Eri Silk Kalidaar with Pashmina Zari shawl

Zoya is alive, full of vitality, passion, the innate fire.

She is the desire to do, the motivation to be.

She knows and what she does not know, she asks, tries to know, seeks.

What she cannot know, she accepts, celebrating the potential she holds to learn and grow.

Zoya nurtures. She nurtures because she is joyously living. 

When we meet Zoya, we feel alive too. Meeting energy like Zoya fills a certain void. A void that only life can fill!

Zoya brings together a multipaneled Eri silk Kalidaar with a border composed of diverse weaves like Muga ghicha and textures achieved through an interesting play of patchwork. A more than 6-inch border provides the perfect heft required to hold about 6 metres of the circumference of the kalidaar. Eri is dyed using Sappanwood. The lustre in the shawl is Pashmina woven with zari thread (taar). 

Eri Silk is a wild silk with a woolly fibrous filament hand spun into yarn, handwoven on traditional throw shuttle looms of Assam. These are woven on looms that are simplified older looms where the basic main frame is formed using four posts or pillars dug steadfastly into the mud ground. This Eri Silk is handspun by adept spinners of Assam without using Charkha. The journey from cocoons to handspun yarn involves a spinner performing a series of steps for the appropriate treatment of cocoons that can enable hand spinning of yarn. These steps have remained unchanged through generations of the hand-spinning culture of Assam. We have retained the indigenous steps without much alteration.

Muga silk is a rare wild silk that derives its scientific name from Assam, the place of its origin, where this Muga silk was crafted. It is hand spun Muga ghicha that is woven on a Throw shuttle loom. 

Zoya is a one-of-a-kind textile designed to highlight a unique coming together of various techniques and creativity of handcraft. This design will not be recreated. Zoya comes with a blouse fabric designed to encourage Mora fireflies to bring their authentic spirit to the fabrication of blouse fit, usage of borders and edgings. The blouse worn by me is not included.

Kalamkari from A. Subbarao

Param did the beadwork 

Gurmail, the tailor

Narmohan Dada, the master Eri silk pioneer

Mumma, Madhu, technical supervision of stitching 

Midtoan.com, the photographer

Designed by Ritika