R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, AUG 25
For Indian women, a saree can be their best bet to make heads turn at any event. Be it a wedding, festival or a party, they can always rely on the six yards of elegance to make a show-stopping appearance.
To drape them well with traditional sarees, Kankatala, renowned worldwide for their unique sarees, is back in Chennai for the third time at a special exhibition at The Folly, Amethyst on August 25 and 26. The exhibition was inaugurated by Actor Preetha Hari.
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8-decade Old Kankatala brings unique collection of hand-crafted sarees make every women in the city of Chennai as Queen
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Venue: The Folly, Amethyst, Whites Road, Chennai
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Dates: August 25 and 26
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Exhibition Time: 10 am to 8.30 pm
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Apart from the spectacularly rich bridal wear collection and mesmerising Kanjivaram silks with hand-woven embroidery borders, other pieces on display include the Patan Patola range with the Asawali weave
Inaugurating the exhibition, Preetha Hari lauded the 8-decade old Kankatala for its service to the saree loving women and make every women in the city of Chennai as Queen.
Each hand-woven saree is a masterpiece specially woven and crafted for the discerning woman who wants something that is unique and timeless.
Commenting on the inauguration of the exhibition Kankatala Director Anirudh Kankatala said, “As every woman who understands Sarees knows, we at Kankatala are extremely proud of our exclusive pieces.’’
“Each one of them has been exclusively woven to perfection, seamlessly blending merging the classic opulence of Kanjivarams and the royal grandeur of Patan Patolas with the colourful vivacity of Bandhani techniques,” he adds.
Apart from the spectacularly rich bridal wear collection and mesmerising Kanjivaram silks with hand-woven embroidery borders, other pieces on display include the Patan Patola range with the Asawali weave, each of which takes a year to make, as well as natural-dyed weaves, which take between 8 and 12 months to produce.
Then there are the Paithanis, Banarasis, Khadis, Kotas, Linens, Organzas, Gadwals, Uppadas, Ikats and other designer sarees to match every occasion that you can think of.
A special mention to the exquisite Paithani Mor Bangdi, one of the most intricate and difficult to weave Paithani motifs. Mor Bangdi means a bangle with 4 peacocks inside. This Saree has eight rows of Mor Bangdi, four on each side. An extremely complicated and intricate tapestry interlocking technique which can only be handled by master weavers, it took over 18 months for this superlative piece to be weaved, stitch by stitch. What sets a Pathaini apart from most other weaves is that it looks the same from the front and the back. Which is why each Paithani is not just a Saree, but a unique work of timeless art. Every Sari that sold in Kankatala has its own story of hard-working weavers, Anirudh Kankatala said.
Kankatala, established in 1943, is known for its hand-picked, hand-woven sarees. And as per the 75-year-old unbroken tradition, each and every piece is carefully selected by a member of the family after careful scrutiny and checking them for weave, design and fabric. This is what has made Kankatala synonymous with exquisite, unique sarees, and firmly established it as one of Visakhapatnam’s most beloved boutiques over the decades, with branches across Andhra Pradesh Telangana. Karnataka and New Delhi.
And they are now available for a limited period in Chennai. As Anirudh Kankatala puts its, “We can proudly declare that each piece in our collection comprises Sarees which are not just sarees, but works of art.”
