Anita Dongre’s ode to Bhuj

By Puja Gupta

New Delhi, July 27 : Fashion designer Anita Dongre’s latest ensemble of outfits celebrates the rural communities and craft traditions of the Kutch region of India.

Craft villages hold a sense of magic, believes the designer… women in doorways singing over embroidery, men by deep pools of indigo holding secrets passed down over generations, children studying under the shade of a clacking loom under their mother’s watchful eyes.

Every season has a reason to rejoice — a crop harvest, a local deity, and yet the biggest victory in these villages are time’s whispers of crafts, handed down generation after generation across marauding empires, through the tune of freedom and bursting into a world of progress. Life changes but these traditions hold the truths of a world that is sustainable, and built on community, the designer states.

‘Crafts Of India — An ode to Bhuj’ is a hark back at royal legacies from a millennium ago, bringing together handwoven fabrics, rich embroideries and intricate fabric patterns like dyeing from individual regions.

The line features Bandhini, Ajrak and Block Printing — crafts from the Kutch region of India. “It’s been an absolute joy for my team and I to create this special collection along with the artisans of Bhuj. Their craft and these pieces are truly timeless and I hope everyone who buys them enjoys wearing them equally, and pass them down as heirloom pieces just like our grandparents did,” Dongre concludes.