Vastrabharana 2025 in Bengaluru showcases handcrafted textiles and jewellery

Next week, the 33rd edition of Vastrabharana — the annual exhibition of handcrafted textiles and jewellery — will commence in Bengaluru. Organised by The Crafts Council of Karnataka (CCK), the event will bring together weavers, designers, and artisans from across the country. This year, Vastrabharana is themed on Illusion and Fantasy, and is slated to be a tribute to the ‘power of imagination and storytelling in textile traditions… and invites participating artisans and designers to blur the boundaries between the real and imagined, playing with layers, colours and patterns’

In the textile section, visitors can shop for ikkat weaves from Pochampally, Gujarat, and Odisha; fabrics from Kutch; handlooms from the Northeast; Kanchipuram and Benarasi silks; eco-prints; hand-painted Madhubani and Kalamkari saris, and more. Sanghamitra Kalita, founder of Guwahati-based Econic, for instance, will be bringing handloom saris and stoles. “These are made from eri silk (Ahimsa silk), and are dyed with vegetable dyes, and printed with real flowers and leaves. Each piece is handwoven, hand dyed and hand printed,” she says, adding that Econic is a women artisan-led and artisan-run sustainable fashion brand. “We collect discarded flowers from temples and markets, as well as vegetable and fruit peels from restaurants and juice shops, and we have transformed over 400 kilograms of organic waste into natural dyes.”

Another brand from the Northeast is The Nomi, and owner-director Susant Phukan says he will be bringing saris, dupattas, stoles, blouse pieces, and yardage in muga silk, eri silk, mulberry silk, tassar silk, and Moirangphee silk. The brand, he says, is named after his late sister who shared his love for handlooms. “The endeavour is aimed at boosting the socio-economic ecosystem and livelihood of artisans in the Northeast. We aspire to connect the region’s rich heritage and creativity to diverse markets across the globe,” says Susant of the label he launched in 2021.

Also participating in the event is artisan-owned public limited company Rangsutra that works with “over 2,000 artisans” across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Kashmir, Manipur, among other States. Shruti Mital, marketing and retail head, says Rangsutra will bring their collection titled Raagini, that has handlooms featuring embroidery drawn from Rajasthan’s deserts. “The collection is an assorted story of rich hand-woven saris in tussar and eri silk that feature suf embroidery and mirror work.” 

Alongside apparel, artisan-crafted jewellery such as lac bangles by Madad Ali, thread jewellery by Kailash Patwa, silver jewellery from Aham, and sculptural silver pieces by Mrinalini Cariappa, will be on display. 

From September 3 to 7 at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Kumara Krupa Road, Bengaluru. 10 am to 7.30 pm. Free entry