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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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Jaypore Upcycling Week
What happens to that pretty cotton saree when it thins with wear and washing? Those scraps of fabric that get cut and discarded by the ‘master ji’ during the hand tailoring process or on an automated assembly line? The strips of leather that don’t fit into the design of a chic bag? Most of the…
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The Handmade Paper Trail: A Fascinating New Journey
Once upon a time, roughly in the late ’60s America, if you bought a dress and met with some post-purchase dissonance or dropped sauce all over the front, you could just tear it up. Because that particular dress was made of paper! In the 1920s London, one could buy a ‘Paper Suit’ for a tiny…
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Ajrakh Tales – Re-Contextualizing an Age Old Textile on the Contemporary Scene
The elegant symmetry of geometric patterns, the waltz of Indigo & madder dyes, and the minor imperfections that add to its allure… this is what forms the syntax of an ancient craft like Ajrakh. Like a skilled raconteur, the standard 3 meter length of an Ajrakh print tells tales of its invigorating history, the many…
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Mubarakpur Weaves a Success Story
When we talk of our commitment to revival of dying or languishing hand looms and handicrafts, we believe that change is happening, right now, right here and that it can only go up. Our confidence is based on many instances of craft revivals across the country; far reaching changes brought about by the collective efforts…
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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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All That Diwali Jazz…
Just in time for that last-minute setting, between dancing flames of the diyas, the colorful rangolis, the fragrance of flowers and incense sticks, sweet sweets, here are décor ideas to give you an instant Diwali celebration swag. So, are you ready for the biggest and the brightest festival of them all? To make your festive…
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Inside Story: The Jaypore Muslin Bags
The technologies of the most beautiful things are simple. The simplest silhouettes make an avant garde garment, a memorable piece of music portrays a simple thought, a complex computer language aims to solve a simple but critical problem. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” – Leonardo Da Vinci, 16th Century polymath. It’s the simplest things in…
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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…
Storytellers of Wonder 