Celebrating HANDLOOM

Celebrating HANDLOOMS and our artisans who continue to have the skills to produce textiles that we admire in Museums. Each region offers its own unique textiles, techniques, colour palettes and patterns, using diverse range of natural fibres. There is meaning in developing handloom production as it is a slow and eco-friendly means of production with a low carbon foot print and has the potential of creating very large number of dignified livelihoods within their geographical location without huge investment. Artisans are willing to continue practising their craft if they are offered sustained work. Designers have the opportunity to repurpose these skills to create a range of textiles for different markets. Appropriate narratives need to be created to make HANDLOOMS aspirational

view: 0 Categories: General By: Varsha Modi

About the Author

Archana Shah

Archana Shah

Archana Shah graduated from the National Institute of Design (NID) in 1980. Soon after graduating from NID, she travelled to remote corners of the country to study, understand and experience the vast variety of weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery and ornamentation techniques practised by different communities.

This proved to be a very enriching journey, and the unique skills of the people of various regions, their distinctive colour palettes, and rich design vocabulary became the base for all her future work.

In 1985, Archana started a clothing company, BANDHEJ, a label influenced by the traditional textiles and craft skills, created for Indian women, with a very Indian sensibility. Today, Bandhej is a recognised brand, with a chain of stores in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune and Cochin.

Apart from this, she has designed costumes for a few feature films such as Bhavni Bhavai, Mirch Masala, Hun, Hunshi, Hunsilal and costumes for theatre. 1985 – 1997 she also worked on Festival of India inaugurations at Paris, Moscow, Leningrad and Tashkent to design architectural textile installations to create an Indian mood.

More recently she has published a book - SHIFTING SANDS, Kutch: A Land in Transition. The book is a personal journey of discovery and about her association of over 30 years with the land, people and their craft.

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view: 0 Categories: General By: Varsha Modi

About the Author

Archana Shah

Archana Shah

Archana Shah graduated from the National Institute of Design (NID) in 1980. Soon after graduating from NID, she travelled to remote corners of the country to study, understand and experience the vast variety of weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery and ornamentation techniques practised by different communities.

This proved to be a very enriching journey, and the unique skills of the people of various regions, their distinctive colour palettes, and rich design vocabulary became the base for all her future work.

In 1985, Archana started a clothing company, BANDHEJ, a label influenced by the traditional textiles and craft skills, created for Indian women, with a very Indian sensibility. Today, Bandhej is a recognised brand, with a chain of stores in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune and Cochin.

Apart from this, she has designed costumes for a few feature films such as Bhavni Bhavai, Mirch Masala, Hun, Hunshi, Hunsilal and costumes for theatre. 1985 – 1997 she also worked on Festival of India inaugurations at Paris, Moscow, Leningrad and Tashkent to design architectural textile installations to create an Indian mood.

More recently she has published a book - SHIFTING SANDS, Kutch: A Land in Transition. The book is a personal journey of discovery and about her association of over 30 years with the land, people and their craft.