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Weaving success
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Hantex has roped in Medha Ganguly, a product of the National Institute of Design, to design a new collection and give a boost to the handloom industry.
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SIX-AND-A-HALF METRES of cream-coloured fine cloth. The challenge was to give it a new look by incorporating new designs, colours and motifs in order to revive the languishing handloom industry in Kerala.
Medha Ganguly, a young graduate from the National Institute of Design (NID) who is now based in Thiruvananthapuram, had no hesitation in accepting the challenge. "One of my teachers, Kurma Rao, design consultant, was entrusted with this work by the NID. I was also asked to work on this project. We went down to Balarampuram and studied the manufacturing process of handloom saris here. Around 20 people are involved in different stages of making a sari, so we had to observe these methods to understand what changes to bring about and where, if needed," explains Medha.
Their brief was to design saris that were competitively priced and attractively designed to recapture a lucrative market that was flooded with cheap, synthetic saris in garish colours.
"We had stocks of Rs. 1 crore that were lying unsold. Our handloom saris were losing out to cheap, synthetic saris. To recapture the market, we decided to approach the NID to give the saris a contemporary look," says Prakash, manager director, Hantex.
Instead of merely duplicating the designs of handloom saris in other regions, Medha decided to work on the fine cloth that was the speciality of the region. Initially, they studied the resources available and then did a survey to understand the market and needs of customers.
"Weavers are region-specific. For instance, in South Kerala it is difficult to find skilled dyers as most of them work on cream cloth. The fine cloth they weave is very delicate but lasts long. So, we decided to capitalise on this advantage," she says, displaying a sari with green stripes on a cream background.
This fine material proved to be their canvas and carefully chosen pastel shades of green, pink and yellow were skilfully woven into the material. Even the traditional kasavu karas and motifs were incorporated into the new saris, which are a blend of the traditional and contemporary. The theme of the saris and dress material, and the pastel colours in checks, stripes and delicate motifs attempt to reproduce the colourful landscape of the State.
The `Monsoon' saris in shades of blue and green remind one of the backwaters, while the `festival' collection in muted shades of pink, yellow, crimson and orange depict the colours of spring, of Vishu and of the harvest season.
"We did have to alter the production techniques at a few stages. For instance, as the weavers usually use white yarn, breaks in the yarn do not show in the sari. But while using coloured yarn, such breaks become visible and look ugly too. So, we had to devise a new method to counter it," she says.
"Some of the weavers resisted the changes and we had to do a lot of convincing. They are being trained for three months in weaving coloured cloth by the Weavers' Service Centre, which comes under the Ministry of Textiles in New Delhi," says Prakash. Surveys show that there is a huge market for saris in the range of Rs. 400 to Rs. 700, he adds.
The trial production of these saris is on in Balaramapuram and Chathanoor and the saris are expected to hit the market in time for the Onam sales. Prakash says that they have also approached the Institute of Management (Kozhikode) to create a brand niche for the saris.
If these saris click, it would revitalize a market that has been badly hit by poorly-designed stuff.
SARASWATHY NAGARAJAN
Graphics: R. Dinesh Rajan
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