We have heard of sari revival projects that encourage weavers to get back to looms, individuals to restore or repurpose their heirloom weaves, and even get mainstream brands to collaborate or tie up with weaver clusters. At Bengaluru-based Madhurya Creations, Andhra Pradesh’s famed Uppada saris are getting a refreshing makeover by blending them with pichwai paintings.
The brand — whose saris have found favour among the likes of Alia Bhatt, and Athiya Shetty, among other Bollywood celebrities — decided to launch a project after noticing the dwindling number of weavers in Uppada village. “Uppada is a quaint town that is not highly populated. The weavers are simple people who have looms in their living room. When I visited the region 10 days ago, there were barely 300 looms left which won’t sustain even half a generation. The average weaver’s age is 50+ so how long will they continue? The younger generation hasn’t taken to weaving as well,” says Bharathy Harish, partner, Madhurya.
