January 2020 Edition Apparel January 2020 issue | Page 73

BRAND PROFILE
fusing our creativity with traditional weaves. Most
of our conservation happens through design.
One of our major works in conservation has been
the mapping of Molakalmuru weaves. During
my research, I saw a direct correlation between
the migration of the weaving communities and
the spread of the weave. A large chunk of our
conservation efforts is through the revival of
grandmothers’ saris. While recreating household
heirlooms, we get an insight into the design and
weaving traditions, which we can later provide our
weavers with.
HOW DO YOU LOOK BACK AT YOUR
JOURNEY?
We are ecstatic about Vimor Handloom
Foundation having turned 45 last year. We had
no idea that our work would come this far. Over
these years, our relationship with our weavers has
strengthened and today, they are family. Being
able to undertake textile preservation along with
empowering weaving communities has made
Vimor’s struggle worthwhile. To celebrate this,
we had organised a five-day handloom event to
discuss and exchange ideas on bringing weaving
and weavers into the limelight.
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT VIMOR’S
NEWLY LAUNCHED MUSEUM.
Vimor’s Museum of Living Textiles was opened in
July this year. The museum has been created as
a space to enable dialogue on the conservation
of textiles and handlooms. Spread across 1,300
square feet, it houses handlooms that have
been sourced and donated, while some of them
have even been created by us. Every piece of
handloom has a story to tell—about people,
cultures, traditions, trade, and many other
socioeconomic aspects. We understood this
through a series of research, documentation, and
interaction. Yet, there are several gaps when it
comes to drawing a complete timeline of these
pieces. The Museum of Living Textiles is open
to interacting with anyone who is able to add to
what we know about these timeless exhibits.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT
YOU FACE IN THIS FIELD AND HOW DO
YOU OVERCOME THEM?
Thankfully, till date, we have not faced any major
challenge. One that I could point out is that we
have found it difficult to find weavers to carry out
skilled work. Sometimes, it is the smaller things
that we have lost in terms of techniques. More
than individual challenges, we are concentrating
on the larger challenge that the handloom
industry is facing—unemployment, market-driven
designs, lack of support and mentorship, and
the preference for power looms. These are the
reasons why handloomed goods are yet not
being enthusiastically picked up. Through our
processes and design intervention, we have been
able to impact many areas positively. If a small
enterprise like us can do it, then anybody can.
WHAT ARE THE FUTURE PLANS
FOR VIMOR?
Through Vimor, we would like to conduct
weaving and other programmes—related to
weaving—at the Museum of Living Textiles. We
are also coming up with a project, in which we
will be working with weavers affected by the
floods in North Karnataka. We are also involved
in documentaries that speak about the state of
affairs in the weaving and handloom industry of
India. In addition, my book on the Molakalmuru
weaves of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh is in its
final stages, and will be launched soon.
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