STORIES OF OUR INSPIRATION

The first collection of Aavaran inspired by ‘Pichhwai Paintings’ which are a kind of textile art found in Nathdwara temples behind the Srinathji Statue used as a wall cloth. There are twelve themes in Pichhwai representing different festivals and seasons. Each theme has its own colour and grace. The brush painting of the Pichhwai art has helped the artisans create their unique identity.

Aavaran used four themes as an inspiration- Lotus collection, Monsoon collection, Peacock collection and Govardhan Collection. The motifs were made into the most simplified forms to achieve the best result in mud resist printing, giving this craft a new dimension and direction.

•  2. MANDANA (THE FLOOR ART OF RAJASTHAN) - 2013
  
  

‘Mandana’ is an art of the tribal wall and floor paintings found in Rajasthan. It is derived from the word Mandan referring to decoration and beautification. It comprises simple geometric forms like triangles, circles and square. Aavaran incorporated these styles in simplest forms using Animal and Geometric motifs to be used for Dabu printing.

3. MAIN CHIDIYA ( I am a Bird ) - 2014



Aavaran took the small little sparrow bird as its inspiration. Sparrows have always held a special place in people’s lives and have always been welcomed in homes. Once a common sight, these little birds that were so intrinsic a part of our larger existence can hardly be seen during present times. Along with these birds we also added peepal leaf to this collection to add a more traditional touch.

4. BLUE POTTERY - 2014

Blue pottery is widely recognized as a traditional craft of Jaipur, though it is Turko-Persian in origin. The name blue pottery comes from the eye-catching blue dye used to colour the pottery. Jaipur blue pottery has a lot of floral jal and geometric forms. Our print story is a combination of simple and contemporized forms to meet the design language for Aavaran.

5. NUTS AND BOLTS - 2015

Aavaran introduced its kids range with this inspiration. To add fun and playfulness to the collection we created a set of quirky prints like bolts, screws, and bottles to be used for clothing range for boys and girls.

6. THE BOUGAINVILLEA STORY - 2015

Bougainvillea flower which is found in our surroundings were treated with Gond art form. This collection is inspired by Gond art in terms of the treatment and style as well as the form integration. The Gond artist of Madhya Pradesh live in close proximity with the natural surroundings and the nature translates in the form of their art work. This collection was an intriguing one which also has an element of surprise in it.

7. PANCHATANTRA - KI - KAHANI  (The folk tales of Panchtantra) - 2015

 


This collection is for Aavaran Kids range ‘Tabar’ (Mewari word for children). This was also inspired by the Gond art and the artist were inspired to translate the stories from our own childhood onto fabrics in the Gond art style. The idea behind this collection was to enhance the interactions between the mothers and the children. The customers would not only take back the ready garments but a story as well, which they could take back to the children. In this way we could revive the dying stories and hope that they are there to pass on from generation to generation.

8. THE SANJHI CRAFT ( Paper cutting craft ) - 2015



Aavaran introduced its range of home furnishing inspired by the craft of Sanjhi. Sanjhi art is the traditional art of stencilling from Mathura, lord Krishna’s hometown. Known for its inherent spiritual implications that reach beyond immediate aesthetic appeal. It is considered to be one of the finest arts of spiritual expression. Folklore tells us that the origins of this art form lie with Radhe, who made Sanjhi rangoli using natural colours taking art forms like flowers, leaves to woo Krishna. Sanjhi craft has been popular ever since during Mughal period. Aavaran con temporised its forms to be used for mud resist printing.

9. PHAD PAINTINGS - 2016



Phad is an Indigenous painting style of Rajasthan. It depicts the folk deities of the state. This style of painting is the blend of Rajput and Mughal style of paintings. This style of painting is traditionally done on a long piece of cloth or canvas, known as Phad. The narratives of the folk dieties of Rajasthan are depicted on the Phads. The priest singers traditionally carry the painted Phads along with them and use theses the mobile temples of the folk deities, who are worshipped by the Rebari community of the region. Aavaran has been inspired to use the simplified forms of these paintings to be used for textiles mainly using richer fabrics like Mashru, tussar silks fabric.

10. NORTH EAST WEAVES OF INDIA - 2016



Weaving is a traditional occupation for a broad range of social groups in North-East states like Andra Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, and Sikkim.
Various motifs were used as an inspiration for our textiles like plaited stripes, floral designs as well as human and animal motifs. One of the most commonly used motifs in Assam weaves is the Kaziranga style which according to the local craftsmen and expert derives its inspiration from the wildlife of kaziranga such a Lion and Deer.

11. SEA WORLD - 2017

Taking inspiration from the sea world using creatures like sea horse jelly fish star fish and various forms of other fishes  Aavaran created a range of garments for children for the summers using lightest shade of Indigo.

12. INDIAN SPICES - 2017

Indian spices include a variety of spices grown across the Indian subcontinent, with different climates in different parts of the country, which are native to the subcontinent. Like Pepper, turmeric, cardamom, cumin. Taking inspiration from these spices Aavaran created a range for kitchen and table like table runners, mats, coasters, Aprons, mittens in natural dyes and prints.

13. AAKAR, Shifting Blocks - 2018



As interesting as it is to see how with the single block printers could create multiple variations. Printers has shown creative ways of layering and overlapping the blocks at different stages of the dab printing and dying process. One major direction that had emerged from these possibilities was to create a small set of blocks that could be used in different ways and allows multiple layout possibilities. The final shapes of the block where they were influenced by the abstract expressionism movement among the painters and artist in the world and the elements of Indian visual traditions reinterpreted through modernist forms with traditional techniques.

14. AYURVASTRA - 2018

Based on the 5000-year old philosophy of Ayurvedic medicines, health and healing found in ancient Vedic texts. ‘Ayur’ is a sanskrit word for health, vedas means wisdom and vaster is cloth or clothing. Aavaran did an intensive research and came up with this range of clothing which is made from organic cotton fabric grated with a precise combination of herbs and oil to promote health and cure ailments. Based on the principle of restoring balance and stability within the body and strengthening immune system. The clothing is worn to treat a broad range of physical conditions. Haldivastram, Neelvastram and Manjisthavastram are the specific collections in this category. Ayurvastra cloth is attractive for its healing properties, organic and sustainable features.

15. 'SAMAA' ( the tales of Royal Gardens) - 2019

The tale of hand printed royal gardens Samaa, a collection of breezy silhouettes with chirpy prints on fine, diaphanous fabrics like chandler, kota Doria, organza and cotton. Dyed in the alluring shades of indigo. Same is uniquely striking as it speaks of the Mughal era amalgamated with the local summer flora like passion flower, chuimui, Khejari and sargandha in the form of intricate motifs.