About TDF Session 213
More details on the session and the Zoom link available on Registration.
About Aratrik Dev Varman
Aratrik Dev Varman is a textile/clothing designer and founder of Tilla, a design practice and fashion label established in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. His work at Tilla focuses on handmade Indian textiles and craftsmanship. At its heart, Tilla is defined by a practical and elegant aesthetic that adapts easily to different contexts globally, outlining an approach to living and working with traditional crafts in a modern world. This balance is brought about in an ecosystem of mindful design and slow production, with minimal waste being an important part of the design ethos.
Tilla clothing is sold at leading design stores in India and internationally. Since its inception, the brand has expanded from fashion to include wallpaper, interior textiles, textile art/installations and a café as an extension to its portfolio of work.
Aratrik studied textile design at NID (National Institute of Design), Ahmedabad (2003), and fashion design at ENSAD (École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs) in Paris.
About THE RISHA: HISTORY IN A NARROW WEAVE
by Aratrik Dev Varman and Jisha Unnikrishnan
Publisher: Marg magazine, vol. 75, No. 3, Dec 2023-March 2024
Risha is a narrow textile, no more than 30 cms wide and 160 cms long, woven and worn by women of the indigenous tribes of Tripura as a breast cloth wrapped around the upper body. Made on a simple back-strap loom fashioned locally out of bamboo, these textiles have existed since antiquity and are an indicator of a self-sufficient way of life characteristic of tribal societies in the north eastern region of India. Each tribe wove for their own needs and identified with a distinct set of colours and motifs drawn from their natural surroundings, which when seen collectively, deepens one’s appreciation of the range of creative expression and skill intrinsic to the craft.
This study documents 32 such traditional rishas, divided into two groups- one that features some very rare examples in silk and precious metallic thread from the late 19th century worn by royalty and the other, a collection of cotton pieces from the 1970’s woven by commoners in different tribal villages across the state. Each set is accompanied by archival photographs of women wearing the risha and other styles of clothing from the eras in question, helping the reader to imagine the different historical contexts in which these breast cloths existed. The text, in parallel, analyses the major cultural influences and events of the time that would have had a bearing on this tradition, outlining the reasons for the disappearance of this textile from the royal household and tracing its transition from being a functional garment for everyday use to acquiring symbolic status in the context of modern-day identity politics in the north east.
About Tilla
Tilla (n: hill) is a design studio based in Ahmedabad, India. Established in 2011 by clothing designer Aratrik Dev Varman, the brand celebrates handmade Indian textiles and craftsmanship. At its heart, it is defined by a practical and elegant aesthetic that adapts easily to different contexts globally, outlining an approach to living and working with traditional crafts in a modern world. This balance is brought about in an ecosystem of mindful design and slow production, with minimal waste being an important part of the design ethos. Tilla clothing is sold at leading design stores in India and internationally. Since its inception, the brand has expanded from fashion to include wallpaper, interior textiles, textile art/installations and a café as an extension to its portfolio of work.
