Esther ✾ South Cotton Dress ✾ 3

Astha andSidharth is not just an eponymous label. Our work is a conversation about thepresent transitional nature of our country, we create products that dwell fromthe soil of our nation but mutate them to a more contemporary form. We oftentry to add a twist to the banality of a craft, intentionally breaking thestereotypes and creating distinctiveness.

It is a matter of lasting happiness,dispelling the feeling of boredom and creating exhilarating experience, this isthe nature of our work. We don’t work we play and throw ourselves into it withgreat energy and dedication. Rambling around India we came across some of themost enchanted frontiers and our love for textiles deepened to an undreamtdepth. When the whole world is racing for something or the other, there comes aplace where life has its own relaxed pace and simplicity, where they are notstriving for perfection but yearn for a fresh aesthetic experience functioningto their fullest potential .That is where the most beautiful handlooms takebirth. Their tales have become our inspiration. Working with handloom likeKhadi, Chanderi, Jamdani and crafts like block printing and tie and dye , wetry and retell these stories through our products .We constantly strive fordoing meaningful work and for better quality of working life for people who areassociated with us.

The story is about farmers and herders,who tamed the wild, breed edible seeds and food, about merchants andcraftspeople who braved mountains and deep waters to exchange knowledge, aboutrustic engineers and metallurgists who first hammered copper. Their combinedcontribution to our normal routine lives is much greater than what warriorshave accomplished or emperors have bequeathed. We work with the same ethos,contributing and trying our best to bring about the change in the little waysthat we can.

This collection has been made byamalgamating the various textures of this textile into relaxed silhouettes. Itis of extreme importance for the buyer and wearer of this product, tounderstand that each yarn of their outfit has been woven with utmost precision.It was through the composure of the dresser, patience of the winder anddiligence of the weaver that this fabric could be produced.

Block printing is a veryscrupulous and meticulous technique of printing where each color in the designis intricately carved on wooden block. It is further stamped over the fabricrepeatedly color by color. Elephants, peacocks, paisleys, lotus, leaves etc.are chiseled and carved on sheesham wood and brought to life when stamped withcolor on fabric.

We try and experiment with this craftby putting this traditional technique into a more contemporary form.