Indian craftsmanship is at the core of my process and mission
Shaza is a revival project of an age-old craftsmanship on finest wool. Founded in 2017, the India-based brand has been reviving art inspired by nature, folklore and traditions. Speaking stories through art bringing together Kahani and Karigari in every timeless piece, the brand serves to protect, inform and educate about a history untold. Speaking to Fibre2Fashion, Founder Shruti Gupta talks about her mission, pashmina shawls, and creation of Ayodhya Tales.
How do you see the role of traditional craftsmanship in today’s fashion industry, especially in the context of fast fashion?
Traditional craftsmanship plays a crucial role in the contemporary fashion industry, even amidst the rise of fast fashion. Every trend, new technique, fabric, or draping style is often a reinvention or adaptation of those that have existed for centuries. Although trends may fluctuate rapidly, classic designs endure and frequently become top sellers.
For example, we have seen a significant increase in the use of natural fabrics in the retail industry. An increasing number of brands are now championing green and slow fashion, a philosophy that aligns seamlessly with our commitment to time-honoured craftsmanship.
Can you discuss some of the challenges and rewards of working with local artisans?
Working with local artisans certainly comes with its challenges, yet the rewards are undeniably more significant. One challenge lies in assembling a team of artisans who share the same aesthetics and skill level, since this type of craftsmanship is unique and only a select few have mastered it. It is indeed a time-consuming process to set up a chain of crafters for each stage, as each one’s proficiency is reliant on another’s capability.
Post-COVID, we have faced issues with rampant migration, making it difficult to maintain a consistent workforce in cities, particularly during holidays and times of crisis. However, the ultimate reward lies in witnessing the breathtaking talent of these artisans. Each one is gifted, able to produce stunning designs that are worth every bit of time and investment. Their involvement at all levels, including offering design tips, fosters a sense of liberation and fosters a deeper connection between us.
How do you perceive the importance of sustainability in the textile industry and what steps do you believe should be taken to make it more prevalent?
Understanding the concept of sustainability in the textile industry is crucial. Broadly speaking, it involves using natural resources in a way that does not lead to their depletion, while also employing processes that do not harm the environment. Given our heavy reliance on both organic and non-organic fabrics, it is important to scrutinise the processes and effects of both. It goes without saying that non-natural fabrics can be damaging to the environment and are even harder to dispose of sustainably.
The prevalence of the textile industry is largely driven by the fashion industry. The constant race to keep up with the latest trends often leads to reckless production, resulting in massive amounts of fabric and garments being produced and discarded in a short span of time. This contributes to our biggest problem: waste, which ultimately ends up in landfills, incinerators, and oceans.
Upon reflection of our own processes at Shaza, we have identified a few strategies that allow us to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste. As a slow fashion brand, we only produce items when there is demand, rather than stocking large collections for sale, thus reducing waste. Instead of maintaining large physical inventories, we prefer to use samples or online images to showcase our previous work to customers.
Even our discarded fabrics are put to use. We innovate by turning them into entirely new pieces. Our designers’ skills and experience with pashmina prove invaluable here. For instance, we recycle our old stock to make jackets and capes and even encourage our customers to send us their old collections for a fresh update. We embellish these pieces with zardosi and aari work, thereby recycling them.
We also donate our textile scraps to NGOs where women transform them into toys, blankets, and accessories. We then purchase these items for PR gifting as a means of supporting these initiatives.
What inspired you to venture into the world of textile design, and how did your journey begin?
Shaza is a collective. A union and a tale. It is a revival of an age-old craftsmanship inspired by nature, folklore and traditions. It is a revival of art, culture and historic moments. The name is the perfect union of two cultures. The letters “sh” are my initial letters and “aza” belongs to my love who inspired me to experience another culture with mind and heart. It is a true love story. We wanted to weave together cultural legacy, preserving heritage and educating about ancient weaving techniques.
Can you give us an overview of Shaza and its mission? How did you come up with the idea for the platform?
Shawls have been a beacon of age-old luxury and royalty. They can travel back in time to bring stories on drapes with grace and creativity. A shawl is inclusive—it is for all genders, ages, body types and occasions. Due to all these reasons and to make shawls always in trend, we came up with this idea.
How does your design process work, from the initial idea to the final product? Can you walk us through a typical design journey?
Indian craftsmanship is at the core of my process and mission. From the start of pashmina weaving to establish complicated needleskill techniques, we are deeply invested in our weavers’ community. Each product goes through a belt of minimum 12 karigars (craftspersons) before it reaches our shelves. We have pashmina weavers, knitting weavers, painters, masters, embroiderers and then designers who are able to expand the brand’s vision into products.
What challenges have you faced while building and growing Shaza? How have you overcome them?
Building trust is the biggest challenge in the pashmina wool industry where quality should be the most premium. Staying unique with designs and competing on prices with the powerlooms woollen industry of India has been the second most challenging issue we have faced. The only way to overcome these challenges is to have an authentic approach and reach out to the correct audience with the right strategies.
Shaza is an ‘untold story of Karigari & Kahani’. Can you delve deeper into this statement and explain what it signifies for your brand?
Stories. Experiences and Nature. I am a geek of mythology and mysteries that have been spun into folklores. As a wildlife student, my observations extended beyond mere sightings to creating patterns and understanding processes. For instance, our artwork collection is my tryst with nature which led to creation of motifs of butterflies, beetles, marines among others. We merge Karigari & Kahani by taking a journey or rediscovering self—traversing beyond the conventions of modernity with designs inspired by decades old art forms, with techniques that are a testament to Indian textiles.
Could you share about the ‘Ayodhya Tales’? What inspired its creation, and what does the 6,000 hours of crafting represent to you and your team?
The inspiration came in the year 2020 when I met in person with the royal king of Ayodhya, Bimlender Mishra and his family at Bikaner House. He had then bought 2 Shaza pieces—a Krishna Tales for his daughter Princess Manjari and a Shikargah border dushala for himself. Owing to his interest in these stories, I dived into the history and descent of the Ishvaku dynasty and literature on Ramayana. It was then that I decided to create this piece. This mythological piece took more than 2 years and 6,000 hours of handwork to be crafted by a team of 12 strong artisans and went under four processes before becoming the artwork.
The first step is conceptualising and reading through literature. We needed to be as accurate as we can be for the construction of Ayodhya, different places, to choose our scenes and select a pantone for the shawl.
1. Research and Digitally Drawing - 6 months - One needs to make the scenes digitally and then by hand over ‘khakha’ to be placed on the fabric. This requires a lot of back and forth as it starts outright by drawing using a pen tool on a software.
2. Hand Painting on Pashmina - 8 months - An age-old technique of kalamkari is used to paint the shawl on a selection of a white pashmina to bring out the colours vividly. Hand painting alone required 8 months (10 hours a day) and 4 chosen karigars that would do the work with utmost respect and precision. This a very tedious process as unlike any other fabric, pashmina is thicker, and it takes more than 4 strokes to sweep the paint in. We do use azo free dyes and maintain a cool temperature to carry on with it.
3. Hand embroidery - The final stage of this piece took 11 months of 6 karigars. The piece was kept in wraps and no photos were allowed while the piece was allowed to finish. It is a beautiful needleship that requires a single line stitch and closing of each loop. The outline and direction of the thread was changed from time to time. The silk threads dyed were matched to the paint colour and woven to give the shawl its colour. Some parts of the shawl remain hand painted as it gives the piece its depth and shading.
4. Detailing - Any zari detailing or key symbols related to the shawl are now strategically placed in a shawl. As the designs can be copied easily, no other person would be able to explain why a motif is there.
In this process, one learns the values and spirit these stories hold and become attached irrevocably to these characters on their journey. And this piece has the longest hours of research and hardwork and this breakthrough for us as a brand was very special. And hence Ayodhya Tales is indeed lucky for us as it came with appreciation, recognition and love.
And for this reason alone, I have decided to never repeat this same design for anyone else as Ayodhya Tales is crafted for one and crafted by time.
The four pictorial scenes chosen are one of the iconic moments and each shows the strength of the characters. They are: Sita’s unshakeable devotion in Ashok Vatika, Laxman’s selfless service in Panchavati, Hanuman’s bhakti in Ram darbaar, and Ram’s strength and humbleness in Swayamvar.
Sustainability appears to be a core principle for Shaza. Could you expand on your zero-waste policy and how you ensure sustainable practices are adhered to in your production process?
Being an environmentalist by education, resource management has been my motto. At Shaza, we inculcate reuse, reduce and recycle. We are into slow fashion and only create on demand thus avoiding surplus production. We reuse our scraps internally or forward them to non-profit organisations producing woollen based toys or recycled products. We keep on reviving our old collection with techniques making them entirely new lines in updated designs. Our packaging uses recycled cardboard and paper to an extent. We give back to the community by taking care of our weavers during a crisis. As we are into the organic nature of work, our processes are least detrimental to nature.
How does Shaza work to protect, inform, and educate people about the history of Indian textile arts?
Our mission is to protect, inform, and educate about untold histories using eloquent fabric expressions. We capture narratives from the past, weaving them into the fabric as intricate embellishments. The threads are meticulously braided to recount tales from a land abundant in heritage and history. Our aim is to evoke the beauty of Indian cultures through the comforting layers of fabric. We collect, share, and celebrate stories conveyed through these textiles. Our purpose extends beyond simply identifying with our customers; we strive to connect with them on a deeper level, beginning with their first purchase. Whether it is their initial encounter with pashmina, a treasured heirloom, or the careful nurturing of their chosen pashmina, we value capturing these narratives and forming meaningful connections.
What is your vision for the future of Shaza, especially in terms of rediscovering and reinventing old art forms in the world of modern textiles?
Our goal is to elevate our brand to a level where it appeals to an art-conscious audience, both nationally and internationally. We aspire to showcase pashmina not merely as a seasonal accessory, but as an embodiment of timeless craftsmanship, of our values, and of our passion for heritage and art.
Quality is paramount to us. This is evident from our commitment to sourcing the finest raw materials, to the meticulous craftsmanship exhibited by our artisans. We never compromise on the quality of our pashmina. We aim to make a statement where each thread woven is a testament to our craftsmen’s artistry, resulting in a collectible piece.
We are dedicated to educating people about the heritage and culture of pashmina, whilst maintaining a transparent process. Our ethos is to preserve and promote India’s cultural heritage through our shawls.
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