Shabiha Nur Khatoon
Textile designer Anupriya Mridha’s aim is to accentuate the exquisite appeal of traditional Orissan handloom and handicrafts and promote them on a global platform
With an aim to support and develop the handloom and handicraft sector in Orissa, Anupriya Mridha quit her mainstream design job and created the label ‘VaniVrtti’, which aims to take Orissan handloom to an international audience.
Anupriya Mridha was born and brought up in Koraput. She has always admired the rich culture and traditions of the adivasis. The craft, weaving techniques and drapes as well as the unique colour palette of adivasi art attracted Anupriya the artist, and urged her to pursue a career in textile design.
“I was always keen to unravel the latest trends in art and craft. After detailed study, I tried my hand at painting. Art is more like my hobby and also a stress buster. I wanted to take my passion to another level. After school, I chose to pursue science but, somewhere at the back of my mind, I wanted to join the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). So as soon as I completed my higher studies, I sat for the NIFT entrance and enrolled in NIFT Delhi,” she said.
Asked why she opted for textile design, the young entrepreneur said: “Orissa is rich in handloom. From childhood I have admired Boyanika and it fascinates me. During my stint at NIFT, I learnt a lot about Orissa. It was at the NIFT that I first came to know about Kotpad handloom. Kotpad Handloom is globally recognised for its natural dye. The natural dye is manufactured from the Aul tree grown in that area. The Kotpad tussar silk sari with tribal art and Kotpad handloom fabrics with natural colours are truly exclusive in style and appeal,” said the textile designer.
Further dwelling on Kotpad, Anupriya averred that the fabric is the first item from Orissa that received the Geographical Indication of India tag in 2005. The Mirgan community of Kotpad is famous for their exquisite organic dyed textile. They usually weave this textile for ‘Bhotada’, ‘Dharua’ and other motifs of the neighbouring tribal communities. This is the only village where natural dyeing is still practised in this form.
“Though I am from Koraput, I didn’t have much knowledge about Kotpad. Thanks to my professors at the NIFT, I came to realise the exquisite appeal of Kotpad. After visiting the area, I made a documentary on Kotpad handloom. At that time, my NIFT professor was doing a PhD on the subject and it was through him that I came to know more about the culture and heritage of Orissa.”
Anupriya did her internship under Gunjan Jain, a fashion designer from Bhubaneswar, and through her developed contacts and came to know a lot about her chosen vocation. After her internships, she went back to Delhi as she was in her final year. During the last year, students get the opportunity to showcase their creativity and her creations fetched her a FabIndia internship. That was how her journey in the world of textile design began.
It was August 7, 2016, on National Handloom Day, that Anupriya started her label ‘Vanvrtti’.
Talking about her start up, the textile designer explained that the inspiration behind ‘VaniVrtti’, which literally means ‘weaving livelihood’ in Sanskrit, is a home art studio born in a beautiful valley named Koraput which aims to generate a valuable livelihood for the community of artisans and weavers and make them feel proud and confident about their art, craft, traditions and profession.
Her initiative also aimed to recognise and support the skills of the artisans and weavers of the handloom and handicraft sector who are based in India’s villages.
Anupriya aims to encourage artisans and weavers to recreate traditional designs by promising them a market for their creations.
The textile designer divulged her future plans: “I have signed a project with the Titan group of companies as they are planning to start an exclusive sari store across India. So, for them I am the face of Orissa,” she said.
Anupriya’s memorable moments were when she exhibited her creations as a student at an event where the chief guest, the acclaimed fashion designer Ritu Beri asked her to own one of her designs.
Anupriya is also the first women from Orissa to start zari work in textiles and fabrics.
