Madhu Neotia: It’s 10 Years of Being The Voice For Talent That Has No Labels

Madhu Neotia is no stranger to heritage, craft and textiles. The three in fact, flow like her own persona. She’s rooted in her love for indigenous Indian wear, not just owning a few outstanding pieces that are every handmade and handcrafted lover’s dream, but she’s also a torchbearer for the craft, having created a platform where artisans showcase their work, more often, lesser-known names that carry so much potential. Each year, it sees an explosion of local talent. With her baby, The India Story, having completed 10 years, Madhu – who’s also chronicled her love for Indian wear in a book – takes us on her journey and where her vision is headed. Excerpts from a chat with the art connoisseur and heritage champion…

A Love For Craft  

ELLE: Madhu, you’ve been a torchbearer of Indian craftsmanship and culture. In your experience, do you feel people are custodians of a priceless heritage, and ever so often, unaware of what they have?

Madhu Neotia (MN): You know when I began my work, I did not start out with this agenda to see it reaching a pinnacle, so what it has become is out of the love for our varied heritage, the inheritance of crafts and arts, soaking in a rich multi-cultural history that few others can emulate, perhaps! It is a formidable legacy, and I feel blessed and humbled to be able to own it, love it and share it in whatever measure possible. It is indeed the most priceless treasure for one to be acquainted with, and it demands a certain degree of mature affiliation to appreciate it honestly.

ELLE: The India Art Fair 2025 showcased a stunning exhibition of heirloom textiles from your own personal collection. Please give us a peek into the outfits.

MN: Yes, this year it was a very special exhibit for me and our family. For the first time, we attempted to tell the story of this familial legacy through the showcase. We chose blouses – different forms, different cuts and fabrics, belonging from different eras and stylised them in a presentation that created interest and intrigue about the journey.  Blouses form a considerable large part of the collection of our heirlooms, going on to show how the women in the family carried themselves, dressed and conducted themselves from a time very different from ours today. They peek into a history of another time, the sociocultural traditions that influenced the prevalent norms and carried them forward through successive generations.

ELLE: TIS is also the foremost in promoting new talent—emerging artists to designers. Any new curation in fashion that has caught your eye?

MN: The India Story (TIS) began with the plea to provide a platform that could echo the multiple creative voices from the different corners of the country — voices that often carried no labels or backing as such. Over the last ten years, TIS has grown and with it has raised several brands and hoisted craftsmen and artisans along the way. It is an ongoing journey, and we wish to carry it on with the integrity of the original ethos of our story. In terms of curation, there are so many gifted young people doing remarkable new things — creating not only path-breaking visions of fashion but also keeping it environmentally sustainable. It would be difficult to recount names and they are better drawn up against the setting of a certain curation, I feel.

ELLE: With a deep-rooted passion for heirloom textiles, do you pick up the offbeat outfit at shows or perhaps the occasional craft exhibit?

MN: I am a very passionate and loving caretaker of heirlooms, and it is perhaps this fondness that has trained the eye to spot unusual textiles and weaves. I have rarely followed trends of the industry and enjoyed picking and preserving what always pleased my tastes. As such, the favourites from my wardrobe are quite varied — there are pieces from looms and traditional weavers, and there are also pieces from designers like Sanjay Garg, Payal Khandwala and Rahul Mishra. I treasure them all and enjoy pairing the new items with old pieces to create unusual elements that often become talking points in themselves.

ELLE: Is your book, From an Era Bygone – The India Story something you felt you had to write, a narrative that needed to be told?

MN: From an Era Bygone, as the name suggests, is a narration of a heritage honed and nurtured by the Neotia family. It also includes essays from prominent contributors sharing their exposure and experience with heirlooms. I have for long felt like this was a story waiting to be told, and finally the time was right perhaps for the legacy to be documented and the tale to be told, to be cherished and shared with an audience that shares this admiration and appreciation. 

ELLE: TIS—your labour of love—celebrates 10 years. When you look back, what have been its most memorable moments?

MN: There have been so many wonderful moments, precious memories and such gifted people that I have come to know and learn from in all these years of The India Story. All of them strung together makes TIs what it is — in a way just like India is, isn’t it the many wonderful elements that make it marvellous and unique.

ELLE: Is there a need for more conversation around India’s textile legacy, with more pop-ups, shows and workshops even in say, smaller villages and towns, so that audiences can engage with this first-hand?

MN: I am always in favour of doing more to encourage new talent, support smaller designers and craftsmen — the fresh voices that inspire the discourse and channel creative synergy. How we make such efforts more regular and more frequent is something that one needs to evaluate based on actual ground situations, but yes, of course, it is a great idea to branch into smaller towns and cities as well.

ELLE: Is the West taking to the 'India aesthetic' even more, especially as we see on the runway, in music, the red carpet and other cultural platforms. 

MN: Definiely! India shines on a global stage today. It is a moment of pride for us that India Inc. is a force to reckon with. There is also a much freer exchange of the global and the local now, making more room for GLOCAL, and it is a wonderful development in all spheres of creativity.

ELLE: A love for travel must forge your work, is it a catalyst for inspiration?

MN: Yes, I do love to travel and explore new places and meet new people. It is so refreshing to learn new things and hear fresh perspectives. I am always hungry to know more and learn new things, and that is what I think also keeps me going. There are so many beautiful you go to; for instance, palaces are way more than edifices — they embody history, they carry a legacy, they trap time wrapped in memories and moments that are frozen in a forever left for us to discover.

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