Book of Indian Silk Sarees

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

Preface

Steering a retail revolution is no mean feat; it’s even more of a challenge to become synonymous with your USP Beena Kannan took on the gauntlet fearlessly as Managing Director and Lead Designer at Seematti. Today, as the textile retail house celebrates its centenary, Seematti is the leading choice for every Keralite when it comes to picking a saree. The defining reason: BeenaKannan’s propensity to create poetry in fabric. Every saree that is sold at Seematti is a labour of love for this businesswoman, who prides herself on timing the trends just right.

Her zeal for warps and wefts and her overwhelming desire to preserve the traditions of yore for future generations inspired this coffee-table book. Travelling extensively all over the country for sourcing her designs, Beena Kannan has also built up an enduring rapport with weaver communities across the country. She has earned the respect of these traditional craftsmen through her ability to relate to them and her extensive knowledge of sarees. Beena’s travels have been captured in the brilliant photographs in this book; the pictures not only capture the beauty of the locations but also the vibrant sarees in traditions and designs unique to each place that she visits.

The Times Group is proud to present this coffee-table book that encompasses the history of what can rightly be called our national apparel, the saree. Wherever you go in India, you can find thesaree in its varying lengths worn in styles unique to the culture of each region. However, everywhere it is still referred to as the saree and is perhaps the most preferred occasion wear among women, young and old, trendy or traditional. It is a veritable ode to this garment. Which has evolved with the times, always holding on to its rightful place of honour in the hearts of the people of India.

Prologue

A fabric enmeshed with our culture and soaked in our history: a saree is so much more than those nine yards of cloth. An integral part of our cultural identity, the saree evokes an emotional connect in the Indian woman or in anyone of Indian origin, for that matter. In all my travels across the world, I have time and again come across women of Indian origin, young and old, choosing to wearthesaree in all its splendour to the occasions that mean something to them, those moments that they will cherish for a lifetime. I realised then that the saree will never go out of fashion. This book was born out of that realisation, and something more: the urge to chronicle the growth and diversity of this amazing piece of apparel for the future; to leave a record of my story of Seematti, which is so intricately interwoven with the story of the saree; to create a reference point for the next generation to run Seematti just as I was guided by the word-of-mouth instruction from my elders and mentors. I am passionate about creating new trends and new designs for this traditional attire. Th roug h my three decades of experience in running Seematti, I have developed a special relationship with the weavers of Tamil Nadu and other places in India, who create magic with my designs in silk and cotton. Seematti, now in its 1 Oath year of existence, is now a fashion destination forKeralites across the world. Even today, there is no greater joy for me than making one special dream come true day after day, year after year: making every woman the most beautiful woman on her wedding day!

Contents