Kanakavalli’s The Bridal Edit, offering traditional kanjivaram ensembles with a contemporary twist

In the heart of the temple town of Kanchipuram, where tradition is woven into every thread, Kanakavalli presents The Bridal Edit — an ode to the timeless allure of kanjivaram silk. Renowned for curating the best of this traditional weave, Kanakavalli’s latest collection brings together the legacy of Kanchipuram‘s craftsmanship with a contemporary touch, offering a selection that transcends the boundaries of tradition.

For years, Kanakavalli’s kanjivarams have been hailed as a wardrobe essential and this time around, Kanakavalli extends its artistic vision beyond the confines of the traditional weaving techniques by exploring India’s rich heritage to bring forth an array of saris, blouse lengths and fabrics for men’s wear too. “We focus a lot on being authentic to kanjivaram structure and grammar; for example, the core of kanjivaram lies in having contrasting colours like mustard body with a blue border but what we have done is use a weaving technique that helped us achieve a lilac body with a teal blue border and ensembles like these are what you can expect from us, this season,” reveals Ahalya S, founder, Kanakavalli.  

The Valli Muhurtham range, a jewel in Kanakavalli’s crown, showcases bridal and trousseau kanjivarams adorned in silver and gold zari. While the captivating colour palette seamlessly blends traditional jewel tones with contemporary pastels ensuring each piece is a work of art, intricately embellished with motifs and detailing. “One can spot that there is a lot more variance in terms of colours and the size of borders. From the reds that most brides go for to pastel tones that suit themed weddings, we have numerous options. The collection caters to the modern bride of today who is looking beyond the traditional hues like red, orange and mustard. One can also shop for saris with banana yellow body and a mustard border, which is totally bridal and beautiful but not something you would expect to see on a kanjivaram,” she shares.

This season, the label also introduces a range of experimental pieces that combine silk and tissue saris. “Tissue saris either have the warp or weft in zari along the thread while Kanakavalli has explored tissue borders with silk bodies. Additionally to weave the tissue we have used both silver and gold, which resulted in a nice white gold hue,” she elaborates. Keep an eye out for ensembles featuring tissue body with silk border and silk pallu and silk bodies with tissue border and tissue pallu, besides experimental pieces like saris with buttas in the pallu, on the border and right above the part where the pallu begins instead of the body.

The Bridal Edit also includes a selection of handcrafted fabric lengths, including those woven in fine kanjivaram silk, their Blouse Studio allows brides to complement their bridal kanjivarams with exquisite blouses. Detailed with delicate motifs and geometric patterns, traditional to the craft, these motif-adorned fabrics create perfect pairings that elevate the bridal ensemble.“We stick to a range of classic motifs like the peacocks and elephants and mythical creatures like the yali and the annam. One of the special saris that we have is Pasinam, which means a flock of parrots, crafted in limited pieces with a special handloom featuring 108 parrots in different postures, in-flight and stationary,” Ahalya tells us.

Not to be outdone, Kanakavalli extends its embrace to the groom with the Anga Vastra line  —  a symphony of wedding wear for men. Traditional angavastram sets and coordinated fabric lengths for kurtas and sherwanis, all woven in the finest kanjivaram silk, await the discerning groom. The fabrics showcase checks, tone-on-tone embellishments and micro patterns drawn from the rich kanjivaram lexicon, promising a regal and sophisticated look for the modern groom.

“For men, we have dhotis, traditional angavastram and fabrics for kurtas in the shades of greys, off-white and beige across clean silhouettes with borders to grander pieces like ones with chequered patterns across dhotis and kurtas,” Ahalya signs off. Besides the new 40-piece edit, Kanakavalli Bengaluru is all set to host a three-day Pradeep Pillai exhibit, showcasing handcrafted saris for all seasons. Starting on December 15, the event will feature chanderi, linen, cotton, tussars and more saris, all in a palette ranging from bright colours to delicate pastel hues.

INR 62,000 onwards. The Pradeep Pillai exhibit is on till December 17. At Langford Town.

srushti@newindianexpress.com