National Handloom Day 2023: Exploring The Timeless Artistry Of Arni Sarees And Its Weaving Ecosystem 

Do you know that an Arni silk saree can take up to 20 days to weave? Well, the beautiful timeless weaved saree is actually a result of hours and hours of thought and skill working hand in hand, while keeping authenticity and legacy in mind. In fact, an Arni silk saree, a traditional sari made in Tamil Nadu’s Arani, can be composed in 100 different ways all at once and still be unique.

On the occasion of National Handloom Day 2023, we got into a conversation with Karthik Selvan, Creative director, Drapery, to understand how a Arni Saree unravels the beauty of handwoven sarees while being at the forefront of preserving the tradition of ‘weaving generations of narratives’, and how the Handloom Weaving Community lends the saree a nonpareil purity and style.

Excerpts from the interview:

Handloom fashion in India has passed on from generations with aid from a diverse artisan community. What’s your take on it?

No doubt there has been a renewed interest in Handloom products, and the handloom community reciprocates by staying in the “comfort zone” of churning out monotonous offerings based on current demands.

However, we look at handwoven products as an open canvas that is to be unshackled by the bounds of its cultural domain. Our motto is to make handwoven weaves manifold while the craftsmanship remains rooted in its culture. The result is a retelling of classics in weaving, albeit a broad-based design language that speaks to a broader audience.

How has the taste of today’s fashion consumers evolved in terms of handloom? Do you think it has made a full-fledged comeback or there’s still a long way to go?

The opinions of pop culture icons and influencers on social media frame what is a good or wrong product choice in the minds of the consumer, who, in turn, are hired by fashion brands to speak or promote products on their behalf. This perception of sound or wrong product choice stems from the fashion brand's limited grasp of the capabilities of the weaving ecosystem.

The narrative "that anything made in handloom is good" might be counterproductive and leave an aura of complacency, hindering the Indian handloom from taking its next giant leap. Handloom products, like their machine-made counterpart, must be open-ended and regale to a broader audience base, thereby unearthing handloom's true potential.

Tell us how you plan your collections, in terms of designing and weaving techniques considering it almost takes 20 days to weave a silk saree?

Each of our saree is a novelty in our eyes as we have the privilege of seeing a saree from its conceptualisation to its eventual birth from the finely tuned tree barks on a loom. Since we deploy a progressive language in pattern making/designing and is far from monotonous, we ensure that the finished product meets the highest quality standard by deploying test runs and trials on a loom. When designing a collection, we check that the fabric is sound and ticks all the boxes on the promises we envisage.

Our motto when designing and weaving a piece of fabric is to be “eclectic”. We look for design inspirations from a diverse body of work; some examples include nature, art, culture etc. Each of our collective is a testament to the above statements. For instance, the collection labelled “Neer” has a thick metallic border synonymous with sarees made in our geographical location. In contrast, the body of the saree depicts a seabed on a summer’s day with quirky sea creature motifs.

With National Handloom Day around, how do you give back to the weavers that work tirelessly to breathe life into each delicate thread?

Our promise to the weaving ecosystem is transactional, as we see weavers daily. The commitment from Drapery to our weaving community is to take it beyond the realms of saree weaving. This promise is a two-way street. We have mutually agreed upon this line of thought with our weavers and the weaving ecosystem with the vision of making this timeless Indian craft a global product.