Connection through Creation
Seeing one’s creative ideas come to fruition can be a solitary process. One that often involves staying up after everyone else goes to bed, or if you’re a morning person getting up before everyone else to work in peace and quiet (those of you who know me know which camp I fall into - let’s just say I haven’t voluntarily caught any sunrises lately).
As I build Studio Kahaani bit by bit, late night by late night, I am driven by my vision as well as a variety of passions - one of them being Indian handlooms. By delving deeper into this world, one of the unexpected benefits has been connecting with others who share a commitment to preserving and promoting traditional textiles and techniques. Discovering other advocates of these dying art forms - because they are art forms that very much run the risk of disappearing - and finding ways to encourage and empower one another in our own respective missions.
One such brand is House of Hindee, a purposeful female-owned brand from India with a commitment to supporting and engaging with the Indian handloom industry from the grassroots level up to innovative design practices. From my very first conversation with its founder, Anhad Bhullar Malhotra, her passion for both the textiles as well as the rural communities from where they originate was clear. I knew that I wanted to collaborate with House of Hindee and showcase their beautiful tweeds, which capture so many elements of the mountainous landscape of Himachal Pradesh. The water in which they are washed, the sheep from which the wool is sheared, they truly carry their provenance with them.
They invoked many conceptual connections for me from a design perspective. The organic wools are suited to the cold climate of the Himalayas, but are just as suited to Canadian winters. And by pairing these North Indian wools with South Indian kalamkari handlooms, I wanted to create designs that captured the varied and even contrasting regional nature of India - its textiles, lifestyles, and traditions.
I’m excited to share these pieces with you, and to continue building a platform that connects us with passionate people and their stories. It certainly makes all these late nights worth it. And maybe even a sunrise or two…eventually.
