Miscellaneous
Various Projects, 2020–Present
Inheriting the Saree, UK (2024)
This poster was presented at the 14th Illustration Research Symposium, held in November 2024 at the Chelsea College of Arts. The poster proposal is outlined below.
I inherited my love for sarees from my mother, and she from my grandmother. It developed at different times in the social and material history of the saree—my grandma in the pre-independence 1930s, my mother in the post-colonial 1970s and me in the late 2000s. The ‘idea’ of the saree evolved from being the norm in my grandmother’s generation to becoming a choice in my mother’s, to something of a rarity in mine (although this is currently undergoing a resurgence). Despite the radical shifts in its history and the motivations of the wearer evolving (Bahl, 2005), the symbol of the saree remains a constant in South Asian society.
This poster depicts my ‘inheritance’ of the saree from my mother and my grandmother, as well as my relationship to it as a part of my South Asian identity. It acknowledges the role of the past in the creation of the present, as well as my contribution as an image-maker to influence the future.
The process of creation is shown below.
Beyond Tomorrow (Beyrow, 2022-23)
I conceptualised and developed collaterals for the brand ‘Beyrow’, founded by Lavanya Nalli in 2022-23. A luxury lifestyle and accessories brand, Beyrow caters to an International market, bringing the best of Indian craft practices to the world. I was involved in key decision-making on Brand Identity, User Research and Product Design while heading the Textile Design vertical. Beyrow operations are currently on hold.
As the head Textile Designer, I created the following conceptual iterations for cashmere scarves and stoles, to be hand-embroidered in Kashmir. I was inspired by the texture and possibilities in colour-blocking in the chain-stitch embroidery of Kashmir, known as Kashidakari, and re-imagined it for our first collection.
You may view more of my textile design work here.
Costumes for Heirloom (2021-2022)
I designed the costumes for the main characters in the animated feature film ‘Heirloom’, being directed by animator and director, Upamanyu Bhattacharya. The film is set in newly independent India (Ahmedabad) and follows the story of a family caught up in the tensions involved in losing touch with the rich handmade textile traditions of India, trading them for the pursuit of mechanisation and capitalism. I designed costumes for the characters below, a few of which are showcased here.
Young Mrinalini
Mrinalini, as a baby, is vibrant, dressed by her father in the best of handmade Indian textiles. Maximalist and colourful, her wardrobe is an elaborate showcase of Indian textile crafts. For research, I looked at museum archives and personal records/family pictures of friends who belong to the Gujarat/Rajasthan region.
Teenage Mrinalini
Teenage Mrinalini retreats into her shell. A shy artist, she gradually loses touch with her roots after the loss of her father, Kirti. At design school, she rediscovers the part of her that grew up around piles and piles of exquisite handmade fabrics.
For research on silhouettes, I found pictures of old Bollywood actresses and the page ‘Oh Aunty Ji’ on Instagram very helpful.
Sonal
Sonal has had a difficult life. Ambition coupled with a debilitating illness and the early loss of her husband made her a stern, embittered woman. She outrightly rejects her husband’s philosophy in safeguarding the handmade and goes on to acquire and run a textile mill.
Her wardrobe was simple and understated, inspired by existing documentation of powerful women from that era.
Below are a few images from the design repository created for this project.