The CDS Art Foundation- A platform for the Artisans by an Artisan, organized the Fifth Edition of Walking Hand in Hand – A collaborative fashion showcase of the Royal Textiles of India, at Sunder Nursery.

CDS Art Foundation’s ‘Artisan-First’ ideology, that recognizes them as the true custodians of their legacy textile craft, came alive with a spectacular private showcase on March 01, 2020 at Sunder Nursery. Titled ‘Walking Hand-in-Hand – Royal Textiles of India’. This Textile Craft meets Fashion event was curated to bring forth eight teams of artisans and designers, to showcase a set of their finest craft across India – from Kashmir to Tamil Nadu – to the culture & fashion enthusiasts of Delhi.

Having a firm belief that ‘without Art, there is no Culture’, the revival of handloom & handcrafted heritage has been a key focus for the Foundation since its inception. The ideology stems from an urgent need to provide an equal platform for all creators – designers & the artisans.

Revival of Handloom Craft

As an ode to the matchless textiles and garments crafted for the royal families of India, the event witnessed the revival of the nearly extinct craft collection of ‘Baroda Shalu’. This exquisite pure gold silk tissue textile has been revived & recreated through the collaboration of Her Highness Rajmata Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad, Maharani Radhikaraje Gaekwad, designer & master embroiderer Asif Shaikh from Ahmedabad, and master weaver Sayeed Ur Rahman from Benares.

Cross Border Collaborations, Beyond the Horizon

In an effort to pollinate cross border ties and go beyond the horizon, CDS has partnered with the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and Uzbekistan Embassy to showcase traditional Uzbeck Ikat by artisan, Azizbek Murtazayev with Indian hand embroidery, by Asif Shaikh thus creating an exclusive new global craft.

The global alliances have further been strengthened by US-based designer – Shefali Khanna, who has partnered with weaver – Rajaram from Tamil Nadu, focusing on the abundance & grandeur of Kanjeevaram, and showcasing its versatility across the world.

The event also witnessed an enchanting performance by Bharatanatyam soloist – Revanta Sarabhai.

The 5th edition of this show – wasn’t just about fashion, it was about creating a platform to enable the artisanal craft rooted in tradition, which can flourish through cross borders collaboration and innovation, in 21st Century language.

Designer line-up for the event