FT NEWS

Designer Anita Dongre's new collection celebrating the artistry of Bhuj is compelling and transcends you to the beautiful region and with their village belles in striking Bandhani and Ajrakh hand block printing. It has been brought to life by traditional craftspeople in rural India. Ajrakh is an age-old method of hand-block printing from Gujarat. It is a laborious process that covers 16 intricate steps of washing, printing, dyeing — using only natural dyes — and drying. This traditional technique requires high levels of skill, precision and concentration that often takes craftspeople years to master.

Craft villages hold a sense of magic. Women in doorways singing over embroidery, men by deep pools of indigo holding secrets passed down over generations, children studying under the shade of a clacking loom under their mother’s watchful eyes. Every season there is reason to rejoice- a crop harvest, a local deity, and yet the biggest victory in these villages are time’s whispers of crafts that are handed down generation after generation across marauding empires, through the tune of freedom and bursting into a world of progress. Life changes but these crafts hold truths of a world that is sustainable, and built on community.

The designer in an effort to revive, sustain and empower the rich heritage skilled artisans of the country, came up with this new collection that also features her brand new silver jewellery range.

The conscious couture campaign featured traditional crafts of Bandhani, Ajrakh hand-block printing and hand embroidery from the indigenous communities of the region. These art forms have been passed down by artisans from generation to generation to inculcate knowledge, skill and cultural identity of their ancestry.

This special collection is created along with the artisans of Bhuj. Their craft and these pieces are truly timeless and I hope everyone who buys them enjoys wearing them equally, and pass them down as heirloom pieces.