National Handloom Day: Tiger Stripes Collection Chakradhara By Warp N Weft And WWF India

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Chakradhara, a collection that threads the stripes of the tiger and its closeness with nature and sustainability while living the essence of Indian crafts and culture. This project spells out love for tigers that can have a wide and meaningful impact to uplift the consciousness and yet evolving mindset of our Indian audiences towards conservation of the species, nature and our forest lands.

Warp 'n Weft, a textile brand that weaves pure handloom Banarasi textiles with their unique handloom project 'Chakradhara', collaborates with WWF India to celebrate the Year of the Tiger and the conservation efforts to support the thriving population.

Shraman Jha, Director-Marketing, Communications and Fundraising WWF India, said, "It is a unique partnership bringing together the two national heritages of India- handlooms and tigers together. Five decades of dedicated efforts to conserve tigers in India has brought out some significant results, a thriving population of big cats, the highest among all tiger range countries. We thank Warp 'n Weft for conceptualising and weaving the banarasi handloom collection to celebrate the tiger."

On National Handloom Day, threading and working with the Banarasi Handloom under the vision and passionate enterprise of the Founder, Ms Sagrika Rai, for the upliftment and promotion of this artisanal craftsmanship and empowerment of weavers in the industry.

Emphasising the relevance of the project 'Chakradhara', Sagrika Rai, Founder & Creative Director, Warp 'n Weft, said, "It is a strong, impactful collaboration between two ethical institutions. We pledge to contribute a part of the sales proceeds to WWF India, contributing to nature and wildlife conservation. We hope this handwoven project will further bring the deserved boost to tiger conservation and spread the word far and wide".

Story of Chakradhara

A wildlife enthusiast, Ms Rai's husband, Dinkar Rai- took a picture of a tiger in Bandhavgarh National Reserve, which was used as the central basis for this project. Smitten by the beauty of the majestic Bengal Tiger, the team at Warp 'n Weft created a tiger face graphed, loomed, and engineered to precision. After many iterations got close to the original photograph with the ethnic style of nakshi kadhwa, a signature technique of Banarasi handloom weaving. The commitment to sustainability has remained paramount throughout this process, commissioning the grassroots master weavers from the historic handloom clusters of Varanasi with decades-long experience. The base texture of the fabric is a combination of natural yarns that harkens to the forest grasslands of India, 'Chakradhara', the lively meadows inside the Bandhavgarh National Reserve - taking inspiration from where the photo was taken.