Intentar ORO - Gratis

A design studio sews up a stitch library

Mint Kolkata

|

July 19, 2025

Morii Design not only documents rural India's embroidery techniques but also creates new ones to empower artisans

- Radhika Iyengar

Under the shade of a tree, a group of Kachhi Rabari women are huddled together. With their black lehngas tucked between their legs and their veils draped across their foreheads, their eyes follow the slender needles darting between their fingers. The women giggle and trade stories with each other, as they embroider the fabrics with their generational knowledge of Rabari bharath (or embroidery).

Leading them is Brinda Dudhat, a product of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, who in 2019 co-founded Morii Design, a Gandhinagar-based textile design studio that crafts riveting textile tapestries using the erudite wisdom of over 180 artisans across 12 villages in India. The studio reimagines folk patchwork and motifs, embroidery techniques and block printing with modern flair.

With the onset of machines that could master and replicate even the most complex handmade techniques, regional and rural thread-works unknowingly began to recede into oblivion.

Dudhat noticed the change at the source: the women in pastoral and seminomadic communities, who once took hours embroidering their trousseaus for personal pleasure, were now assembling their clothing using machine-aided decorations. "It was really surprising," says Dudhat, 30. "There are some very complex stitches in Rabari embroidery alone. Now, however, there are machine-made ribbons available that replicate those stitches. So, the women stack these ribbons on to their dresses and just stitch them. Instead of traditional mirror embroidery, they use reflective acrylic or plastic discs. So, their wedding attires, which were once entirely hand-embroidered by them, now feature machine-made imitations," where only the smaller areas are filled in by their own creativity. Dudhat wanted to breathe new life into these folk textile crafts—rekindling both pride and interest among the artisans, while monetarily empowering them as well.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE Mint Kolkata

Mint Kolkata

ACME to invest ₹5k cr in green steel

CME Group is planning to invest ₹5,000 crore to set up a direct reduced iron (DRI) facility, according to industry sources.

time to read

1 min

October 13, 2025

Mint Kolkata

'FPIs, capex and earnings will drive markets up in Samvat 2082'

India is a market where exit is easy but entry is tough, says Nilesh Shah, MD of Kotak Mahindra AMC, the fifth-largest mutual fund based on quarterly assets under management (AUM) as of September-end.

time to read

4 mins

October 13, 2025

Mint Kolkata

Etihad focuses on premium India mkt

Etihad Airways, which operates 185 flights a week across 11 Indian cities, is banking on premium travel experience, customer segmentation and strategic partnerships to drive its business growth in the country, which is among the top three global markets for the airline, said an official of the Abu Dhabi-based carrier.

time to read

1 min

October 13, 2025

Mint Kolkata

Mint Kolkata

Inside the West's race to defend the Arctic

Russia holds a large advantage in the high north. NATO’s effort to catch up is beset by challenges.

time to read

5 mins

October 13, 2025

Mint Kolkata

Mint Kolkata

Meet Indian experts training AI models

60% of revenue derived from US clients. Since then, the market has significantly accelerated

time to read

2 mins

October 13, 2025

Mint Kolkata

Mint Kolkata

Chip supply chain braces for China’s new rare earth curbs

Businesses across global semiconductor supply chain are bracing themselves for disruptions from China’s most targeted move yet to limit supplies of rare-earth materials as part of an escalating trade war between the Asian nation and the US.

time to read

2 mins

October 13, 2025

Mint Kolkata

Mint Kolkata

India IMDb's second-largest market, led by multilingual content

India, known for its rich entertainment ecosystem and linguistic diversity, is now the second-largest audience for IMDb, the Internet movie database owned by Amazon, after the United States. Over the last five years, IMDb’s monthly visitors from India have doubled, said Yaminie Patodia, head, IMDb India, in a conversation with Mint.

time to read

1 mins

October 13, 2025

Mint Kolkata

Mint Kolkata

Is Al cutting women out of leadership roles?

A recent report highlights anew culprit behind the ‘leaky pipeline’ that is excluding women from the workforce

time to read

3 mins

October 13, 2025

Mint Kolkata

Will new capital rule aid SBI Cards?

SBI Cards and Payment Services is seen as a potential beneficiary of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) revised risk weight-based capital adequacy norms.

time to read

2 mins

October 13, 2025

Mint Kolkata

Electricity reform: This time, let's make a go of it

Proposed legislative amendments aimed at fixing what ails this vital sector could help make Indian industry more competitive. Two proposals stand out that spell hope over experience

time to read

2 mins

October 13, 2025

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size