Paris – The exhibition "Textile Matters" at the Mobilier National arts and crafts institution in Paris tells the story of how the textile histories of India and France are interwoven. This 400-year cultural exchange has influenced fashion, interiors and weaving traditions in both countries. RFI spoke to Mayank Mansingh Kaul, a textile designer based in Delhi and co-curator of the exhibition alongside designer Christian Louboutin.
RFI: Why choose the Mobilier National in Paris, France's national furniture and decorative arts institution, for this exhibition?
Mayank Mansingh Kaul: I think it's a perfect venue for this kind of exhibition because what we were really hoping to highlight was how rich and diverse the contemporary practice of textile is today in both countries.
The historic Gobelins tapestry workshop [a key part of the Mobilier National]... is an example of how that kind of craftsmanship in France is revered, is appreciated, is kept alive at the highest levels of patronage and of aesthetics, as well as interest, and how it is a very important symbol of culture to the country.
It's extraordinary that when you walk through the galleries of the Gobelins looking at the exhibition, you are quite aware that just behind the galleries are active workshops that are producing furniture and tapestries.
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RFI: What ties link France and India through textiles?
MMK: We've known for about 400 years that France and India have both inspired and influenced each other in textiles.
We have, historically, for instance, very fine handspun and handwoven cotton fabric, which was exported to France, which then became a very important aspect of 18th century and early 19th century French women's fashion.
We also know how block-printed and hand-painted, naturally dyed textiles in cotton from India – which were exported and were [all the rage] in France – actually shaped its interiors, and shaped its fashion for a very long period of time. It also led to the establishment of certain kinds of traditions of French print itself.
It is the same in the case of the famous hand-woven cashmere shawl – the famous cashmere shawl, with its beautiful motif of the paisley – which were exported on the luxury market to France and became important aspects of French fashion and French interiors.
And in the same way, we know of, for instance, examples of French lace, which has now become a very important part of the Indian repertoire of textiles, which came historically 200-300 years back from France, and became embedded in India's textile landscape.
We also know that there has been some exchange and influence between Lyon, the pre-eminent brocade weaving centre in France, and Varanasi in north India, which is one of the most important brocade centres in India.
One significant way in which brocades from Lyon influenced the Indian brocades from Varanasi was observed in the late 19th century and the early to mid-20th century, when aesthetic movements such as that of the French Art Nouveau and the French Art Deco were very visibly reflected in the designs of Indian brocades.
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RFI: Today, how do these ties continue to shape cultural exchange?
MMK: One, of course, is the embroideries and surface embellishments... designed and produced in India for French couture houses, for French brands.
More recently, we've observed artists between the two countries who are working with textiles as a medium taking and giving from each other quite actively.
[There is also] the Villa Swagatam residency programme [run by the French Institute and the French Embassy in India] which invites artists and designers and creative practitioners from India to residencies in France, and likewise French practitioners to India.
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So it's at the level of design, of visual arts, of contemporary arts, of craftsmanship [and the] deep appreciation that the two countries have for craftsmanship. The two countries innately recognise [each other's] reverence and appreciation for things handmade and artisanal.
And I think that overarching sentiment also becomes a great means of understanding and support to practitioners between the two countries.
Ce qui se trame. Histoires tissées entre l'Inde et la France runs until 4 January, 2026 at the Mobilier National in Paris.
