Handcraft is a true legacy of rural India that sees handicraft as the second largest employer after farming. It becomes even more relevant in states like Madhya Pradesh where both rural and tribal craftsmen are masters of their art. It’s a heritage that deserves to be preserved through concerted effort. Hathkala, a Madhya Pradesh based artisan lead brand, is striving hard to keep alive, working actively with a cluster of Chanderi and Maheshwari weavers to create saris that take you down memory lane.
Founded by a 23-year-old social entrepreneur, the brand tries to revive the dying art form of Chanderi and Maheshwari weave and bring the evergreen style of saree back into fashion. “Create heirloom weaves to pass on and create sarees that will last for generations to come.”
A dream project of Noopur Chaturvedi, Hathkala aims to revive old cultures of craftsmanship and recreate timeless designs. In the world of fast fashion, she wants to slow down and make clothes that are timeless and last beyond seasons, fads and trends.
The brand has brought back old methods of producing a product to provide you with unique and vintage pieces. Every collection of this young entrepreneur resonates with her love for handmade products and beliefs.
Says Noopur Chaturvedi, “While there are so many options available today in the market, it’s so difficult to find something unique and vintage that reminds you of your mother’s wardrobe. Simple, comfortable yet so trendy. All those heirloom cotton and silk sarees that our mothers kept in their trunks and opened once in a while to change the folds. The smell of these sarees is so nostalgic and so pure, just what we are trying to recreate with Hathkala.”
“I have always been fascinated and smitten by handloom sarees and suits, particularly those originating from our rich and diverse culture. I feel there is always a story weaved along with those fabrics. Every day you discover something new and unique about the designs and fabric. All the designs that you see are inspired by our surroundings and hold meaning,” she adds.
Working with a cluster of weavers that live in villages around her region, Noopur revisits old trunks of grandmoms, vintage photographs and also ancient motifs and designs to create a true blue nostalgia collection.
She brainstorms on the work with the weavers closely working on their looms to turn the warp and weft to her designs. For her, yesterday once more is the mantra of weaving timeless saris that will last forever.