Distinct saree designs blurring with time: Textile Designer

The fine and airy Coimbatore saree with its amazing colour combinations, was around two decades ago quite distinct from its crisp and lightweight Venkatagiri cousin, which often sports bold zari and threadwork borders.
"Not anymore", says Pradeep Pillai, a city-based clothing and textile designer who works with traditional artisan clusters in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and other places.
"Around 15 to 20 years ago there was a distinct difference between the Venkatgiri saree and the Coimbatore saree. Over time that distinction has now blurred and one finds it difficult to distinguish between the two. I believe the future of sarees is headed that way," says Pillai.

The designer, a graduate of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, has been working with handloom artisans to give modern appeal to traditional saree weaves and prints.
"I recently started working with artisans in Saurashtra area in Gujarat, which specialises in Tangaliya whose weaving looks like it is a bead but the weave is actually a thread. I created a Tussar saree out of the tangaliya. This I believe is the first time that anybody has done this," says Pillai.
The designer says he convinced traditional artisans who had been creating the Tangaliya in scarves and shawls to try out the technique with a saree.

"Last year when we first began the experiment the saree was quite thick and we didn't get a good reception. Most people said the saree felt like a heavy 'chaddar' (blanket). This time around we have managed to reduce the weight of the saree," says Pillai.

The textile designer has been invited to exhibit his designs at a three-day selling exhibition "Sarees of India" organised by the Delhi Crafts Council, which is scheduled to begin here on September 4.
The council has organised a show exclusively for sarees, with focus on novel techniques and new ideas re-inventing the traditional weaves and prints.

"This year we have a very nice mix that display styles of weaving, embroidery, prints, natural dyes, linens and new fabrics from across India," says Poornima Rai, President, Delhi Crafts Council.