Anju Modi’s new collection Virasat is an ode to Madras

A mannequin in a creation by Anju Modi

For designer Anju Modi, each time she visits Chennai, it looks like homecoming. When she began her eponymous label in 1990, Madras was her “epicentre” for all issues fabric-related. “This was my base when I used to go to nearby villages, towns and cities like Salem, Coimbatore, Kanchipuram, and Venkatagiri (Andhra Pradesh), and stay with weavers in their homes. Their culture, temples, and even things like the kolam that they draw every morning, reflect in the fabric they weave. And these have stayed with me,” says Modi, whose new collection Virasat is an ode to Chennai. Virasat, which interprets to legacy, was launched, over the weekend, in collaboration with city-based legacy jewelry model Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers, at an occasion on the Leela Palace Chennai.

“VBJ is a 125-year-old brand. For this collaboration, they were looking for a designer who understands the heritage of the South, especially Tamil Nadu. And I have been working with clusters of weavers in the region, so the whole thing vibed well with our ethos,” she says.

While Vummidi showcases the jewelry at their shops, Modi’s clothes are on show at Evoluzione. “I have been coming to Evoluzione for 30 years. I am also very much in love with the people of Chennai. They are value- oriented and evolved. They don’t get influenced by the glam factor, they are classic in their choice,” she says.

The collection options saris, lehengas, anarkalis, jackets and lehenga saris (a fusion of the 2) in Kanjeevaram silk, georgette, tussar, mashroo silk, Kota tissue, Chanderi, crinkle tissue, brocade, and velvet. Craftsmanship shines by within the type of zardozi embroidery, and conventional adda work. Vummidi does temple jewelry, and retaining that in thoughts, the designer has used intricate embroidery that draw inspiration from temples. Tones of emerald and gold have been used within the clothes to match the temple jewelry items. There is bridal put on in crimson and gold, and rose color drapes to go together with rose minimize diamonds. “They also designed the jewellery line with my colour scheme. So it was collaboration in the real sense and we took over two months to complete it,” says the doyenne of couture.

Anju Modi

Thirty 5 years within the trade and Modi is nonetheless enthusiastic about her craft, and dealing with weavers. From Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh, she has been working with 25 clusters and in lots of circumstances with three generations. There is an endearing tone in her voice when she talks in regards to the weaving communities. “You see, initially the weavers were disillusioned. People had forgotten about woven treasures and were going for mill-made fabric and clothes. I helped revive this handwoven legacy. Now consumers have started understanding the beauty of it,” she says.

After a protracted episode of weavers’ kids leaving their household enterprise and transferring to different cities looking for jobs, Modi says she is lastly seeing a reversal taking place. There is a sure pleasure about being self-employed and taking over a household enterprise and this is what lots of them have realised. “Now, the children of weavers are going to NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) and learning fresh trends and getting equipped with the latest technology. Design inputs are coming from the younger generation. They work on computers, have email IDs, can work out the warp and weft on computers and implement them on looms. From Delhi I can email weavers in Bhuj and other cities and villages,” she smiles.

Even although these technological developments have been unthinkable within the 90s, Modi reminisces travelling forwards and backwards on buses, trains, and vehicles to meet and work with weavers. “But that was another level of experience; I enjoyed it,” she says, including, “That way, you could see a country at the ground level, people’s living habits, the rains, the heat…, and one needs to absorb it all to be part of that culture.”