Handspun weaves are a hit in every fashion circuit, be it high street or couture. The Varanasi-based design studio Veave’s Studio is offering a line of impeccably stylish naturally-sourced handmade stoles, scarves, saris, blouses which will finally let you explore ethically conscious artisanship originating from the country. “Varanasi is famous for silk, kattan and some other fabrics. But strangely, we hardly do anything with Benarasi silks. Though our weavers are from here, we majorly deal with cotton and linen, as well as wool and pashmina,” Vatsala Chopra of Veave’s Studio tells us.
The label’s latest collection has some minimalist jamdani stoles, crafty tassels, cotton handloom pieces, and a lot more. If you’re looking for a traditional aesthetic but also seek easy wearability and low-key festive vibe, you’ll fall in love with Veave’s Studio’s range.
“Our story began 4 years ago in 2015. Back then we were working with a small network of traditional weaving communities and trying to build provisions for the revival of their lost art form. Like any business, Veave’s Studio was borne out of a need - to provide the local community of weavers with a livelihood and a platform to showcase their intricate handwork. Although the company is a for-profit brand, we’ve been able to seamlessly provide for the weavers and reintroduce their remarkable heritage and make people understand how fundamental their work is to our culture,” Chopra reveals.
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The studio’s jamdani khadi cotton stoles and kantha-embroidered pieces have been some of their most interesting creations, which have been designed in pretty pastels and are very easy pairable with western and fusion wear.
“Our mission is to help sustain a fundamental piece of our heritage that is not just essential but also a way to show the world the rich heritage of Indian culture in every hand-woven cloth,” adds Chopra. She also tells us that the brand has a huge focus on using an all-organic fabric base for their hand-embroidered one-of-a-kind pieces, and will soon start investing in environmental-friendly natural dyes.
Moreover, Veave's Studio also uses leftover Pashmina fabric scraps to recycle them and use it for their more economical numbers to achieve a finer and more refined quality. “My family’s business grew through export, I’ve grown up learning about the market, and that’s where I learnt that the export market is so uniform and every minute detail has to be taken into account. That kind of made me think that when we can provide such beautiful fabrics and skilled artistry on a global scale, why not produce it from here?” remarks Chopra. Their line-up starts from Rs 1,000 and goes up to Rs 15,000.