For the graduation project offered by National Institute of Design, the student worked under the brand ‘Tilfi Banaras’ for a duration of 6 months. The project brief focused on designing two collections of saris for the contemporary market using Banarasi brocade and silk fabrics. It involved working closely with the brand to learn and getting exposure of the hand loom jacquard weaving industry and all the processes involved in creating a collection of saris. The main goal of the project was to understand the working of the industry, the craft, consumer demands and how all these factors come together while creating a collection. It gave the student a broad idea about the challenges and expectations that come along while working as a designer in the industry.
The designs were regularly discussed with the mentor and the weavers who would provide their feedback and suggestions. This provided the student with the opportunity to constantly improve designs, layouts, colours and develop new insights during the process - from conceptualizing and continuous changes to collectively putting minds together to achieve the best by focusing on every tiny detail; For the student, despite experiencing both disappointment and joy during the process, it ultimately resulted in utmost satisfaction after seeing the final beautiful sari.
Banaras, Banarasi Silk, Handloom Saris, Handwoven, Silk Weaving
