Sobhita Dhulipala, Brand Ambassador and Manish Saksena, Business Lead, Aadyam Handwoven | Pic: Aadyam Handwoven
Aadyam Handwoven recently onboarded actor Sobhita Dhulipala as the brand ambassador for its sarees. The corporate social enterprise by Aditya Birla pursues the cause of handwoven Indian textiles as carriers of memory, identity, and artistry. Dhulipala, who has shared her love for the nine yards previously, also taps into a discerning younger demographic that seeks authenticity in its lifestyle. Manish Saksena, Business Lead at Aadyam Handwoven, shares how Aadyam is taking India’s handloom into the future.
Why did you choose Sobhita Dhulipala as the brand ambassador for Aadyam?
Aadyam is first about the weaving community and then about the product. So, when we were looking for a personality, it had to be someone who could embody this idea. Sobhita has previously shared how she connects with this whole art form, hence it was a marriage of the sensibilities as well as the cause itself. Secondly, it’s important for us to take this textile to the global platform, and Sobhita’s career and international exposure achieve that.
How are you taking India’s handloom story into the future?
We use handloom across different categories apart from sarees. This is what needs to be highlighted as well, that there is more to handloom than sarees. We also take pride in is the fact that we work with our weavers as partners. We have complete transparency in terms of how we pay them and how we value their work. Our promise to them is that we will feed their looms 365 days irrespective of the market demand. The relationship is first about their livelihood and their art form alive. It is why the kind of customer who connects with us, our ethos and principles, believes that we are about restoration.
How do you ensure innovation and restoration of Indian handlooms go hand-in-hand?
It is a give-and-take relationship between our designers and the weavers. We respect that there is so much to learn from the weavers themselves. The way they understand colours and fabrics is different from how a modern designer thinks. We try to bridge traditional skills with modern sensibilities to appeal to a younger generation. We add fresh and interesting variations that still retain the signature of the craft, like the houndstooth on the Banarasi Tanchoi silk saree Sobhita wore.
Indian handloom is the quintessential example of luxury. Please comment.
I personally believe that luxury is not about pricing. I think the luxury here is that somebody actually sat on the loom and made it with their hands, and a saree came out after six months. You are bound to feel the emotions of the weaver when you wear it. Every piece is different and unique; it has to be identified as luxury.
