MICRO-BIO

• I studied at the National Institute of Design (NID). while at NID I developed a keen interest in traditional craft skills of the indegenous artisans. I travelled around the country to study and experience the vast variety of weaving, dyeing, printin...More

  I studied at the National Institute of Design (NID). while at NID I developed a keen interest in traditional craft skills of the indegenous artisans. I travelled around the country to study and experience the vast variety of weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery and ornamentation skills practised by different communities. this proved to be a very enriching journey and the unique skills of the people of differentt regions, techniques, patterns, colour palettes became the base for my future work. i started collaborating with artisans to create fabrics for urban markets and in 1985 i started a clothing company with a vision to uphold, preserve and sustain the precious handcrafted textiles skills through collaborative design intervention. over the years have been able to create sustained livelihoods for a few hundred artisans. in 2013, I published a book, Shifting Sands, Kutch: A Land in Transition, a personal journey of discovery and about my association of working with artisans in this region for over thirty years. Presently am working on my second book about the relevance of handcrafted textiles in the 21st century. For this, I have been traveling around the country to remote regions to talk to practising artisans and understand their aspirations and ground reality.

  Less

EXPERIENCE

• BANDHEJ Garment Company

  • Founder / Designer
  • Design and Collaboration
  • Present

• BANDHEJ Garment Company

  • Founder / Designer
  • Design and Collaboration
  • May 2018 to Present

EDUCATION

• National Institute of Design

  • textile design graduate
  • June 1974 to August 1980

  I was first introduced to traditional Indian textiles at NID. I was completely fascinated by the diversity of the craft skills and decided to pursue this interest after I graduated by collaborating with artisans to create fabrics for an urban market.

Links

• my company, BANDHEJ