Revivalist is a time period that’s loosely thrown round in the trend circuit, in a bid so as to add credence to designers who concentrate on time-tested weaves and crafts. At Hyderabad-based designer Shravan Kummar’s studio, the concentrate on crafts has been an ongoing course of for practically three many years. He courts the limelight sometimes, showcasing handloom saris and ensembles at key occasions throughout India. He prefers to be reticent at different instances, and the clientele that he’s constructed over the years seeks him out for saris and event put on.
Ahead of the festive season, his studio tucked away at one portion of Hotel Abode in Lakdikapul is abuzz. A mother-daughter duo needs saris for the festive and marriage ceremony season, and one other bride-to-be is on a name with a youthful designer at the studio to finalise elaborations for a Kanjeevaram sari.
“I can confidently say that our silk saris can last 120 years. We do not take short cuts. The weave is authentic, be it Kanjeevaram, Benares, Venkatagiri, Mangalagiri, or Paithani,” says Shravan. He liaises with weaver clusters throughout India and is sport to point out a few of the saris that carry again forgotten motifs.
Shravan liaises with weavers of Kanchi, Benares and different clusters
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
An ivory white Paithani cotton sari reserves all its drama for the pallu that has woven photos of the navagrahas. “Two weavers worked on this for 19 months,” Shravan explains. A youthful designer at the studio factors out that the preparation concerned spending ample time on drafting the designs of every motif.
Kanjeevaram and Benarasi saris with vintage-era motifs occupy the delight of place at the studio. There are additionally saris in mulberry silks, and silks from Assam, Meghalaya, Bengaluru and Gujarat. “Our weavers use fine count threads for cottons, silks and khadi, which makes the saris softer and easy to drape. A hallmark of several saris worn by our ancestors was the ease with which they could be draped,” says Shravan.
The motifs on the Kanjeevarams are impressed by the temples of Tamil Nadu. Apart from peacocks, birds and elephants, Shravan exhibits a sari that has motifs from the Kamakshi, Meenakshi and Visalakshi temples. In different saris, pomegranates and flying lotuses are strategically positioned. “The annapakshi (swan) motifs have been done to death. Instead, we work on the Tree of Life, two-faced lions, and sugarcane motifs reflecting the mood of the harvest festival.”
Shravan additionally exhibits Benarasi saris with bel motifs which are a throwback to the trend of the Nineteen Forties and Fifties. “We have applied for patents for some of the unique designs,” he says, including that the Benarasi and Kanjeeveram saris include a be aware of authenticity for the silver and gold zari that would weight from 7.5 grams to 13 grams for every sari.
With longevity as a focus, a number of saris include the choice of two blouses. “This helps when a sari is shared between a mother and daughter or siblings,” he states.
The revival extends to Venkatagiri and Mangalagiri silk and cottons, Mysore silks, khadi-cottons and khadi-linens in nice depend threads to make sure softer drapes.
Shravan, who took to designing in 1996, accompanied by his sister Jyothi Jaisoorya, asserts that with time, his focus is on one-of-its-kind saris. “When motifs are used on more than one sari, there is variation in size, placement and combination to ensure that each sari is different.”
