downloading the Nest in Paris Book

L O O M T O L U X U RY:
VA R A N A S I T O P A R I S
A N e st A rt i san Jo u r n e y
Table of Contents:
Forward
The Decline of a 500 year-old Tradition
The Visionaries
Jitendra Kumar and Megan Ryley
The Collection Comes to Life
The Inspiration: Tradition Reimagined
The Process: Artisans at Work
The Completion: A Masterpiece Emerges
The Paris Debut
The Collection is Launched: A Warm Reception
Afterword & Credits
The Next Chapter
Part 1. Forward
Reviving a 500 year-old Tradition
This story follows the journey from The City of Temples to The City of Lights, from loom to
luxury. The tale marks a new chapter for Nest’s Varanasi Project, an initiative aimed at rescuing
and reviving the 500 year-old silk-weaving tradition in Varanasi, India.
Only just one decade ago, as many as 100,000 handlooms were actively in use. Since the rise
of the power loom and the outsourcing of cheap labor to China, this number has more than
halved. The economic decline of Varanasi’s weavers has been linked to devastating social issues
from starvation to suicide. Nest, in partnership with its artisan partner, Loom to Luxury, has set
out on a journey to address these issues.
In tandem with Paris’ premiere textile show, Premier Vision, Nest and Loom to Luxury traveled
to fashion’s capitol to unveil the business’ first solo-collection of hand-loomed silks. Designed by
a consultant with experience producing for Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, and Versace,
the debut collection demonstrated with breathtaking nuance the vast array of opportunities for
designers to work with ancient handloom techniques through a modern lens. Shared privately
with luxury buyers like Lanvin, Phillip Lim and Jean Paul Gaultier, quoted by Women’s Wear
Daily as “upping the artisanal factor”, the collection was received with praise - signifying a critical leap towards greater market access for Loom to Luxury.
What follows is the story of the Loom to Luxury Spring/Summer 2016 collection from start
to finish, Varanasi to Paris. It is a fearless quest for market access aimed at reviving a beautiful
craft tradition and a cultural way of life while bringing renewed hope to the weaving families
of rural Varanasi.
Part 2. The Visionaries
Jitendra Kumar, A Man with A Mission
Jitendar Kumar is the Founder of Loom to Luxury, one of the last remaining handloom silk weaving enterprises in Varanasi, India. At the heart of Jitendra’s mission is his belief that luxurious hand-made silk is only the final result of a production process that starts at the loom. It begins with the weaving families themselves: the women who cut and finish each
and every silk with care, the men who tirelessly sit at the loom and the families whom they together support. Through
his business, Jitendra is committed to building a community of happy and healthy artisans working in a safe, inspiring
environment.
Looking towards the future, Jitendra believes that his artisans will set an example for future generations who will see weaving not only as a viable source of income for their families, but as a national tradition worthy of pride and preservation.
Nest is proud to work alongside Jitendra to further these goals.
Megan Ryley, A Designer with a Dream
Throughout Megan’s impressive tenure in the fashion industry, she has cultivated a a deep understanding of the
product development aspect of design. In the luxury market, Ms. Ryley has had the pleasure of working with internationally acclaimed designers including Oscar de le Renta, Carolina Hererra, Jenny Packham, Versace, and more.
Her extensive experience handling all aspects of design, including surface design and garment design, contributes to
her in-depth knowledge of a wide range of printing, washing, dying, embroidery and weaving techniques. Megan has
traveled, worked and lived across Asia, Europe and North America – consulting with contemporary companies interested in Indian production.
A Match is Made
Nest and Jitendra were introduced to Megan in early 2014 at a time when on the lookout for a standout designer and
production manager to lead the launch of Loom to Luxury’s first solo collection of silks. Jitendra and Nest knew that
with Megan’s modern design sensitivity, intricate knowledge of wide-ranging production techniques, and personal
connection to Indian cultural traditions, she would guide the weavers in turning out a of memorable collection of silks
destined for the modern luxury market.
The Collection Comes to Life
The Inspiration: Tradition Reimagined
Take a look behind the scenes of the thought process and inspiration behind Megan Ryley’s collection development
from start to finish. Here we explore the journey in her own words:
Knowing the long and rich history of Loom to Luxury, and melding that with the initial sense of the exotic, was an important part of my creative inspiration for the collection. I began to develop groups based in a nomadic journey across
the globe - a journey that would be realized in the colors and textures, as well as the evolving patterns that we used.
In our first group, “Caravan”, I started with
two incredible images of an elderly Cuban
woman and a traditional Rajasthani man.
These spoke of hard-earned wisdom, timeloved color, and our home base in India. We
used natural, weathered colors set against rich
earth tones and played with the contrast of
luxe shine and comfortable matte finishes.
We then progressed into a more nostalgic color palette and softer textures in “Palm Beach
Vintage”, which evokes a feeling of faded
memories and late afternoons spent basking in
subtle sunlight. These two groups are wonderfully representative of the journey from
East to West, and you can see this transition in
both the pattern and colors.
With the “Attic Nomad” group, I wanted to
combine the two sensibilities into a mashup of pattern and deeper, more jewel-toned
color. Feeling that cultural combinations make
for incredible outcomes, this group is all about
playing with unusual pairings of color and
design.
Our final group “BollyPOP” brings us back to
the riotous land of India - with intense, brash
color and striking patterns borrowed from our
journey. The finale is both simple and graphic, and leaves a strong lasting impression.
The Process: Artisans at Work
The artisans set to work on an eight-month
long production process, boldly embracing
departures from the traditional, with both
hard work and hope. With each strand of
silk, a piece of the weaver was woven along
with it his emotions manifested into the
fabric itself. These slight variations can
be celebrated not only as a mark of a true
handloom product, but as a symbol of the
human spirit that has gone into its creation.
Editor’s Notes:
“Tussar Silk” is a natural spun raw silk
produced in India, which is considered to be
“non-violent” and non-harmful to the silk
worm, as the worm is left to its normal
cycle and the cocoon is only harvested
after it has emerged.
The collection utilized very fine kadhi cotton
yarn, which is hand spun, lending it its
naturally slubby appearance. This added
to the subtle textures of some the
collection’s patterns.
“Jamdani” (right) is a technique that can
only be achieved in a handloom fabric, as
the thread does not travel from selvedge to
selvedge, but rather is localized to the motif
area only. It is essentially a singular woven
motif in a larger woven fabric, almost like an
embroidery that is made by the weaver.
The Completion: A Masterpiece Emerges
In an isolated corner of rural India, a small
and passionate group of artisans pushed
the petal on the final thread of a sixty-piece
collection. Their first solo collection was
complete.
Where to take the luxurious masterpiece?
Where else than the chicest city on earth.
And so months of work were packed up
into one single suitcase.
Part 4. The Paris Debut
The Collection is Launched to a Warm Reception
On February 9th, 2015, in tandem with
Paris’ premiere textile show, Premiere Vision,
Nest brought Loom to Luxury to Paris to
unveil the business’ first solo-collection of
hand-loomed silks. It was an opportune
occasion to show the collection - a time when
top luxury buyers were on the lookout for the
most distinguished new textiles.
Showing via privately booked appointments
at Le Marais’ Hotel Bourg Tibourg, the
collection was shared with warm reception
to luxury brands including Lanvin, Cedric
Chalier, Oscar de la Renta, Phillip Lim, JeanPaul Gaultier and Maison Martin Margiela
“The Loom to Luxury fabric collection is
really very beautiful and refined, and quite
modern considering they are woven by
hand in villages. Quite wearable as well.”
- Tina Robinson, Oscar de la Renta
Out of a crowded sea of thousands
of world’s most beautiful textiles,
WWD featured the collection as the
leading face of its Premiere Vision top
selections, quoting Loom to Luxury
as “upping the artisanal factor”
Afterword & Credits
The story continues for Loom to Luxury as they look forward to showing the collection to
the luxury design houses of New York City. With a goal of moving towards sustainability and
independence, Loom to Luxury anticipates the creation of next season’s collection—
this time with Jitenda at the helm under Megan’s guidance.
To make this story possible, generous donations from Nest supporters funded a professional
consultancy with Megan Ryley, airfare to Paris, sampling costs, and access to professional
services allowing the team to book brand meetings with the top luxury labels in Paris.
Thank you to Nest’s donors for your continued support.
This project still needs support. If you are new to this project and would like to
donate or to learn more, please visit www.buildanest.org.
We also invite you to join our growing movement
on both Facebook and Instagram @buildanest.
About Nest
Nest is partnering with the world’s most promising artisans to build sustainable businesses within
the competitive landscape of today’s global economy. Simultaneously, Nest is transforming
artisan communities through the alleviation of poverty, empowerment of women and promotion
of peace. Taking a participatory approach to change, Nest projects are uniquely hands-on from
inception through completion, beginning with a rigorous needs appraisal and closing with the
formation of enduring partnerships with leading brands in the fashion and design space.