Handloom revival: Crafts Council of India’s Textiles exhibition returns to Chennai with 42 iconic sari collections

The Crafts Council of India’s Textiles exhibition returns to Chennai, presenting 42 curated sari and made-up collections—each a brilliantly woven ode to the handloom tradition, salwar kurtas, and fluid dress silhouettes.

What to expect at the Crafts Council of India’s Textiles exhibition in Chennai

Textiles celebrates rare expressions from traditional sari weavers—working with millennia-old techniques—alongside artisans, revivalists, and designers who come together in woven narratives of the fabled Benarasi, Patan Patola, Chanderi, mul, mashru, Maheshwari, pure cotton, and khadi. These iconic weaves are now revisited and reimagined to suit today’s sensibilities. Perfectly timed for the festive season.

Textiles takes you on a journey of textile excellence, with many spectacular stops along the way. Abha Dalmia’s breathtaking Royal Trousseau Benares silk saris in jewel tones and mesmerising motifs, Heritage Estate’s vintage Benares, Karomi’s ethereal jamdani saris and made-ups, Aranya Naturals’ naturally dyed saris, with colours extracted from Nilgiri’s flower fields, Beej and Co’s eco-prints flaunting real flowers and foliage, Riti’s Vanaspati prints, and Kubsa’s range of revived Karnataka cottons. Other highlights include exquisite kantha from Katna Kantha, an NGO which empowers 1,500 women from 25 villages in Bengal, intricate and fine chikankari from Tapas, Rimil Studio’s gamcha saris, and Sufiyan Khatris’ masterpiece ajrakh saris and fabrics. Not to be missed is Unma’s attractive thigh reeled traditional and contemporary saris for all season wear, even as Vriksh Odisha Ikats bring aesthetic Odisha craft vibes to Textiles. On view are Gamthiwala yardage in mashru, gajji silk and hand block prints, and Kapaas’s unstitched kurtas along with a wide range of ready-to-wear made-ups, salwar suits and contemporary urban stitched silhouettes.

Many of the collections also pay homage to the environment—through the use of natural eco-colours by Aranya and Vriksh, and through the entirely organic sari-weaving process by Ethicus.

Textiles marks a milestone—part of the Crafts Council of India’s 60th year celebrations.

On August 12 and 13. At MRC Centre, Santhome High Road, Raja Annamalai Puram.

— Pushpa Chaari

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