Updating the kanjeevaram sari

Jeyasree Ravi collaborated with weavers to find ways to make the traditional sari lightweight, wrinkle-free and easy to wear

Can a kanjeevaram be lightweight, wrinkle-free and trendy, without losing its age-old, traditional ‘pattu sari’ character? Jeyasree Ravi, proprietor of Palam Silks, has attempted to create a version that ticks all these boxes.

Many years of experimenting with traditional kanjeevaram fabric resulted in her Fabric of Dreams show, organised in April this year. The immense response encouraged her to participate in the Vogue Wedding show held recently in Delhi.

“Ours was the only stall at the event representing South Indian bridal silks, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fascination that young soon-to-be-married women had for kanjeevarams. Just like how south Indian brides opt for lehengas now, brides up north seem to be choosing kanjeevaram saris,” says Jeyasree.

Her new Nava collection is lightweight and wrinkle-free. She says it is woven with superior techniques to create the lustre and feel of traditional kanjeevarams. “I experimented with colours such as burnt orange, peach, blue, green and pastels, avoiding traditional colours such as maroon and green. In the Nava range, we have used two yarns of zari and two yarns of silk thread. This gives lustre to the fabric. It has the sheen, but is at the same time light,” she says. The Nava range of saris weighs anywhere between 0.9 to 1.20 kilograms, whereas the traditional Kanjeevaram bridal sari weighs 1.20 kilograms upwards.

She adds, “Wedding saris are often worn just once. I wanted to create saris that are contemporary so they can be worn for multiple occasions.” She says these saris are also easy to maintain as zari is woven along with silk thread, thus increasing longevity.

Along with her two daughters, Vineeta Palam and Sunita Palam, Jeyasree designs the saris for each season. They work with dedicated weavers based in Kanchipuram and surrounding regions.

Jeyasree says most of the men in Kanchipuram have taken up other careers, so women in the family are encouraged to weave during their free time. “In order to make the process of weaving easier for women, we use a motorised pedal and the rest of the process is by hand,” she adds. “As these saris are handwoven and the dye used is eco-friendly, they are not easy to replicate.

Jeyasree says she established Palam Silks in Pondy Bazaar in 2003, at the age of 36. “I come from the Nalli Silks family and married into the Kumaran Silks family. So when I entered the market, I wanted a unique identity. That is when I started focussing on fabric and design,” she says, adding, “However, we attend to our customers in the traditional old style, like how silk merchants used to traditionally come home and display saris.”