Online retailer Strand of Silk announces the launch of the latest addition to their website, a content focused offering that gives readers a chance to experience and learn more about different crafts and techniques used by Indian fashion designers.
A myriad of crafts and techniques are indigenous to the different states and cultures within India, each with its own heritage and history. In this exploration of traditional techniques, Strand of Silk will virtually take readers across India. Thus, the Journey Map is felicitously named.
The Journey Map presents to readers an interactive map of India that lets them select a specific state and see the prominent indigenous crafts therein. Readers can navigate through the history, background and processes of each technique in a visual and engaging manner. This pioneering and comprehensive exploration of the historical aesthetics of Indian fashion, culture and heritage is exclusively offered by Strand of Silk.
Dr. Veda Khulpateea, a Director at Strand of Silk, said, “This is a ground-breaking endeavour. Strand of Silk is placing luxury in a cultural context by exploring the long standing techniques that give contemporary Indian fashion its unique identity.”
The Journey Map is a unique opportunity to discover how traditional Indian crafts and their production techniques have changed little over millennia, but are being constantly employed in contemporary designs by leading Indian fashion designers. The timelessness of these crafts is emphasised and readers can learn how historical techniques behind the products offered by Strand of Silk have been preserved and are constantly being used in contemporary fashion, both in and out of India.
The crafts and techniques have been selected to give a rich perspective of Indian culture and traditional fashion, whether the reader is already aware of the technique or not. The reader has the unique opportunity to discover the generations of artisans who continue to perpetuate traditional crafts in these modern times. Dr. Khulpateea added, “By increasing awareness of the painstaking work involved in creation, it is our ultimate goal to breathe new life into crafts that are threatened by mechanisation and sustain artisans whose work has stood the test of time.”
Of these traditional techniques that continue to be employed in contemporary Indian fashion, acclaimed Indian luxury handbag designer, Meera Mahadevia pays tribute to what she calls, “The most artistic manufacturing tool of all time: the human hand.” It is in this spirit that Strand of Silk launches the Journey Map, which celebrates the artistry of indigenous crafts whose value lies not in their material, but in their delicate details and the countless hours spent in their creation.
Strand of Silk (strandofsilk.com) is an online fashion retailer for contemporary Indian designer clothing, based in London and Mumbai.
