Project Patola,

At Varastraa “our reason for being” is reviving traditional art forms and bringing it to a larger audience with a contemporary twist. Hence “The Patola Project”

The Patola saree dates back to the 12th Century AD and has been the trade secret of Salvi weavers who migrated from Maharastra and Karnataka to the state of Gujarat. The technique has traditionally been passed down from generations of these weavers to their families exclusively.

The Patola saree itself is an heirloom and passed on to the next generation. Despite once being considered a “Status Symbol”, this art form is gradually moving towards decline.

Growing up in Gujarat clearly meant an early exposure to this wonderful object of art! The entire process is painstaking, but nothing beautiful was ever created without inspiration or perspiration.

First, the design is explained to the weaver and applied to graph paper. Next, the surface design is created in the yarn itself, tied and dyed at the yarn stage. The yarn then goes up on a frame hand loom to be woven into a beautiful saree. This process takes anywhere between twenty days to a month to complete. From a design standpoint, geometry and motifs are an integral part of the Patola art form. We’ve brought in a contemporary twist, by migrating the geometric beauty to the “Pallu” and reserving the motif beauty to the body of the saree.