Weaving at Rehwa
| Picture Credit score: Oskar Hallgrimsson
On a misty February afternoon, when the mammoth Jaipur Literature Pageant was underway in one other a part of the town, I discovered designer Tahir Sultan busy engaged on a textile-based sculpture. We had been on the boutique lodge, 28 Kothi, the venue for The Handloom Faculty’s Threads of Tomorrow, a conclave the place conversations centred around the globe of handloom through style and artwork, in addition to its patronage. Sultan’s Narmada in Movement was joined by three different artworks, together with Morning Ritual by visible artist Rachana Devidayal. Crafted from Maheshwari silk, Sultan’s sculpture was an experiment in matting textile and construction — his interpretation of the river Narmada cascading down from Lord Shiva’s forehead.
Tahir Sultan
“It’s a lot tougher to make than it appears,” he later admitted. Powered by the Maheshwar-based non-profit, WomenWeave, the baithaks (salons that encourage social discussions) introduced collectively thought leaders and had been moderated by Anuradha Singh of Nila Home, Hema Shroff Patel of Amba and Srila Chatterji of the design gallery, 47-A. Matters ranged from the influence of textile artwork on the livelihoods of handloom weavers to the professionals and cons of the style business. However the greatest takeaway was how philanthropy through grants and loans might assist craftsmen in a quickly modernising world.
Yeshwant Rao Holkar, whose mom, Sally Holkar based WomenWeave in 2000, and launched The Handloom Faculty in 2013, mentioned, “Prior to now decade, we’ve educated over 150 weavers. The purpose is to make weaving not only a occupation however an aspiration for future generations.” Yeshwant was born right into a legacy of design and textiles. His ancestor, Devi Ahilyabai Holkar (the queen of Indore), was accountable for bringing numerous weaving communities to Maheshwar, a laid-back city in Madhya Pradesh that quickly discovered its identification by means of Maheshwari silk, a textile synonymous with the area. Three centuries later, Yeshwant is on the helm of Rehwa Society, a weaving initiative his dad and mom — Richard (Shivajirao Holkar) and Sally (Shalini Devi Holkar) — began in 1978 to revive Maheshwari silk.
“Rehwa is deeply private,” Yeshwant mentioned. “It’s about honouring Ahilyabai’s legacy whereas conserving this stunning craft and its weavers thriving.” Efforts have been taken to doc and research age-old crafts like Garbh Reshmi (the handwoven mulberry silk) and the cotton-on-cotton Maheshwari sari and preserve these strategies alive.
Yeshwant Rao Holkar
| Picture Credit score:
Takulia
World game-changers
Sultan, whose idea retailer Makaan has grow to be a preferred tackle in Jaipur, noticed that 2025 marks a shift in how style approaches textiles. “The conversations are more and more not about tendencies however about their supply, the method, and the circumstances through which they’re woven. Textiles have at all times been extra than simply material,” he mentioned. “They inform tales, carry historical past and form tradition.” With all of the hype round Indian textiles now, folks overlook that they’ve been world game-changers for a very long time, he went on to look at. “Take chintz [the glazed cotton fabric that originated in Golconda], which revolutionised British society, and jamavar shawls [the iconic Kashmiri weave], which the French coveted. In the meantime, Japanese designers are nonetheless learning our dyeing and weaving strategies. Traditionally, we had been forward of the sport when it comes to design and high quality,” he mentioned.
A textile sculpture
Many Indian designers have efficiently mirrored the variety of Indian textiles on a worldwide stage. One in every of Sultan’s favourites was Dior’s embroidered tapestries, impressed by Madhvi and Manu Parekh’s work and created with the assistance of artisans at India’s Chanakya Faculty of Craft for the spring/summer season 2022 runway present at Paris Haute Couture Week. One other was the 2023 textile exhibition, Vayan, curated by Lekha Poddar, which showcased ‘the artwork of Indian brocades’ at Delhi’s Crafts Museum.
Rehwa’s delicate steadiness
So what does conserving an age-old craft alive in a quickly evolving world take? Speaking in regards to the delicate steadiness between innovation and preservation and Rehwa’s success with Maheshwari, Yeshwant credited a giant a part of it to collaborations with “good designers”. “We’ve been lucky to work with proficient names like Chelna Desai and, extra not too long ago, Mira Mehta. Mira developed a gorgeous line of saris which can be very delicate in design and color palette however nonetheless distinctly Maheshwari.”
A weaver at Rehwa
| Picture Credit score:
Oskar Hallgrimsson
Recognising that saris and turbans are actually principally event put on, they’ve tailored. “We’ve expanded Maheshwari textiles’ use to desk linens, curtains, and fabric,” Yeshwant mentioned, including that an upcycling programme has been launched “to show gently worn Maheshwari materials into vastly widespread equipment”. At Ahilya Experiences, his luxurious boutique lodge chain, Maheshwari materials prolong to blinds, curtains, pillow covers, and kimonos within the rooms. Textile excursions are additionally supplied at Ahilya Fort, the place guests can expertise Maheshwari weaving firsthand.
The architect turned freelance journalist writes about journey, tradition and design.
Printed – February 28, 2025 12:34 pm IST