Plastic knot koodais are now chic handbags and clutches

The humble plastic wire knot basket, a school lunch bag staple of the ‘80s, is now making a comeback in the form of clutches, crossbody purses, laptop bags, and beach bags

The  koodai sits on a school corridor, a steel tiffin carrier seated snugly inside. Another is filled with vegetables as its owner grips it firmly by its braided handle. Yet another is slung across the shoulder: it is now a sling bag in sprightly colours.

Who would have thought that the humble basket, a school lunch bag staple of the 1980s, would evolve into something so chic? Hand-woven with colourful plastic wire, knot baskets are now tote bags, clutches, laptop bags, beach bags, mobile phone pouches, water bottle holders… why, there are even soap dishes featuring these intricate knots. The past couple of years have seen interesting experiments in knot baskets; partly driven by social media and partly by how versatile and practical the format is.

Coimbatore-based S Bhuvaneswari has been making baskets since she was 14 years old. The 44-year-old started trying out new shapes and designs as a lockdown experiment. “My daughters encouraged me to sell them on social media, and that is how Koodai Kalanjiyam took shape,” she says. Bhuvaneswari’s return gift baskets are among her bestsellers: these are tiny baskets shaped like hearts, squares, and circles. “People buy them for baby showers, weddings, and also for Navaratri,” she says.

With the Government-imposed ban on single-use plastic, Bhuvaneswari says that wire baskets are environment and pocket-friendly alternatives to plastic bags. “A basket lasts up to 20 years,” she points out. “It is ideal to carry vegetables and steel containers and is sturdy.” She customises them based on colour, shape, and size. “Young women are now using them as handbags, for which I make longer handles,” she says, adding that actor Nayanthara popularised it further when she sported  koodais in the film  Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal.

Bhuvaneswari is constantly trying out new shapes. She makes pen stands and organisers, and also weaves baskets featuring the ‘amla’ knot, in which the knot is hexagon-shaped unlike the commonly used square knot.

“There are so many variations one can try with the knots,” says Erode-based KS Shanmuga Priya, who also sells on Instagram through her page Thilaga Koodais. “There are star-shaped knots, those with beads woven into them, Sivan  kann that resembles the eye, and the more intricate biscuit pattern,” she explains. The former looks like tiny squares of biscuits arranged row after row, and baskets of the pattern are among the most expensive. “They are time-consuming and labour intensive, which is why I take 20 to 25 days to ship an order once it is placed,” she says.

Shanmuga Priya works with three basket weavers in her neighbourhood. “A lot has changed for the  koodai. It is not confined to senior artisans anymore; I am in my 30s and am starting to learn the craft as well,” she says, adding that customers look for trendy colour combinations. “We recently did one in black-and-white, and beach bags in pastel colours.”