Nayaab brings 23 fashion brands that are reviving heritage textile techniques to Chennai

A collection by Divya Seth
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

A paean to the heritage textile crafts of India, the 13th edition of Nayaab — a retrospective that will make its way to Chennai on October 3 — puts the spotlight on dyeing, printing and weaving techniques like shibori, bandhini, jamdani and kalamkaari. This time, the two-day exhibit brings 23 brands to the Welcomhotel By ITC, Cathedral Road. “We have always kept the exhibit small and intimate while focussing on natural fabrics; that remains our priority this year too. However, there are new additions, like an installation at the exhibition,” says textile revivalist Rupa Sood, who is also the founder of Nayaab.

The exhibition will feature brands that Nayaab has shared a long association with, alongside new brands, which, Rupa says, show contemporary designs interpreted with indigenous textiles and revived with techniques that are fading away. “We also like to rope in brands who are working with communities of craftspeople. We have been working with Urvashi Kaur, EKA, Taika, Kora, Sartorial, Weavers Studio and Divya Sheth from our early days. Ka-Sha, Kalam Shastra, Ode to Odd, Aikeyah, Urbania Jaipur, Moksh, Soham Dave and Naari Shakti are new additions,” says Rupa.

On the first day, the exhibition will host a talk on the topic, Transforming: Cosmopolitan Textiles, by Ritu Sethi — the founder-trustee of the Craft Revival Trust and editor of Global InCH, the online international journal of intangible cultural heritage — at 10.30am.

Though the retrospective showcases garments and textile wall art, it will also display an installation for the first time. “Kalam Shastra is the revival of the age-old technique kalamkari by Tilak Reddy and he is constructing a special installation using kalamkari textile to display the intricacies and diversity of colours and motifs used,” informs Rupa.

Talking about other brands at the exhibit, she points towards Naari Shakti. “This brand has been supporting a women’s collective in Okhla basti and they make bracelets with jute and steel,” she adds. Some of her top picks from the retrospective include Ka-Sha for upcycling, recycling, mending and repairing clothing and indigenous textiles; Studio Medium and Urbania Jaipur for their shibori dyeing technique and Divya Sheth for its ajrak, kalamkari and chintz. “It took us nearly six months to curate the edit,” says Ketaki Sood, co-curator of Nayaab, who is facilitating the exhibition in Chennai.

The products at Nayaab, which will be on display till October 4, start at ₹8,000.