Going back to the basics of buying a saree

A walk down Hindmata cloth market in bustling Dadar is as much an open invitation to a performance as it is to shopping One side of the street is lined with cubbyhole saree shops all wholesale their walls stacked with folded six yards from ceiling to floor The salesmen sit around the edges the customers usually at the center as they pull out piece by piece unraveling each before the buyer The transaction is an equal one with both salesman and customer sitting on a cotton mattress lined floor a heap of sandals at the entrance signaling to approaching buyers that they must wait their turnEkayas Defence Colony store replicates oldworld gaddi seating where the salesperson opens out saree after saree before the customer even draping it on himself to offer her an idea of fall and finishThis has been middleclass Indias saree shopping experience for centuries To cater to the privileged saree wearer however the setup was raised a few feet off the floor The shoppers at Kala Niketan or Nallis sit on chairs while the salesman unravels saree after saree on a tabletop lined with a cotton mul mattress not very different from the one you sit onThe modern shopping experience however meant that sarees too especially the precious designer ones would be sold like western garments on hangers Customers would browse pull out what they liked and drape something that particularly caught their fancy in a plush changing roomThe last few years have seen a revival of interest in the saree especially in urban centers and designers working directly with clusters of weavers are to thank for making some noise around traditional weavesInterestingly going back to ancient techniques of weaving and the resurgence of antiquated motifs also means that designers are rethinking how the saree will be soldThe Raw Mango store at Apollo Bunder stacks sarees in almirahs much like they would sit in someonersquos homeShah Narayan Das one of Benarasi brocades oldest champions has retailed its creations from Varanasis most famous market at Chowk Their brand Ekaya which Bharat Shahs daughter Parul now helms retails out of a fancy twinlevel boutique at Delhis Defence Colony A new Hyderabad store was launched last week and the Shahs were clear that hangers were out and gaddis inArchitect Ambrish Arora was handed a brief that challenged him to recreate Varanasis old world charm of saree hawking but in a luxurious environment Corners of the store are used to station a diwan where the customer makes herself comfortable while the salesman alternates between standing and sitting on a gaddi before her pulling out folded sarees from a shelf behind and unraveling Benarasis scattered with butis bels and jaalis The experience is identical says Payal except that you sit on a cushionlined diwan State your preference and the gaddidar will find you your preferred drapeHaving traded in Benarasis for four generations the Shahs realised that while India was used to a traditional saree retail experience the overall luxury fashion business had seen drastic changes in the last five years The saree is not a garment any longer Its considered couture Weve upgraded the shopping experience to evoke a sense of luxury while purchasing a saree but borrowed from the past Payal saysSagrika Rai got composer Dr Prakash Sontakke to come up with an original instrumental score to play at her store The cluck of the loom the swish of boats that bob on the Ganga play in the background as Rairsquos clients make their purchase sipping on Banarasi thandai or chaiSanjay Garg of Raw Mango an indigenous label that works at contemporarising ancient weaves has traded prawling gaddis for minimal furniture although the spirit of retail remains traditional White almirahs lined along the walls of a sparse showroom at Mumbais Apollo Bunder hold within they folded Chanderis and Benarasis in the juiciest of colours Classical definitions of lifestyle have changed as has saree retail For instance nobody calls it baithak anymore its a drawing room Gandhiji wondered if English would become our national language some day and I think it has We have begun to think EnglishBut his flagship store in the city reflects Gandhis frugal aesthetic with whitewashed walls and metal beamsDust is a common problem in our country so open display was out of the question he explains explaining why he didnt choose hangers for his creations Hence the idea of an almirah We urge our clients to treat it like their own he adds And so unlike other stores where you touch and feel what the salesperson curates for you Garg wants you to feel at home while browsing through the stash inside the almirahsHis New Delhi store of course retails the saree in a more decadent setting with gaddas and floor cushions inviting customers to relax on the floor The buzz around sarees has led designers who otherwise specialise in Western wear to work on drape as well and sell it in a modern setup Its not uncommon to hear them scoff at my store interiors calling it an oldstyle saree shop But thats perfectly okay he shrugsSaree revivalist and author of Saris of India Tradition and Beyond Rta kapurChisti puts the retail experience shift in context The retail game has changed over the last eight years The market is flooded with sarees in delicate georgette and chiffon weighed down by rhinestones and sequin They are so fragile that stacking them can damage them She says that the way in which a saree is folded signals its tenacity Bengal weaves are always rolled up while the Gadwal sarees uniqueness allows it to be folded to fit into a matchbox Large boutiques and several designers are concerned with meeting the demand for these heavily embellished sarees leaving stores with little choice but to drape them on mannequins or display them on hangers she saysSagrika Rai who has been championing the cause of the Benarasi since the 1990s and runs Warp amp Weft at Marine Lines says the saree buyer enjoys the experience of a salesman catering to her instead of female staffers just like in the small towns They love the attention she laughs She may have her sarees stand on hangers but the smells and sounds of the ghats of Varanasi are very much around Rai who spent her childhood in the temple town got Dr Prakash Sontakke an old friend and cocomposer of the Grammy winning album Winds of Samsaara to come up with an original instrumental score to play at her store The cluck of the loom the swish of the boats that bob on the Ganga play in the background as Rais clients make their purchase sipping on Banarasi thandai or chaiWhat you serve is as important as what you serve it in Garg smiles At his store tea and coffee are served in glasses on a distressed brass thaal Its not surprising that enticed by the experienced his clients have warned him Boss you change or modernize the store and we are off