In the Studio with Neeru Kumar

Informed by the Bauhaus as well as craft techniques of Africa and Japan, textile designer Neeru Kumar has stayed true to her style all through her prolific yearsincluding a line for RH most recently.

- SHWETA SHIWARE.

Neeru Kumar the person, the weaver, and the textile artist are interchangeable identities. "I love the analogy," Kumar says through a Zoom screen from her Vasant Vihar home in New Delhi. "I've been very good at weaving and using colours, and I'm passionate about textiles. So I'd say: I am a weaver of textiles, and my work is based on innovatively handcrafting and pairing natural colours and materials."

This practice of tactile and optical pairing which eventually developed into a distinctive Neeru Kumar aesthetic-first came to light when she was commissioned to create a textile for the "Festival of India" show held in Russia over three decades ago. "It was right after I graduated from the National Institute of Design (NID) in 1980 and started working with tussar silk. I was captivated by its unique colour, texture, and lustre; the yarn also lends itself beautifully when combined with other materials like wool and linen. Is it my favourite yarn? It could be..." she admits.