A summer-themed exhibition in Coimbatore brings a curated collection of handlooms from across the country

Sarang exhibition rings in the summer tones with a curated collection of handwoven chanderis, mulmuls, georgettes, cottons, and fine chikankari saris 

A handcrafted tussar sari dyed in natural yellow from turmeric and a rose-tinted border using colours from lotus flowers at RevAah stall gets the conversation started on sustainable textiles at Sarang, a summer curated exhibition organised by Crafts Council of Tamil Nadu. RevAah by Rohit and Avishek, one of the participants at Sarang turns the spotlight on handcrafted textiles dyed in natural colours. The collection is diverse ranging from organic cotton flared dress with applique work and kantha embroidery, to embroidered tissue set sarees, chanderi embroidered kurta with intricate hand painted odhni, and organza dresses decked in bright floral embroidery. “Every single piece is handmade,” says Avishek Sengupta and picks a gorgeous vintage gold pure tissue sari from his collection to drive home the point. He networks with weavers directly in Kolkatta to source the textiles while a 50-strong design team in Delhi works on the intricate hand embroidery and brush strokes.

A collection of conscious and sustainable fashion forms a major part of the show. One can shop for silver kasavu saris at Ela India ( ela means leaf in Malayalam), a brand from Kerala that sources from weavers and weaver collectives across the country and works out of a design space at Palakkad. There is home decor with furnishings like woven curtains featuring tassles, tote bags with quintessential Kerala motifs and more. “We work only with handlooms, be it with linen fabric from Bihar or tops featuring handmade Jaipur block prints,” explains Bindu Nair, creative director.

Swathi Raj from Bengaluru-based The Summer House give a contemporary twist to traditional crafts, for example grandma’s embroidery designs or hand marble paint designs, to bring in a vintage vibe to her collection featuring khadi, jamdhanis, cottons and linens. “There is demand for affordable cottons in Coimbatore and we are here to explore the space.”

Participants also include Urvashi Kaur from Delhi, an inclusive clothing brand that builds on conscious luxury with the focus on artisanal work in its range of anarkalis, dash blazers, and lehengas in chanderi with zari work and more. For those looking for handcrafted chikankari embroidery in georgette, silk, chiffon and cotton, Mita Dass, a textile designer from the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad and her daughter Rohina bring elegant saris that speak of artistic finesse of an erstwhile Mughal era of Awadh. “ We try fusion with fabrics, linen and tussar or organic khadi to name a few,” says Mita adding that some of the saris take six months for completion. “ My forte is colours. We have an entire range of saris in pastel shades featuring chikankari in natural-dyed threads.”

Beej and Co from Shantiniketan bring a collection of eco-prints on stoles, cord sets, mulberry and tussar sarees, kaftans, and hemp shirts in men’s wear. “We roll fresh flowers and leaves on fabric to extract the colours and natural prints and the results are always stunning,” says Bijoya Halder as she spreads a mulberry stoles on the table to showcase the teak leaf design imprints.

While there, also check out the stall featuring The Timbaktu Collective from Andhra Pradesh. You can buy from running material, children wear and sarees in ponduru cotton, hand spun and hand woven by weavers, and dyed in natural colours drawn from nutmeg leaves, and other roots, and flowers. Also, a range of cookies and savouries made using millets.

As you shop, you can also indulge in gourmet food at the food court from Soklet’s artisanal pastries, and Kongu food including thokkus, and podi idlis at Corner Kitchen, to vegetarian sushi platter, and native snacks form Jeev Goodies.