The Dying Art of the Sari

The Dying Art of the Sari. "As the popularity of the traditional Indian garb has plummeted in India's cities, so has work for the tens of thousands of weavers who make them." This is a TIME magazine story that has a familiar ring; women are trading in their saris for contemporary clothing. I understand the desire to wear modern clothing, but the sari, like the kimono, has lasted for centuries because it's a functional, beautiful, elegant design that provides a canvas for endlessly varied designs. Instead of becoming museum artifacts, I hope this textile legacy can remain alive and thriving.

Here's another one -- Earthly Hands, Heavenly Designs is a new documentary about the dying traditions of Persian rugmaking. These photos of rugs on the sands of the desert are dramatic and poignant. Fibercopia has Iranian textiles on her mind too.

Comments

[jude]

i am always so saddened by stories like these.

[Judith]

The photos of the rugs in the desert are stunning. I feel sure that both traditions will survive, but in a reduced and possibly slightly changed way. I feel it is poignant, but an inevitable trend as human history progresses.We are such a restless species, but we do seem to be able to keep a huge variety of textile traditions going, albeit frequently in a small way.

[Heather]

I actually go to see some saris woven when I was in India (there's a pic on my blog). It was amazing what fine work was done on such a rudimentary loom (think strings, punch cards and old bamboo treddles) and in such bad conditions (at night in a dirty room with a single light bulb, sitting on a concrete floor because the space for the treddles was dug out of the floor). An amazing experience.

[Marja-Leena]

As Jude said...

[Hélène H]

Handloom products were especially popular in Gandhi times, they were political as well as fashionable.

I read an article a few days ago on the online edition of the Hindu, about the same subject. It seems that what is damaging most the handlooms is the textile plants. But the plants themselves are suffering because of the global economic crisis and are firing workers. As it is I think a typical handloom weaver earns much less than one dollar a day...

[Anaka Narayanan]

There are so many reasons why the sari is less popular today. It's not really that functional anymore- unless you've grown up wearing a sari and you are as comfortable in it as you might be in trousers. They are really hard to care for- unless you have a fleet of domestic help to wash, starch, dry and iron your cotton handloom sarees. Having said that, I too am sad that no one has use for the everyday cotton sarees anymore. The less we are exposed to those subtle designs and colours, the less we will be able to appreciate that design aesthetic.

[Coco]

Hi, What a wonderful blog! So informative and interesting! Loved reading some of the posts..

ALl the best..

Coco