Fulia Sarees – Latest trends

May 12, 2013 — Aditi Mukherjee

A new handloom weaving style has developed in Fulia over the last year or so.

The main feature of this style is synthesis – of yarns, weaving techniques, and textures. The predominance of motifs – traditional or nouveau – is markedly absent in these handloom sarees. Instead, the emphasis is on colour and feel.

Boundless creativity

Ghicha and mulberry silk; tassar and matka; cotton and noil – the possibilities are endless. Master weavers of Fulia have experimented with permutations and combinations of yarn, creating mind-boggling textures.  The range of creativity that is the hallmark of Bengal handlooms is amply showcased in the new school.

Jamdani flavour

A unique feature of the new style is some bold jamdani work in non-traditional themes in the pallu. Literally the icing on the cake, this exquisite Jamdani weave creates stunning contrast to the texture of the saree. Jamdani or “woven embroidery” is the purest form of handloom, depending solely on the skill of the weaver, and it takes the saree to another level.

vivid jamdani work on pallu complements this new school matka – tassar handloom saree from Phulia

For the patron, it is an incredible experience.

For one familiar with the intricacies of handloom weaving, it is practically inconceivable that such an amount of effort can be given to weave six yards of magic.

Roots in the soil

It’s a humbling experience for a textile designer like yours truly. For this silent revolution of avant-garde weaving was not brought about by urban professional designers, but by master weavers in the Fulia region. The evolution of these extremely striking sarees once again brought to the fore the fact that it’s the inherent creative genius and innovative spirit of Bengal’s master weavers that reinvents time and again the grace and beauty of the exquisite Bengal handloom saree.

Urban vs. rural

In terms of design/layout, the rustic charm of vivid yet aesthetic colour palettes scores time and again over the sober and sophisticated colour schemes preferred by the urban fashionista.  As always, the wild rush of creativity of the sons (and daughters) of the soil is gradually tamed by the urbane tastes and sensibilities (and the deeper pockets necessarily attached to them).

Sober shades: new school Phulia saree in matka x tassar & jamdani pallu

Value addition

The result is a combination of weaving magic that leaves everyone mesmerized.

Fashion biggies borrow from them, and add their own signature style as they modify and improvise, mix and match, embellish and add value.

Creative cycle

The whole cycle plays out for may be five years or so, till the Bengal handloom saree weaver churns out yet another mind-boggling innovation that sets off an identical chain of events.

We are in the middle of one such cycle.

Enjoy the show!

Posted in Bengal handloom. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

Tantuja: Revival In The Offing

September 21, 2011 — Aditi Mukherjee

Good news for Bengal handloom saree enthusiasts:  Tantuja is poised for a revival

Dear Readers,

For the better part of a year I have been associated with the Design Department of Tantuja, the Apex Society of handloom weavers’ cooperative societies in West Bengal.

Tantuja sarees = West Bengal handloom

With its headquarters in Kolkata, Tantuja has for long been synonymous with Banglar tant (literally Bengal handlooms). It has also seen one of the largest Government interventions in the handloom sector in this part of the world (it is under the Ministry of Micro and Small Scale Enterprises and Textiles, Govt. of West Bengal). To give you a small picture, it has nearly 450 active member societies, and 100 exclusive retail outlets!

Products

The major retail products as of now are -

Handloom sarees (tant sarees) : -

  • Silk: – Murshidabad silk printed saree; Garod, Baluchari, Matka, Korial and Fulia silk sarees;
  • Cotton: – Tangail, Shantipuri, Dhaniakhali, Begampuri sarees

Handloom bedsheets: – Printed/woven

Handloom Stoles: – Silk and cotton

Others: – Dhoti, lungi, gamchha

There is also a vast range of embroidered sarees with kantha, ari and zari work.

Turnaround time

With the winds of change blowing, it’s turnaround time here at Tantuja.  You may expect a strong revival effort over the next few years. Don’t be surprised if we emerge once again as the single major player in Bengal handloom.

Let’s hope the somnolent giant actually flexes its muscles once again!

Here are a few products developed for Tantuja by yours truly.

tantuja-sarees-shantipur-cotton-2

tantuja-sarees-shantipur-cotton-1

——————————————————————————————————————– —–

Here are some of the exclusive outlets/showrooms of Tantuja in & around Kolkata: -

H.O. + Showroom
Tantuja Bhawan, DD – 18/4, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 064, near Salt Lake City Centre

—————————————————————————————————————————

SHOWROOM ADDRESS SHOWROOM ADDRESS
Park Street 24 Park Street Kolkata 700016 Shyambazar 129 / 1A Bidhan Sarani Kolkata 700 004
Lindsay Street 26A Lindsay Street, Kolkata 700 016 Ultadanga Uttarapan (Maniktala Civic Centre), Kolkata 700 054
Gariahat (Gol Park) 23 – A Gariahat Road, Kolkata 700 019 Howrah Maidan 27 / 2 G. T. Road, Howrah
Dhakuria G-5 & G-6, Dakhinapan, CIT Complex, Kolkata 700 088 Uttarpara 219 G. T. Road, Uttarpara, Hooghly
Sealdah 18 A. P. C. Road, Kolkata 700 009 (opp. Sealdah Stn.) Shyamnagar Ghosh Para Road
Posted in Bengal handloom, Current Issues, fashion, Handloom Sector. Tags: , , , , . 1 Comment »

Murshidabad Silk: Design Weaving Begins In A Silk Yardage Hub

August 21, 2010 — Aditi Mukherjee

One of the best things about being a textile designer working with Bengal handlooms is the fact that you often get immense job satisfaction. It comes in the form of developing new products, imparting new skills, creating awareness of changing tastes and (hopefully) making a little bit of difference to handloom saree weavers.

I am not being naive here. Take my last project, involving Bengal silk sarees. This weaver’s cooperative in the village of Nagar in Murshidabad district of West Bengal used to spin yarn from silkworm cocoons and went on to weave raw mulberry silk fabric. Murshidabad, incidentally, has been a hub of Bengal handloom silk weaving for hundreds of years. You are sure to find a Murshidabad silk saree in every Bengali wardrobe.

Silk cocoons after first extraction

Nagar weaver at work

History

The weavers of Nagar are traditionally yarn spinners who branched out to weaving handloom silk fabric some time back. Their skills with every stage of creating silk yarn is unquestionable.  It’s a delight to watch nimble hands go through all the steps like extracting or reeling, degumming, twisting, and so on with the practiced sureness of skilled artisans. In fact, in Bengal you will find silk yarn spinning and silk fabric weaving under the same roof only in Murshidabad!

Under the aegis of Khadi and Village Industries Commission,  I was given the task of introducing handloom silk saree weaving with jacquard to this cooperative. KVIC’s Prodeep scheme introduces skills, encourages asset creation and gives access to modern design consultancy to marginal weavers across the country. Which means the designer has to go to the real interiors of the countryside and interact with weavers at every stage.

Results

In Nagar, the results  surpassed my wildest expectations. Though there were issues regarding colour scheme (the dyer went a bit overboard with enthusiasm),  some inspiring handloom silk sarees have been woven. Considering that they were weaving designs instead of silk fabric for the first time in there lives, I can definitely say that the results are outstanding.

What’s more, they can now claim to create these exquisite handloom silk sarees right from mulberry silk cocoons!

Take a look.

Murshidabad silk saree 1

Murshidabad silk saree: close up of pallu

Posted in Bengal handloom, fashion, Handloom Weavers' tales. Tags: , , . 1 Comment »

Saree Or Salwar? The Great Indian Dress Debate

May 19, 2010 — Aditi Mukherjee

Do I wear a saree or a salwar kurta?

This sartorial dilemma is faced by many ethnic-wearing Indian women today.

Bengal handloom saree – graceful as ever

 

Frankly, for a textile designer like me who makes a living designing (mainly) sarees, even raising the issue is sacrilege. Many Bengal handloom saree weavers I count among friends have suggested just that.

The handloom saree is a marvel of weaving, generally available at ridiculously low prices. If you saw first hand how painstakingly Indian handloom weavers conjure up intricate designs and motifs in six yards of sheer magic, you would feel apologetic the next time you haggle for a bargain.

Of course, no woman anywhere, except the beautiful Indian woman, can carry off six yards of cloth draped around her with such unbelievable grace. And such grace is not limited to the urbane fashionista; the rustic belle looks at least as attractive in a saree.

But times, they are a changin’, no doubt about that. Even twenty years back ethnic-wearing women in this part of the world (Eastern India) would rather be dead than be seen in anything but a saree. But these days more and more young women are venturing out in salwar kurta.

 

 

 

So what’s with the salwar – kurta vis-à-vis the saree?

Here are some pointers –

Kurti – Churidar

  1. The saree can be unintentionally revealing. You wouldn’t want to have a horde of boorish men ogle at your body in public transport, offices and so on. On the other hand, if you want to wear revealing clothes, both sarees and salwar kurtas offer ample opportunities. So salwar kurtas give you greater choice.
  2. It’s easier to run around and be of some help with daily chores in a salwar kurta than in a saree. Salwar kurtas don’t start slipping off just when you are precariously balancing a couple of glass jars in either hand.
  3. The salwar kurta is easier to wash and/or iron.
  4. You’d wish you were wearing the salwar kurta if you get caught up in the monsoon slush: lifting up your saree to waddle through makes an ugly sight.
  5. On the other hand, you don’t have to worry about the ‘cut’ when you wear a saree.
  6. In the beauty stakes, the saree comes out a clear winner.

There is hardly any doubt that the Indian handloom saree is what gives our women their distinct sartorial identity. But you have to pay a price, in terms of movement restrictions and maintenance.

Ultimately, that might be the clinching factor for millions of working women to switch over to the salwar kurta. As far as social occasions are concerned, it is still difficult to visualize the handloom saree giving any leeway to the salwar kurta.

P.S. :

Think you have something to add? Feel free to comment!

Posted in fashion, Random Notes, Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

A Bengal Handloom Weaver Turns The Tide

March 24, 2010 — Aditi Mukherjee

This is the true story of a marginal handloom weaver who refused to accept his lot; one who had talent and was willing to try for a better life.

Master weaver Bimal Bairagi comes from Gobar Char in Shantipur – that ancient handloom hub steeped in the highest traditions of weaving exquisite Bengal handloom sarees.

Drying starched handloom saree at Gobar Char, Shantipur

Gobar Char

Gobar Char (pronounced gaw-bar chawr) is a low lying settlement at the southernmost tip of Shantipur by the side of River Bhagirathi (Ganga).  Life here can be a cesspool of adversity, literally and otherwise. The weavers’ workshops in Gobar Char are built on raised platforms to escape oncoming flood waters during the monsoon.

Weaver's workshop on raised platform

Poverty and ridicule

Gobar Char and poverty go hand in hand. There are no prosperous “mahajans” here. The handloom weavers have formed a number of Self Help Groups, but most work individually for mahajans  of neighboring Fulia. They have the requisite high level of skill required for weaving Fulia sarees but not the wherewithal to strike out on their own.

But more than the abject poverty, what they feel bad about is that they are kind of second class citizens in the handloom saree weaving fraternity of Shantipur and Fulia.

The hamlet of Gobar Char in Shantipur

The weavers of Gobar Char are in a peculiar situation. They do not belong to the weaver caste. Most have taken to weaving as just other mode of livelihood and have been at it hardly for a generation or two.

For the weavers of Shantipur who have been engaged in handloom weaving for umpteen generations, that is a cardinal sin. They treat their brethren from Gobar Char with ill-concealed derision and contempt.

Intervention can work

When I approached Bimal to develop samples for Shantipur Integrated Handloom Cluster under the aegis of Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, he was in two minds. Even after I explained that all expenses of sample development  would be borne by the Cluster, he was not too sure. Then I began to explain in minute detail what overheads meant,  how the weavers of Shantipur do not take into account many elements of cost, and that the Cluster was willing to pay the whole cost, including all overheads. Soon Bimal was ready to weave samples.

Bengal handloom cotton sarees woven by Bimal Bairagi

Bimal has so far developed 5 samples (three in silk, two in cotton) and is busy with the 6th. He has already bagged orders for an initial batch of 210 cotton handloom sarees, and there’s a lot more to come. For the first time in his life he is the entrepreneur rather than a nameless worker. And he had his sweet revenge when mainstream Shantipur weavers admitted they could not improve on the quality of the samples Bimal wove.

Bengal handloom silk saree woven by Bimal

Because he puts his heart and soul into weaving, Bimal Bairagi is going to be a very busy man for a long time to come. In fact, he has realized that he has to supervise weavers from his SHG working for him on a number of looms, while he himself can only weave samples for experimentation and order procurement.

Role model

Bimal Bairagi of Gobar Char

What set Bimal Bairagi apart was his ambition to overcome social ridicule and scorn from caste weavers, more than the clutches of poverty.

The exposure to buyers has boosted his self confidence. He feels he can make it to the big league, whereas he was a marginal weaver just a few months back.

We need to replicate his unfolding success story at a much larger scale. The problem of course is daunting. But it is not insurmountable.

Posted in Bengal handloom, Handloom Weavers' tales. Tags: , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments »

Handloom Week Exhibition: Indian Handloom At Its Best

January 13, 2010 — Aditi Mukherjee

Hi folks,

Here is some news about an event Indian handloom weavers look forward to.

I attended the Handloom Week exhibition at Crafts Museum, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi  in December-end, 21st  to 28th December 2009 to be precise.

Indian handloom sarees from different handloom clusters

It was a colourful event, showcasing the frontiers of Indian handlooms. The highlight was a Fashion Show titled “Symphony of Weaves” held on the inauguration day. The exhibition too began on the same day.

A lot of prominent citizens took part in the fashion show.  Eminent actor Ms. Shabana Azmi, renowned fashion designer Ms. Ritu Kumar, and Md. Azharuddin, ex-captain of the Indian cricket team walked the ramp along with professional models.

Shabana in fact volunteered to be the Brand Ambassador and her enthusiastic presence  boosted both the exhibition and fashion show.

Novel Idea

The fashion show was an attractive affair,  with items from the major regions of handloom India presented in clear segments. There were sarees and dresses from the South, North, West, East and North East.

The models on the ramp displayed not just traditional Indian handlooms but interesting apparel concepts fashioned out of handloom dress materials and would you believe it, some stunning sarees!

A Bengal handloom product from Shantipur - Fulia

Handloom sarees from all corners of India lit up the show.  Here are some of the entrants from Bengal handloom – Fulia and Shantipur sarees. Check out for yourself!

Gallery

Bengal handloom saree from Shantipur at Handloom Week Fashion Show

bengal silk handloom saree with jamdani work

Fact sheet

Handloom Week Exhibition was organized by  the Development Commissioner of Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India. All the participants were from the 20 clusters with ongoing Integrated Handloom Cluster Development Projects under Ministry of Textiles,  Govt. of India.

The Best Design award went to Chanderi and Bargarh clusters jointly.

Posted in Bengal handloom, Current Issues, fashion. Tags: , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

New Weaving Trends in Shantipur – Fulia

January 3, 2010 — Aditi Mukherjee

New Products and The Export Market

During the 1990s, a new trend emerged in Shantipur and Fulia. Apart from the weaving of traditional Bengal handloom sarees, new products like  yardage, scarves and stoles for Export started and the weavers began to understand the tastes and preferences of foreign markets.

Woven Bengal Handloom Stoles from Shantipur – Fulia

Silk Stole from Shantipur – Fulia

handloom linen stole, Fulia

A sea-change in colours and weaves

The colours became more muted and the designs understated. Various complex and esoteric weaves which had been  abandoned for their complicated techniques and high labour cost were revived as weavers began to get remunerative prices for their products. New experiments were carried out with yarn combinations like silk, wool and cotton. Natural and artificial yarn combinations were also used.

Fulia in fact led the way in the export of high end handloom stoles and scarves. These were exported in large volumes. While the downturn in the economy hit exports to a great extent, production for export is still substantial.

Impact of the new trend on traditional weaving

In recent years a few master weavers have started incorporating this style into weaving Fulia and Shantipur sarees. One can nowadays see muted colours and a variety of textures using different yarn combinations in Shantipur and Fulia sarees.

A new look Bengal handloom saree in cotton from Shantipur

This has gone down quite well with the urban clientele of Bengal handloom sarees both as daily wear and as formalwear. Initial reaction of individual customers as well as designers and bulk buyers has been very positive, though this is yet to be translated into sales in large volumes.

Epilogue

Fulia and Shantipur are today home to weavers from different economic strata.  On the one hand you have the affluent, market savvy weavers who have many looms and a number of weavers working under them.

On the other, you have the self help group members, with few or no assets to their names.

What unites them is their fabulous weaving skill.

The Integrated Handloom Cluster Development Programme promoted by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India is a great hope for those struggling weavers. With objectives like SHG and Consortium formation, common facility centre, dye house, market exposure and so on, things will definitely look up for the Bengal handloom saree weavers of Shantipur.

If I may add, professional design services are being provided to Shantipur Cluster by yours truly.

Best,

Aditi

Posted in Bengal handloom, Current Issues, fashion. Tags: , , , , , , . 3 Comments »
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