Distressed denim sari by Diksha Khanna. Made in 2018 from scrap denim, it consists of a long denim skirt with an attached lighter denim pallu, and cotton blouse. Photo: Shelley Anderson.By Shelley Anderson, TRC volunteer, 20 August 2024

The sari is an iconic women’s garment from India. At its simplest, a sari is a rectangular, unstitched length of cloth anywhere from 4 to 9 yards long, draped around the body as clothing. Some researchers believe its origins lie 5,000 years in the past, in the Indus Valley civilization, where a statue of a bearded man was excavated, a fabric draped around his torso, leaving his right shoulder bare. There are references to draped garments in the sacred Rig Veda, dated circa 1,000 BCE, and in later Jain and Buddhist writings, from circa 450 BCE.

While there are over 30 different regional variations, a modern sari is usually worn wrapped or pleated around the waist (often tucked or pinned into a petticoat), with the end (called pallu), often heavily embellished, thrown over the left shoulder. A short-sleeved blouse, called a choli, is worn underneath. The TRC has almost 200 saris from the late 20th to the early 21st century in its collection. They are from all over the Indian subcontinent, including Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and are primarily from chiffon, cotton, or silk.

Worn to 2022 Cannes Film Festival by Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, this design by Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla is silk organza and silk georgette with ruffle and a hand-embroidered pearl and stone bustier. Photo: Shelley AndersonI would recommend looking at our on-line collection of saris if you feel depressed, because the colours and embellishments will brighten your day. There’s a red sari, decorated with gold-coloured thread (TRC 2010.0209); a lovely turquoise sari (TRC 2010.0434), a black sari, embellished with stylised peacocks and butehs, hand woven in ochre and magenta (TRC 2010.0212); and a dark burgundy sari (TRC 2010.0422), also decorated with hand embroidery.

In India itself, wearing saris (except for weddings or festivals) started to decline in the 1960s when a younger generation found the garment old-fashioned and cumbersome. But, as a new exhibit shows, since the 2000s the sari is enjoying a renaissance.

“Sari/Statement” is an exhibit of over 60 saris (and accessories, such as sneakers) at the Wereldmuseum (World Museum) in Amsterdam. Innovative Indian designers are remaking the iconic garment, while at the same time supporting traditional textile skills such as hand weaving, and embroidery techniques such as zari and chikankari.

X-ray sequinned sari by Abraham & Thakore. From 2021, made from waste X-ray film and recycled PET bottles, with a hand-block printed blouse. Photo: Shelley Anderson.New Delhi-based designer Sanjay Garg founded the brand Raw Mango in 2008 and produces popular hand-woven, lightweight saris in bright colours from cotton and silk. These come from weavers in Gujarat. Saris from designer Gaurav Jai Gupta of AKAARO are also hand-woven—but from his own specially developed lightweight metallic yarns made from copper and steel. The design team of Abraham & Thakore are also exploring new materials, making sequins for their saris from waste X-ray film and recycled plastic bottles. Another design duo, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, use traditional techniques like shisha (mirror work) and chikankari, an embroidery technique from Lucknow, but combined with untraditional elements like ruffles. Other designers are experimenting with making saris from synthetic polymers, denim or tweed.

The exhibit includes saris for rock climbing and skateboarding, saris made for men, and saris for playing cricket. Also shown are a few of the over 100 different ways to drape a sari. The variety is simply amazing. One thing is for sure—you will never look at a sari in the same way. “Sari/Statement” is on now until 3 November 2024.

Literature:

• Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping, by Chantal Boulanger. Shakti Press International,1997.
• Saris: Tradition and Beyond, by Rta Kapur Chisti. Roli Press, New Delhi, 2010.
• https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/12/fashion/india-nationalism-sari.html
• www.thesariseries.com. Short videos of some of the over 100 ways to drape a sari, on YouTube.

See also TRC blogs and announcements:

• Exhibition of Indian saris at the National Museum of Ethnology, TRC, Leiden, 21 March - 17 October 2010
• Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, and the Design Museum. Three textile and garment exhibitions in London (23 July 2023)