Tarina Sen reinvents jamdani: A modern take on traditional weaving

Tarina, a slow fashion label rooted in the rich textile traditions of India, has launched the Jamdani Collection, reimagined with a refined, contemporary sensibility. Jamdani is known for its intricate crafting process, often requiring immense time and effort to produce. Designer Tarina Sen has given the textile a fresh spin, making it look both chic and modern.

Reimagining Jamdani for the modern wardrobe

We spoke to Tarina Sen to dive into the details of the new collection and her inspiration to break away from the idea of Jamdani being rigid or purely traditional.

 Shaped by heritage and environment

“Heritage, legacy, and the environment you grow up in play a huge role in shaping creative vision,” Tarina tells us. Her exposure to Jamdani only came after she married into a Bengali family. “Ikat was familiar to me because I grew up in Odisha. As a child, I spent summers at my nani’s home in Dehradun, where I would join sewing workshops and experiment with crafts like flower-making and origami,” she recollects. These early creative experiences have shaped her design sensibilities and continue to guide her artistic vision.

Listen to the weave

The new Jamdani collection is about slowing down and truly listening to the weave. “For me, luxury today means time, detail, and authenticity, and Jamdani embodies all of that,” she says.

The inspiration also comes from home—specifically her mother-in-law, a strong personality always seen in white Dhakai saris. “That’s why our very first collection was all white, an homage to that memory,” she shares.

Jamdani as the ‘Zero Point’

Tarina is fascinated by Jean Baudrillard’s idea of whitewashing and the concept of a “zero point.” “For me, Jamdani is that ‘zero point.’ It’s weaving in its purest form—no bling, no excess—just threads intersecting to create quiet magic,” she explains. “By returning to that essence, I wanted to create a new narrative where luxury comes from the weave itself and subtle detailing, rather than heavy embellishment.”

While her earlier work centred around zardozi, this new collection reflects a sense of maturity and her evolution as a designer over time.

Breaking the stereotypes around handloom

Handloom fabrics like Jamdani are often stereotyped as traditional or restrictive. Tarina challenges this perception head-on. “I’ve broken away from the idea of Jamdani being rigid or purely traditional. Instead, I’ve given it a new language, with sleek silhouettes, playful colours, ease of movement, and quiet boldness,” she says. “These are pieces that can slip seamlessly into a wedding, a gallery opening in Paris, or a seaside dinner—and feel just as relevant in each setting.”

A palette that sets the tone

Colour plays a crucial role in every Tarina collection. Soft pastels highlight Jamdani’s delicacy, while sharper contrasts add a touch of edge.

“Each season, the palette shapes the story. This time, we introduced mocha as our defining colour and added a completely new shade to the Jamdani vocabulary,” she notes.

Telling new stories

Jamdani weaving has deep cultural roots and was even celebrated by Rabindranath Tagore. “Tagore described Jamdani as ‘poetry in motion,’ and that has always stayed with me,” Tarina says.

“I see my role as carrying that poetry forward—not by imitating the past, but by letting the weave breathe in a contemporary world.” The weavers she works with spend decades mastering their craft, memorising motifs that are centuries old. “We stay close to those traditions, but at times add playfulness with colour, or go bold—as we did with our tiger series.”

A collection that moves with you

The collection features everything from swing dresses that move with the wearer to tailored, belted co-ord sets with asymmetric Jamdani borders—equally at home on safari or in the boardroom.

Flowy, peasant-style ruffled dresses in pop colours—or in Barbie-pink gingham—are elevated with exquisite Jamdani borders. Vivid floral motifs add an ineffably chic touch to dresses that transition effortlessly from picnic to party and back.

And who does she envision wearing these pieces? “The wearer is most definitely someone who prioritises sustainability and heirloom pieces over fast fashion,” Tarina says.

She describes all her pieces as timeless, proudly noting that customers who bought her designs 20 years ago still wear them—with a vibe that remains eternally relevant.

“I see them moving effortlessly across cities and cultures—from India to New York to Tokyo—always fluid, always timeless.”

Price starts at ₹15,000 for cotton Jamdani.
Available online.

—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com

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