The Label
Known for their beautiful brocade saris and lehengas, Shanti Banaras works intensively in the handloom and hand embroidery sector, empowering its weavers and supporting local crafts instead of indulging in power loom. As a brand, their priority has always been to empower their weavers. The amount of hard work and zeal put in by them to bring the label’s visualization of designs to life is truly seamless and should be appreciated. At Shanti Banaras, they are constantly experimenting with a variety of techniques. One of their latest experiments was to weave a real zari saree without a weft, because of which, the entire saree depicts a new and unique story. They have always aimed towards making Indian textiles renowned globally, by performing some out of the box explorations and keeping the legacy of handloom and hand embroidery alive, passing it down from one generation to the other
The Initiative
The label has taken a new initiative to conserve the dying craft of hand-embroidered tapestries via pichwai artworks that depict the poetic connection of the various forms of nature. Rajasthan’s pichwai paintings are a four-hundred-year-old art tradition from India’s Western frontiers. Over the years these artworks found themselves in places of worship and in homes, lighting up spaces with their vibrance and storytelling. Today, however, these motifs are slowly dying and making a place for modern architectural interventions. In an effort to conserve this craft and make it accessible globally, Shanti Banaras brings the motifs of pichwai paintings into cities around the world through exquisite embroidered artwork. With reimagining the traditional art of pichwai, motifs of nature and joy are captured in a moment by hand embroidering over one hundred colours of silk Resham thread on handwoven fabric. This single unique piece is a labour of love that takes over sixty hours to make!
Shanti Banaras is a legacy passed down over generations that celebrates India’s rich handwoven cultures. Through the commissioning of these pieces of art, Shanti Banaras is working towards building patronage for India’s treasured crafts.
Date 23-06-2022