We at BANDHEJ believe craftsmanship is a luxurious fusion of creativity and artisanal hand skills
BANDHEJ is known for its contemporary interpretation of the rich, traditional craft techniques and the innovations reflect in its fashion collections, creating a unique design idiom and identity for the brand.

Bandhej was started in 1981 by Archana Shah, an alumna of the National Institute of Design. The first store opened in Ahmedabad in 1985. BANDHEJ was one of the first 'designer' labels in the country, which while drawing upon the Indian heritage in textiles also reflected a very contemporary sensibility in the design of its fabrics and clothing for women, offering a range of fashion collections for a multicultural woman, who is looking for eclectic apparel that reflects her strong sense of self and style.

Archana Shah says "At Bandhej, craft is not treated like fashion novelty to be forgotten when not in vogue. The attempt has been to constantly find new design directions for the same crafts. It is a design challenge to innovate and continue working with craft communities with whom working relationships have been built over the last many years."

 

about BANDHEJ

The BANDHEJ brand was established by Archana Shah in 1985, with a vision to uphold, preserve and promote the precious hand skills and inherent knowledge of the indigenous artisans through collaborative design interventions. Over the years, BANDHEJ has created a distinct identity for itself, offering a range of eco-friendly, handmade fashion clothing that has an understated elegance and reflect tradition, innovation, simplicity and sophistication.

All textiles are designed at their design studio and produced in collaboration with skilled traditional craftspeople from different corners of the country such as Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Kutch, Rajasthan and Benares. Clothes are designed and produced at the BANDHEJ workshop in Ahmedabad. Intricate embellishments, hand embroidery, mookesh and appliqué is done by a large number of traditional craft people in and around Ahmedabad.

On her commitment to craft, Archana says "Today this network of many hundred craftspeople forms the base for our creations. We at BANDHEJ are committed to improving the quality of the craft techniques and encouraging the younger generation to continue pursuing their craft tradition."

 

Archana sampling block printed fabrics with Rajak, Dhamadka 1981

Archana discussing with Jamini, a weaver in Assam, 2019

 

About Archana Shah

Archana Shah has been collaborating with artisans around the country for the last 40 years to create textiles for urban markets. As a design student at NID, she developed a keen interest in the traditional craft skills of indigenous artisans, and travelled to remote corners of the country to study, understand and experience the vast variety of weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery and ornamentation techniques practised by different communities. This proved to be a very enriching journey, and the unique skills of the people of various regions, their distinctive colour palettes, and rich design vocabulary became the base for all her future work.

This journey motivated her to start a clothing company, BANDHEJ, in 1985, a label that focuses on traditional textile skills, and offers a range of eco-friendly, handcrafted, clothing for Indian women with an eastern sensibility. The company was started with the vision of upholding, preserving and promoting the precious skills and inherent knowledge of indigenous artisans through collaborative design interventions. Over the years, through many initiatives and interactions, she has been able to revive and rejuvenate several craft skills, thereby encouraging young artisans to realise that they can earn a decent livelihood by pursuing their traditional vocation.

In 2013, she published her first book, SHIFTING SANDS, Kutch: A Land in Transition. It recounts her personal journey of discovery, which is interwoven with her association of over four decades with the land of Kutch, its people and their crafts. She is working on her next book on the value of handcrafted textiles in present times.

 

Textile Crafts of India

A great variety of handcrafted textiles were produced in every nook and corner of rural India. This diverse range of textile skills, narrate the story of our indigenous design vocabulary. Each region offers a wealth of unique skills, a wide range of textiles, patterns and colour palates, using diverse materials and methods. Most places in the World have lost their hand skills. We, are fortunate; most of our of crafts skills have survived and many artisans continue to have the skills to produce the exquisite textiles we admire in museums. The map is only a glimpse, showcasing a select representation of the diverse craft skills unique to each region.

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