Weaving a Textile Tale

The changing narrative of Indian textiles over the last century through my top picks

- Mayank Mansingh Kaul

Ingenuity, excellence—and quirk—inform the innovation in India textiles today, which is probably what carves India’s niche as the last handmade textile resource in the world. As a writer and curator working primarily in the field of post independent histories of textiles, fashion and design in India, this selection draws from some of my all-time favourite textiles, and covers the broad period from mid 20th century till now.

1 Talking threads

The prolific Benaras handloom industry has absorbed influences from the Indian subcontinent, as well as abroad, and has constantly responded to changes over the decades. It is recorded that around the late 19th century, weavers from here visited Europe and brought back references of Art Deco and Art Nouveau-style designs and started incorporating them into the specific traditions of Benaras hand-weaving. Around the second world war, such designs extended to motifs of submarines and aeroplanes. Woven with metallic zari, this sari is an example of this phase in the 1940s and shows a repeated motif of the aeroplane along the border, which simulates a more traditional motif of the fish. The bright turquoise colour further reflects a phase from when chemical dyes were introduced in Indian handlooms, beginning with the early 20th century.

2 A historical context