Roots Rewoven

For the past several months, WeaverStory has been working with Tata Trusts’ Antaran to revive the Venkatgiri cluster. 

During the first phase of this project, Team Antaran worked on documenting the revival designs by researching archives and museums and working with previous buyers of the Venkatgiri saree. These sarees are now being recreated and the lost design language of the cluster is being reintroduced. 

WeaverStory has taken a selective approach in reviving four archival designs, namely the Heart Jala, Rudraksh, Kattan Checks and the Sarada Saree which are being woven for the first time in over 70 years. Our efforts with Antaran focus on bringing back lost designs and upskilling weavers to weave 80-100 count cotton sarees, rekindling significant market interest in this historic craft. More weavers are being recognised for their contributions and are gaining control over new markets, eliminating unnecessary middlemen. As a result, the weavers and the customer…