Vijayalakshmi Silks, the iconic textile label of Bengaluru, marks a milestone of 105 years with Loom, Legacy & Landmark — a textile exhibition celebrating over a century of silk, craftsmanship and retail history in India. This two-day textile showcase at Sabha, Bengaluru, researched by the Registry of Sarees, should definitely be on your things to do list this weekend.
Loom, Legacy and Landmark is more than just an exhibition, it is a historical retrospective on how South India has bought, worn and preserved silk over a century, positioning saris as records of craft, commerce and cultural life. The showcase brings together rare archival material alongside a wider silk narrative — from Karnataka’s sericulture to Mysore and Kanchipuram’s weaving legacies.
Conceived as a narrative-led experience, it also reflects on Vijayalakshmi Silks as a living archive — a fourth-generation, family-run institution that has evolved alongside Bengaluru itself, from the old pete marketplace to today’s multi-city landscape that the world today demands. The exhibition also features an extensive display of vintage photographs, original documents, early retail memorabilia and historic textiles that collectively trace the evolution of Bengaluru’s silk trade and the store’s own journey across generations.
The exibition was inaugurated earlier this week, by Maharajkumari Kamakshi Devi Wodeyar and Princess Darshika Kumari. The showcase depicts how within the showroom, silk becomes a civic language chosen for rites of passage, weddings, religious calendars, political milestones and public life, transforming each drape into symbol of memory and identity.
A special highlight includes pieces from Maharajkumari Kamakshi Devi Wodeyar and Princess Darshika Kumari's royal archives. The 105 Royal Edit collection presents saris inspired by royal heirlooms, bridging past and present through craftsmanship and design. The exhibition also hints the wider ecology of South Indian silk — spanning Karnataka’s sericulture traditions, the royal weaving legacy shaped under Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar and the temple-town mastery of Kanchipuram.
Open for public on April 23rd–24 at Sabha Bengaluru
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