Harvesting festive fashion from land of Kanjivaram

CHENNAI: Fashion finds numerous ways to define itself. For ages, society has historically relied on fashion to reflect on one's identity. Pongal, a festival rooted in cultural pride, is Chennai's way of keeping with agrarian traditions. From the old-world charm of vintage Kanjivaram Silk, the city has evolved to contemporary silk in no time. Various Kanjivaram brands, that have rolled with the times to stay relevant, also shed light on the times gone by. A peek into the demand of customers this harvest season

Yellows and greens, the mood board this Pongal

I grew up admiring my mother donning simple Kanjivaram Silk for Pongal. It might still be the trend in rural parts that they proudly continue, but we still see people buying Kanjivaram along with cotton, silk cotton, soft silks and tussar silks as they are easy to carry. The harvest festival adds immense cultural value to fashion. We see yellows and greens in demand, as they represent Pongal. It’s a sort of the customer's mood board for the season. Chennai market prefers soft silks in the price range of Rs 7,000 to Rs 12,000. The tussar silks also come in a similar range.

When it comes to cotton and silk cotton, they splurge somewhere between Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000. In the fashion space for men, I see them going for veshti, paired with a cotton shirt.

 For this season, we have our year-end collection christened 'Natural’.

It features some simple embroidery, truffles and linens. Again, something more comfortable, more in the holiday fashion zone. People in the city prefer these special handwoven silk sarees for celebrations. It has been shaded with traditional old natural dyes like indigo, myrobalan, pomegranate, and Indian red creeper to name a few. These dyes are also natural and biodegradable, hence being environment friendly – a cause behind fashion, which Chennai has never shied away from. Pongal is celebrated in every household. Even if they don't buy something predominantly expensive, they still prefer getting something new because it is a rich culturally significant festival.

Soft Kanjivaram for evolving fashion

Years back, I vividly recall how Pongal was celebrated. We used to buy dresses for all the four days of celebration. At my parent's place, we have our own set of cows – it's still quite a thing. It's actually within the Nalli campus itself. There used to be an effervescent shopping spree in the city a month before the harvest season. But now, it is more spaced out. They don't specifically shop for a festival, rather, it’s throughout the year.

I would say Chennai now opts for semi-tussar, linen, jute silk and semi-jute silks which one can drape even to work. Lightweight silks, even borderless sarees have become hot picks which women can casually flaunt even for a dinner.

In the higher range, we have specialised in the soft Kanjivaram segment, aiming to encourage youngsters to wear more pattu sarees. It is light, soft, and easy to drape. We are dedicated to working on contemporary silks for the newer generation, as only if the youngsters consume can there be an expansion of demand in the market. We have attempted to keep it interesting for them by experimenting with an amalgam of hues; it can be even pastels.

Chennai has also shown an avid interest towards sarees with checks and butta patterns this time.

It’s also a pleasant change to see young men opting for dhotis, the velcro ones. From visiting temples during Pongal to roistering with get-togethers, fashion has aptly evolved.

Younger men tastefully flaunt dhotis

Times have changed, so have we. The vibrant spirit of the harvest festival which sprawled through the whole month, has now become merely a dated event. People now have little time to actually celebrate the core of what the festival stands for. One who still stays true to their traditions prefers pure silk sarees. These end up being our loyal customers as we somewhere believe in reviving what the harvest festival once stood for. This was somewhere about 30 years ago. However, the present generation opts for light silks – affordability being a major factor. Semi-silks blend well with everyday use. Younger men tending towards dhotis have shot up.

The invention of social media has bombarded people with choices; spoilt I would say. Many online get misled about the true essence of Kanjivaram silk. One should come personally to feel the material and see the colours, motifs, zari, and other intrinsic details.

The city, which once used to go with dark greens, maroons, and gold, now drape pastels and other lighter shades.

The quantity of demand in Pongal fashion has declined. Earlier, one single customer used to place an order for 200 sarees. The tradition of gifting for families, employees, and ones dear to us is no longer a practice.