A virtual exhibition of heritage weaves, supported by some of India’s royal families, attempts to celebrate sustainability through lessons from our ancestors
Installations from Mysore
As one of the descendants of the royal family of Mayurbhanj, Odisha, which supports the local tribal santhal art and craft thriving in the region, Akshita Bhanj Deo grew up to understand that fashion buzzwords such as circularity have long been practised by our ancestors. It’s evident in the way our mothers refashioned sarees and our grandfathers preferred wearing locally available textiles, shares the creative director of Karkhana Chronicles (KC) — an exhibition project that celebrates sustainability through heritage crafts and practices.
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Bhavnagar and Indore. Pic Courtesy/Karkhana Chronicles
Born last year in November, the project is an initiative of The ReFashion Hub, a sustainability-focused platform. It has looped in around seven royal families of India to spark off a conversation on the revival of traditional knowledge and practices in the Indian fashion industry, says Vincy Abraham, strategy lead, The ReFashion Hub. The families, Bhanj Deo points out, were chosen for two reasons. “One, they work directly with local communities, or NGOs or foundations [benefiting them]. Second, if they were ready to draw inspiration from their past and apply the lessons to contemporary problems,” she explains. She adds that all the families were asked to look into the textile weaving methods and practices that their ancestors used, and which were slow, conscious, eco-friendly and uplifted the artisans. “It could be fabrics that are kinder to the environment; handicrafts that use less water; crafts employing more women or utilising resources found locally,” she adds.
Akshita Bhanj Deo and Vincy Abraham
While last year the exhibition was held physically in the royal properties of Mayurbhanj, Gwalior and Jaisalmer, this time it’s gone virtual in the wake of the second wave. On display are installations from Indore, Kathiwada, Bhavnagar and Mysore, which have directly benefited around 100 artisans and their families. The Indore installation showcases the diversity of the traditional Maheshwari handloom textile in contemporary applications, and is inspired by the Boutet de Monvel portraits of HH Maharaja Yeshwantrao II and HH Maharani Sanyogitaraje Holkar, who’ve patronised Maheshwari weaves. The Kathiwada installation sheds light on the intricate kasota; it’s a new-age reimagining of the loincloth worn by the men of tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, paired with a striking bamboo jacket and beaded jewellery hand-crafted by local tribal women. The Bhavnagar exhibit, on the other hand, brings women weavers and bead makers of the city together with brass and copper karigars of Sihor to portray the bandhani textile, bharat work designs, beadwork and pataras or traditional chests. And finally, the Mysore installation showcases the legacy of the Mysore silk.
Abraham shares that each exhibit encompasses sustainability and ancestral wisdom. “The narrative on sustainability in fashion has largely been dominated by the global north. But in India, it’s ingrained into our very heritage,” she admits. Bhanj Deo adds that the idea is also to put these artisan clusters on the map. The larger vision, she says, is to use technology to understand our history of textiles, create sustainable futures, and boost our artisans. Because what we wear reflects our politics, she signs off.
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