APPLIQUE &
EMBROIDERY

The soft muted colour pallette is highlighted with details of bright traditional embroidery, applique and bhandani work sourced from the nomadic Rabari tribe of Kutch. The work is done exclusively by women and the designs and colours symbolise auspiciousness and express their distinctive aesthetic style. 

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The entire handmade process involves the women of the community. They gather in homes not only to embroider, but to talk, laugh and sing. Their men, meanwhile, herd camels and sheep in the grasslands of the Kutch. 

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The traditional embroidery reveals the close cultural ties between Gujarat, Rajasthan and Sindh where rural communities share common styles of embellishments that are full of colour, joy and energy, a stark constrast to the barren landscape where they live. Traditional dress codes, colour and type of embroidery indicate the wearer‘s community, age, religion and marital status.