Drape Expectations

Age might just be a number but silk isn’t just a fabric.

Dhiren C Ashok and Rohith C Ramesh, cousins and managing partners of the city-based Vijayalakshmi Silks, are fourth-generation custodians of this 105-year-old legacy saree brand. In their conversation with LURU, the duo brings us to a quiet little alcove in their Jayanagar showroom. Here, they paint a vivid picture of growing up in the saree business. Their great-grandfather Devatha Adappa Venkata Ratnam Setty and his nephew C S Venkataram – their grandfather – began trading in silks in 1920 when they founded Sree Vijayalakshmi Hall in Chickpet, one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods historically known for its textile enterprises. And since then, the family “has been taking care of this institution” which allowed this duo to understand that “the brand – Vijayalakshmi Silks – is really a feeling,” says Dhiren, speaking to the spark that pleated them into the family’s fold.

Through their childhood, even if they weren’t paying attention, they “were taught to understand the depth of each fabric, its association with a region, the meaning behind motifs, who are the weavers of these textiles; these were the kinds of information shown to us or talked [about] around us,” Dhiren adds. Through these conversations within the family, “we have come to actually love the trade we are part of,” he says.

Pleats, excuse the beauty

This duo and this over-a-century-old brand aren’t the only “beneficiaries” of these evolving conversations; the continuity of caretaking on the retail side is reflected in the making of the sarees too. “Luckily, we’ve inherited a network of weavers across the country, who have been weaving for generations as well. If we are fourth generation textile entrepreneurs, many of our weavers are in the same vein too,” Rohith explains. So, while they’re able to “preserve technique and designs,” Vijayalakshmi Silks is also able to evolve because they “trust their network of weavers” and give them “room to be creative,” adds Dhiren. But, it’s clear that they also have the bird’s eye view required to bring in different influences from different regions to change the feel of a saree without losing its fundamentals.

Vijayalakshmi Silks demonstrated their agility to navigate tradition, technique, and trend at their recently-concluded exhibition – Loom, Legacy & Landmark – to mark their 105th anniversary in April. Through 105 sarees, they showcased the depth of their relationship with their weavers’ network to “amplify old techniques like Ganga-Jamuna, or double contrasting colour, Kanjeevaram sarees, which we brought back into production,” says Rohith. Or they “dove into their logs and records of their weavers to revive motifs and embellishments that had been sacrificed to market trends,” Dhiren explains.

They even peppered in their innovations that respond to trends but remain rooted in tradition and technique. “The younger generation wants the look of a Kanjeevaram saree but also wants it to be lighter. So, along with our weavers in the South, we have developed a Kanjeevaram saree with Kota Doria,” Rohith explains. Kota Doria is a feather-light textile with its signature khats, or square-checkered weave, traditional to Rajasthan and synonymous with saree weaving styles from the North. “We have brought it to the South, and so, if anyone wants a lighter Kanjeevaram, we now have the answer,” adds Rohith.

Of royal silk

“Our DNA is South Indian,” they chorus at this point. This isn’t simply lore, it is backed with evidence. The heritage saree brand and this region share a close history. In 1912, eight years before the first Vijayalakshmi Silks store, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar founded the Mysore Silk Weaving Factory. His royal patronage was built on the sericulture seeded by Tipu Sultan in Channapatna in the 1780s, Japanese rearing methods, and imported Swiss machinery to gift Karnataka its contemporary identification with silk. And it seems obvious that the emerging Vijayalakshmi Silks would be the Mysore royal family’s go-to for their luxe drapes. It’s no wonder the Gandaberunda, a fierce, two-headed eagle, the symbol of the Wodeyars and the State, is signature to the sarees of Vijayalakshmi Silks. The Annapakshi, a mythical swan, is another one of their popular motifs.

At the exhibition, they even showcased a saree that they recreated from the wedding trousseau of Maharajkumari Kamakshi Devi Wodeyar of the Mysore royal family. While even accomplishing this might be considered rewarding, this five-month process demonstrates the deep ties between the royals, the brand, and the weavers. “We traced the original weaver family who wove this 60-year old saree, and it was recreated by his grandson,” Dhiren tells us, speaking to the strong bonds built over a century of being arbiters of taste.

This keen eye for the best comes from understanding that the saree isn’t simply six yards of fabric but it is a thoughtfully engineered garment. “The colour and the finish; the border and the design details – their size and dimensions – must all be in sync. Even if one element doesn’t work, we pass on it. We are very picky,” Dhiren asserts. Rohith recalls “nanayam, a word used by their elders during the selection process” to be their guiding principle. This old Tamil word for integrity reflects “the finesse, intricacy, and perfect balance” between the elements of this versatile garment that these fourth-generation selectors continue to look for in their sarees. This perceptive sensibility for perfect harmony has remained key to Vijayalakshmi Silks’ longevity.

The details: The 105 sarees of The Royal Mysore Edit from the Loom, Legacy & Landmark exhibition are available for sale at the Vijayalakshmi Silk stores in Bengaluru, Mysore & Hyderabad. Or buy them online here.