Choose hand-woven fabrics and breezy silhouettes for a stylish summer

WeaveinIndia are curators of the hand-woven. The founder, Mandira Bansal aims at reviving the customary practice of hand weaving and experimenting with a diverse framework of textiles and colour schemes. She and her team have just launched Mirakari, their spring-summer collection and a new line called Artsy India, which will be showcased in Raintree in Bengaluru this weekend. In an interview with YS Weekender, Mandira speaks about their summer line and the fashion trends of the new season…

YSWeekender: Can you tell us about WeaveinIndia?

Mandira Bansal: WeaveinIndia is the story of hand-woven fabrics that are crafted beautifully into sarees for the contemporary Indian woman. The designer brand that started out as a boutique under a different name is now an exclusive house of hand-woven fabrics. The brand prides itself in the fact that it collects authentic Indian fabrics, and creates and curates hand woven sarees.

YSW: What makes the brand so special?

MB: WeaveinIndia is a new age clothing label that promotes sustainable fashion. In an age where art is being taken over by machines, we aim to revive the weaver’s spirit of workmanship. We curate hand woven textiles to produce beautiful, contemporary designs for every age group.

YSW: Please tell us about your summer collection in detail.

MB: Our summer collection took its inspiration from nature. 'Mira' means wonder or wonderful and 'kari' means karigari or workmanship. The collection was created, keeping the millennial woman in mind. We have brought eco-friendly bamboo textiles that have been digitally printed with the season's most beautiful patterns, like falling leaves and flowers. The fabrics range from Habutai bandhini, chiffons, and pure silk. The collection also combines hand worked art and embroidery. There is Lucknowi Chikankari, Goota Pathi and badla work in the collection too. 

YSW: Can you tell us about Artsy India?

MB: The surprise is the premium unveiling of our newest look - Artsy India. It seeks to curate the essence of life in India. The theme is inspired from Indian royalty, artworks such as pichwai, warli, etc. The collection represents the contemporary, sophisticated and elegant styles of our country.

YSW: What kind of fabrics are best for summer and why?

MB: The fabrics that are best for summer are light silks, cotton and linen as they are breathable and cool.

YSW: What are the international fabric trends for summer?

MB: Internationally, designers are opting mainly for linens and seersucker cotton fabrics for the summer.

YSW: What are your tips for trendy summer look?

Mix and match lightweight fabrics. Fabric colours also play a huge role in making a look summery and silhouettes that are breezy.

YSW: What is your opinion about fashion today?

MB: Fashion today is leaning more towards the western trends but in India, women are opting for Indo-Western styles. Most of us do not want to lose the charm of our Indian heritage and culture.

YSW: In your opinion what are some of the mistakes that women make in their choice of garments and style?

MB: Women of today are easily influenced by media. But they should choose garments that express their individuality than following trends blindly.

YSW: Where do you source your fabrics?

We source our fabrics from all over India, as we try to include most of the weaves from our country.

YSW: Why would you say the saree is the most versatile garment? Is it getting popular among young people also today?

MB: The saree is very versatile as it can be draped in more than 108 ways and easily adapted according to the occasion. Youngsters today have found more modern and westernised ways to wear the saree and have created new fashion statements.

YSW: With so many people in the handloom/handcrafted and hand-woven space – how does one choose the best one? What should you look for?

MB: Always check the fabric, the zari and the work that has been done on a fabric.

YSW: How does Weave in India stay contemporary and modern to appeal to women of all ages?

MB: We intend to create more prêt lines that will appeal to the modern women. The work that has gone into every piece will appeal to the women of all ages.

YSW: What are the collections planned the future? What are the future plans of your brand?

MB: With Artsy India, we will continue to explore the arts in the country. We also intend add more to our prêt collections in the future.