India: Day Six

Today we were mesmerized by the art of silk screen printing, visited a retail location for Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani, and were inspired by a small social enterprise that had earned the support of Microsoft.

Our first visit of the day was to Hafefz Designs.  Hafefz Designs predominately does silk screen printing.  We watched as the men turned plain fabric and sarees into elaborately decorated yardage.  First, they laid the fabric down on long tables, either pinned it in or used a table that was tacky with wax.  Then, teamwork took center stage.  Pairs took screens with different registrations, lined them up using slots in the tables, and passed the squeegee back and forth to apply the design.  Some designs were just pigment, some required adhesive and then applied velvet pile, and we even saw some where they applied metallic foil.  Each time, the transformation impressed us.  After the designs dry, they are checked for quality and then sarees are folded up and yardage is starched and rolled.

On our way back from Hafefz Designs, we stopped at a Tarun Tahiliani showroom.  Tarun Tahiliani is a designer known for his couture, diffusion, prêt-a-porte, and accessory lines.  He focuses on Indian heritage with global appeal.  We were ​not allowed to take photos inside the showroom, but as you can see from the image above, Tahiliani's work is exquisite (and often times heavy with intricate beading!!).

We rounded out our visits for the day with a stop at Abhihaara Social Enterprise.  Abhihaara Social Enterprise works with cotton farmers, handloom weavers, craft artisans, and garment makers.  Their mission is to nurture and empower them to sustain craft based rural and urban livelihoods.  If you know me, you know that social entrepreneurship is my jam.  I was so excited to visit this office/showroom and meet those who work there.

On the top of my India shopping list was cloth napkins for my future apartment (I'm trying to go zero waste!).  Napkins aren't used widely in the country and finding cloth ones was impossible.  I happened to mention it while on the visit and the Abhihaara team whipped some up for me right then and there!  I am so appreciative that I had the chance to choose my fabric and learn the names of those who made them, it definitely makes the meaning tied to the napkins even greater.

After some shopping for family, friends, ourselves, and more, we boarded our bus and headed back to our hotel for the evening.  A few of us ventured to FabIndia, a large chain known for their support of traditional and responsible production practices.

A group of us ended the night by going out to a local bar and meeting up with Shravan Kummar (the designer we met a few days ago!) and some of his crew.  It was a great time!