The spread of novel coronavirus has had some serious implications on not just our healthcare system but also on small businesses, artists, and most of all, daily wage workers. Many of these daily wage workers also form the backbone of the Indian fashion industry and, it’s the need of the hour to support these communities.
To contribute towards the welfare of these craft communities, Kolkata-based fashion designer Pranay Baidya has started an initiative called Tant. Through this project, the designer will host regular workshops with the weaver communities in the Santipur, Phulia, Nadia & Dhanikhali districts of West Bengal (currently via video calls). The designer will be offering them creative direction and textile design expertise in developing an ongoing collection of modern-day saris and textiles.
The quintessential Tant (the word refers to the handlooms in West Bengal) sari is characterised by thick two-to-four inch borders and a decorative pallus. They’re woven using fine cotton yarn in a variety of floral, paisley and traditional motifs like bhomra (bumble-bee), tabij (amulet), and rajmahal (royal palace), among many others.
The collection will start at Rs 1000 and will be catalogued at the designer’s Kolkata atelier. It will retail through multi-designer stores across the country and several e-boutiques that sell clothes worldwide, along with a nationwide calendar of experiential pop-ups. All the funds will go back directly to the weavers.
