and an hooked up petticoat in order that the saris might be slipped on like a pair of denims and zipped up. “There’s a clientele that appreciates handloom silks. However there’s additionally the elevated demand for materials like rayon and polyester-silk blends which can be cheaper. Festive put on has additionally grow to be extra about bling than about aesthetic enchantment, which was a norm just a few years in the past.” The festivities aren’t solely about silks, provides Sudha. The ikat cotton saris discover takers through the winter-festive season since a few of the two-ply sorts of cottons might be worn throughout Telangana winters as nicely. “Be it cotton or silk, individuals need one thing elegant and are keen to spend ₹9000 to ₹10,000 for a sari. However those that have been buying 4 or 5 pre-pandemic now accept two or three,” she says.

Mamata concurs and provides, “For weddings, those that are accompanying the bride for mehndi ceremonies, for instance, need one thing easy but putting, at an inexpensive vary.”