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Design by Flowers
Roses, tulips, chrysanthemums and peonies; acanthus and Irises… the grammar of ornamentation on textiles, jewelry, furniture and architecture has always included flowers. Whether they were carved onto wood, sculpted in stone or block printed on fabric, the human world has had an unceasing fascination with floral motifs. Flowers were perhaps one of the first things…
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Punjab: an Amalgam
Famous for its scenic landscape, mustard blooms, ancient fertile lands, religious diversity and gregarious people, Punjab, despite it’s beautiful mountains and rivers was not always as blessed! Punjab has always been the center point of civilizations due to its strategic location as the entrance to the Indian subcontinent. Foreign invaders like the Persians, Greeks, Scythians and Kushanas came…
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Celebrate Womanhood with Jaypore
International Women’s Day: How Women Artisans are Crafting the Stories of their Own Lives She feeds her family, is nearly always the primary care-giver, works the fields to produce half the world’s food supply and contributes to nearly two-thirds of the world’s cumulative work hours – so says the United Nations. That’s what a woman…
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In a Qila
How Qilasaaz is effecting change in the lives of women artisans of Mahmudabad. The backbone of the erstwhile world of feudal privilege and opulence was always an invisible army of skilled craftsmen/women and artisans. They ensured a splendor and an aesthetic richness that was often breathtaking. Their efforts affected every aspect of life then and…
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Breathe New Life into your Home!
“I believe that trends must have the capacity to stay relevant for a long time; at least a few years, at any rate. Otherwise they are not worth the money and the trouble. Accessories of course, are the exception to the rule because that is the easiest way of updating a space and giving it…
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Re-Worn: Getting a New life
A weaver sits on his loom patiently weaving ‘Khesh’ – a weaving technique that uses new yarn in the warp and strips slashed off old sarees in the weft. The weaver chooses these strips randomly off a pile sitting next to him; the result is a stunning piece of fabric where the colors of the…
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Uzbekistan : A Thriving Culture
Uzbekistan is one of the oldest civilized regions of the world. First settled by Iranian nomads, Uzbekistan has been in turns ruled by the Greeks, Turks and Arabs, the much feared Genghis Khan and Taimur; the ancestor of Mughals. By the time Uzbek tribes became powerful in the 15th century, Uzbekistan had already cemented its…
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An Uncommon Journey
Design in India permeates everything we do. Its in our clothes, our buildings, our temples, even in the pots and pans we use in the kitchen. In this plentiful land of many seasons and myriad languages, of ancient civilizations and constant influx of new peoples; every material possession has become a canvas for expression. It…
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A Garage Converted into a Workplace: Inside Dhvani Behl’s Studio
Not having had enough of artist Dhvani Behl‘s illustrations and its adaptations in textiles, garments and art, we even dared to show up at her studio for a peek. (We’d heard it was a garage turned into a printing studio/ workplace, now who can resist that?!) Raw, industrial and bare, yet so romantically detailed, this…
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Indian Craft Meets International Design
The rich cultural heritage and exquisite craft forms of India have always been a source of inspiration for global fashion and international designers and the latest thing to add on to this list are the beautiful embroideries done at a workshop called ‘Aditiany’ in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, India. Finding their way to the red carpets…
Storytellers of Wonder 