AMC Newton for QHQ
Walking up to the Design Museum in London, you are greeted by swirling graphics and text:
“The Offbeat Sari” as seen in Fig 1. The exhibition has been running from 19th May and ends 17th September 2023 it was curated by The Design Museums own Priya Khanchandani, who describes herself as a curator, writer & polymath. The exhibition seeks to “unravels its (the saris) numerous forms, demonstrating the sari to be a metaphor for the layered and complex definitions of India today.” (Design museum website).
Fig 1: Design Museum display
This exhibition is a joy for any textile lover, not only are you greeted with stunning, vivid colours, sumptuous golden brocades, sparkling sequins, intricate embroidery, patterns galore and a plethora of textures, but there is also the familiar sound of a shuttle loom running back and forth, later on you find printing blocks, loom cards and indigo dye on display (see Figs 2-3).
Fig 2. Blocks for printing
Fig 3. Punch card for weaving-this communicates the pattern to the loom & is the early inspiration for computers.
The sound of the shuttle loom is generated by a video narrated by a man, one part that stood out for me said something along the lines of “saris, worn by women; a business in the millions of dollars, run by men“. This could be a description of most worldwide fashion, as the majority of businesses in my experience, in the supply chain are run by men. In talking with researcher and lecturer Sukie Sagoo-Reddy, who wrote a masters thesis titled “Disruptive Saris”, we discussed this gender imbalance. Sukie proposed ‘to bring women into the forefront’. Imagine if women did play more of a consistent, prominent role throughout the fashion industry? There are women who have made great strides but there is room for more of a gender balance overall.
Fig 4. First glimpse of the exhibition featuring saris by Raw Mango in fabulous colours of range/pink and blue/gold.
One strength of this exhibition is showcasing novel and innovative materials, styling and application. Innovative materials such as weaving with copper and steel, sequins made from X-rays and fabric woven with electrical wire. This continues with techniques such as distressing denim, heat setting of synthetics, and quilting reminiscent of a street style coat as seen in Figs 5- 9
Fig 5. Sari featuring sequins made from X-Rays hospital waste. Abraham Thakore
Fig 6. Close up of fabric woven with copper. Guarav Jai Gupta.
Fig 7. Silk sari with ruffle paired with pearl bodice & neckpiece. Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla
Fig 8 . Distressed denim. Diksha Khanna.
Fig 9. Quilted fabric used in streetwear applied to the sari. HUEMN.
Innovative styling such as the pairing of sneakers with saris, something designer Shruti Kasat saw an opportunity in & launched her brand Saree Sneakers . They pride themselves on providing sneakers for any occasion. The exhibition featured two pairs of embroidered and embellished Saree Sneakers shown in Figs 10 and 11
Fig 10 Embroided sneakers by Saree Sneakers
Fig 11. Embellished sneaker by Saree Sneakers
A dramatic gold Schiaparelli bustier paired with a sari by designer Sabyassachi Mukherjee was worn at the Met Gala in 2022, the first time a sari had been worn to this iconic fashion event and was the pairing of stylist Anaita Shoff Adajania (Fig 12) This piece is a real showstopper and shows the versatility of the sari paired with other styles of dressing reminiscent of fusion cuisine!
Fig 12 Sari worn at the Met Gala 2022.
As an ancient method of dressing, the sari, which means long, wrapping garment (etymology online) holds a lot of inspiration for the Global North in terms of best for planet practices. The sari, in essence is a long piece of cloth, which is not sewn into its form but is draped into the final form. It is mostly worn with a blouse and a petticoat. The main piece being a long piece of cloth gives rise to numerous options for styling. One video in the exhibition showed 80 different drapes (The sari series, Fig 13) which is incredible! Imagine if half your wardrobe had that much flexibility! Having no garment construction means less processes such as pattern cutting, sewing, finishing, fitting etc. The sari method of dressing reduces the manufacturing processes greatly. The sari can adapt with you if your size changes which reduces the need for additional clothing. Perhaps we can gain inspiration from this way of dressing as part of better fashion futures?
Fig 13 .Still of video showing 80 ways to drape a sari. The sari series produced by Malika Verma.
As a heritage piece, saris are passed down from generation to generation, Sukie shared that she has some of her grandmothers’ saris, which are treasured possessions. This passing down of clothing shows respect for the materials and is a lovely example of emotional durability which is becoming an important factor in eco-conscious fashion.
We have only scratched the surface of the sari here, there are a lot more political, social, cultural, craft and historical aspects that we haven’t covered. One insight that Sukie took from going to see ‘the offbeat sari’ is that it would have been strengthened by more narratives, to hear people’s personal stories of their own experiences with making, wearing and experimenting with saris. We would love to hear your sari stories, so please do share!
All photos credit: AMC Newton