WHY QISSAA

Textile narratives!  Legends of the Indian artisan. Regional traditions, culture and history!

Qissaa is the yarn, anecdote, the story. The story of the artisan. The weave, the warp, the weft tells a tale. It is a living testimony to the skill and deft manipulations of the weaver. It talks of the transformation of the humble cocoon, the cotton pods to fabric –  to cover,  to adorn, to keep warm to tempt, to lure. It is a personal statement. The outfits designed, belong to the people, their habitat… the flora and fauna. The colours and the motifs sing paeans to the seasons. The peacocks dance heralding the monsoons, The trees blossom with flowers and fruits. The mango is the paisley, the creepers of trees embellish the backgrounds. Mythology, Gods and Goddesses are used on fabrics to authenticate our spirituality. Krishna plays his flute, Rama pursues the golden deer, the mirage! Many eras, legends are woven into the fabric of our society. The clothes tell the “Qissaas” of a bygone era and today and the promise of tomorrow.

Vibha Mitra, I the sutradhar! A woman who was taught to fashion a career out of academics and managed to achieve the merits. My heart however has remained with the Arts! Literature, philosophy. Colours. Textures and designs   fascinated me as did Indian myths and traditions. I loved soaking in art – paintings, textiles, nature, people, stories. When my son took over the test prep I had started the natural transition was to let go.  I took the plunge and indulged in a spree of handloom buying, creating and Qissaa was born. An eclectic lifestyle store. I hope this Qissaa can unfold many colourful moments for our collective consciousness in this journey for the Indian artisan!

 

The focus is handloom. This collection has tussars and cottons and organic dyes. The collection is block batik and nakshi kanthas from Bangladesh.

Tussars have an earthy feel. The fabric breathes and can be worn in not very hot summers also. Tussar silk is considered more textured than cultivated or “mulberry” silk. It has a dull gold sheen. Down to earth!

Nakshi kantha, a type of embroidered quilt, is a centuries-old Bengali art tradition.The basic material used is thread and old cloth. The colourful patterns and designs that are embroidered resulted in the name “Nakshi Kantha”, which was derived from the Bengali word “naksha”, which refers to artistic patterns.

Batik A technique of wax-resist dyeing applied. Not with a brush, but wax applied with blocks. The colouring is unique – layered.

Organic dyes – Our shastras speak of colours of nature. Flowers fruits their exotic colours. The hartaki gives a golden hue. Boiled with iron is charcoal. Khair makes it an exotic rust. Back to basics!

Indigo – Neel – Blue symbolism associated with the darker shades of blue, indigo conveys trust, truthfulness, and stability. It also may have some of the authority and royalty of purple as indigo was considered a royal blue. Blue is also sadness. It is the soul of music. It is Krishna!