Rashmi Varma, Associate Curator
The Design Museum, London. May 19 to September 17, 2023
Woven from steel. Stitched from hand-distressed denim. Knotted, pleated or belted. Worn in protest, celebration, or simply on the daily commute. The offbeat sari is the sari radically reimagined by designers, wearers and makers for a diverse, contemporary world.
Conventionally a single piece of unstitched fabric, the sari’s unfixed form is inherently fluid. Its many different shapes and textures, adapted over the course of millennia, reflect identity, social class, environment and function — and immense creativity. The sari is a language expressed through fabric, which has been intertwined with evolving cultural influences over time.
In the past decade, the sari has been re-energised. Designers catering to a new generation across India’s burgeoning cities are experimenting with new drapes and innovative materials. Younger women, who previously associated the sari with dressing up, have transformed
it into contemporary everyday fashion. Individuals are also embodying saris in ways that give voice to who they are, exploring plural and nonconforming identities, and challenging conventions of femininity.
This exhibition explores the creative, often unexpected ways in which the sari is a site for design innovation and an empowering vessel for self-expression in India today.
Photography by Andy Stagg