Where weaves collide

In Sanjay Garg's latest collection, Once Upon a River, tactile embroidery on brocade gives the textiles a more ornate, celebratory feeling

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ARRIVING JUST IN time for the festive season, the latest collection by Raw Mango explores unions of different kinds. Sanjay Garg, the designer behind the brand, has once again woven magic in Once Upon a River, creating a dreamlike vision of celebration and connection.

Layers of ornamentation are embedded in the brocade of these garments. Weaving (bunai) and hand embroidery (kadhai), traditionally considered independent crafts, are brought together. Threads of real zari flow like ripples on water. Reminiscent of a half-remembered dream, this collection is an invitation for brides, grooms, and their extended families to express themselves in their own unique form.

Once Upon a River is rich in symbolism. What was the starting point?

The starting point—like all our collections—was to explore the possibilities within textile and technique. The idea of unions was shaped by the coming together of bunai and kadhai in the fabrics this season.

The merging of bunai and kadhai is, indeed, an evolution of Indian textile traditions.