Archana Archana’s new kalamkari collection is all about revival

Hyderabad-based designer Archana Jaju’s new collection is known as Revival, the identify ringing apt as we step out of the second wave of COVID-19. Archana, nevertheless, started engaged on this formal and ready-to-wear line earlier than the pandemic set in. The inspiration: the red-crowned crane.

She noticed these birds, also known as Japanese cranes, in India and learnt that they had been practically endangered within the early twentieth century in Japan. Subsequently, a rise in numbers had been witnessed as authorized safety got here into place with the fowl being designated as a Special Natural Monument in 1952. Reportedly, there are round 1300 red-crowned cranes in Japan.

The crane is a recurring motif in kalamkari. Revival additionally alludes to the perseverance and resilience of the younger, unbiased Indian girl, in keeping with Archana. Saris, kurtas, midi attire and tops in relaxed silhouettes in Chanderi and organza, dipped in pure dyes of earthy pastel hues get embellished with thread, sequins and mirror work and painting these cranes as ballerinas.

“We visited a few national parks in India on a family vacation and the beautiful red-crowned cranes drew my attention. The cranes inspired me to create a collection; I wanted to represent them through the kalamkari art form. Spotting the cranes near the water body in one of the national parks was truly memorable. We tried to replicate this scene through a similar framing for the collection,” she says. It took her three years to translate the concept right into a wearable collection.

Archana says a hanging function was recognizing the birds in pairs: “Their appearance is also unique, enabling them to blend in the shades of black, white and red. These colours have inspired the pieces of this collection. The grace and distinctiveness of the birds inspired the designs.”

While it isn’t new to signify birds and animals as design parts in textiles, Archana says she needed to take a look at the crane’s sleek traits of the cranes that resemble ballerinas. When she offered the concept to kalamkari artisans, they had been sport to do one thing out of the norm. “We provided them with sketches. They found this to be different from their monotonous routine and were enthusiastic,” she provides.

Archana has been liaising with 200 artisan households in 17 clusters throughout India over the past twenty years. Revival ensured that a few of them had a gradual workflow in the course of the pandemic. Kalamkari artisans and some weavers labored from Archana’s workshop at Srikalahasti close to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. The embroidery was carried out by craftspeople at her Hyderabad workshop.

Kalamkari is recognized for its conventional designs that borrow from the epics in addition to the time-tested Tree of Life. Archana’s collection reimagines conventional kalamkari patterns with a up to date contact: “The motifs are new and the silhouettes make the designs further appealing to the younger generations. Think short kurtas and midi dresses with these modern versions of the art form.”

The designer remembers a time when anarkalis and quick kurtas dominated ready-to-wear collections, however that has modified with time, “We are now creating pieces with designs and colours that appeal to the younger generation as well.”