Aditi Rao Hydari to Isha Ambani: Why is Bandhani trending in couture?

India’s rich cultural tapestry has been a constant source of inspiration for our Indian designers. Its various craft techniques have found a revered place in couture. Among the various Indian crafts, bandhani or bandhej has stood the test of time. Bandhani comes from the Sanskrit word bandha, which means to tie. It is created by tying small knots of fabric to prevent it from dying, this is also known as resist-dying.
This traditional technique goes back to the Indus Valley Civilization, where tie-dye textiles were found during the excavation of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa. However, this technique was brought to India by the Khatri community, who migrated from the Sindh region. Bandhani is now seeing its resurgence in wedding couture. From Anita Dongre’s recent campaign featuring bridal lehengas made with Bandhani technique to Kunal Rawal introducing bandhej in menswear at India Couture Week 2024, this craft is certainly having a moment in fashion. Actor Aditi Rao Hydari was also seen wearing a Bandhani saree from Raw Mango at stylist Eka Lakhani’s engagement recently and has showed her penchant for this technique. The Ambani ladies were all seen in beautiful Bandhani sarees during Anant and Radhika’s lavish wedding from Ghar Chola to Chandrakhani.
“Indian designers are mostly inspired by our heritage, which is so vibrant and rich. Bandhani or Bandhej is a very exciting technique for me because it is visually appealing. Since this technique is more womenswear focused, I wanted to introduce it in menswear, and hence I used this technique in kurtas and bandhgalas. We mostly see brighter hues like red, green, yellow and pink in Bandhani and we tried to created bandhani in mushroom, olive and dark wine shades. Those are the colours, we don’t usually see in Bandhani today,” opines designer Kunal Rawal.

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On being quizzed on whether Bandhani prints are accepted well among men, he said, “Since we are offering a modern take on Bandhage, our clients are totally loving it. People are now more liking to go back to their roots and wearing this age-old technique is a unique homage to their tradition.”
We also have to give it to our weavers and artisans for being so skillful, as the technique needs high skills and the entire process is done with fingertips or iron nails with the silk thread.
“Bandhani also comes in different patterns, like the one with single knot is called Ekdali, Trikunti is for three knots and chaubandi for four. Another reason for its popularity is because it perfectly aligns with the principle of ethical and sustainable fashion. And with most of us gravitating towards conscious clothing, it’s only makes sense to celebrate this beautiful technique in couture,” suggests designer Ridhimaa Gupta.
This season, the couture market is replete with bandhani lehengas and sarees. “A Bandhani lehenga can take easily around six to eight months to create as it is a labour intensive crafts,” says designer Siddhartha Bansal.