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The Duality of the Kutch and its Crafts

Welcome to Kutch. Imagine a desert that stretches, white, as far as the eye can see. This is the Great Rann of Kutch, an immense salt desert in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Over the centuries, its people have responded to their monochromatic surroundings by creating the most extraordinarily unique and vibrant blend of crafts, culture and music. Varana’s Kutch collection draws inspiration from this stark duality – the pristine landscape of the Rann and the extraordinary crafts it is home to.

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Varana draws on the deep crafts heritage of India and celebrates extraordinary techniques

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The region is home to a huge number of artisanal communities who work in embroidery, weaving, ajrakh printing, bandhani (tie-dye), leather craft, pottery, wood work and metal work. Most of all, Kutch is famed for its fabulous embroidery, the breadth and depth of which are simply mind boggling. The Rabaris, a nomadic tribe have an extremely rich repertoire of stitches and techniques the most famous of which is the mirror work embroidery. Varana’s Rabari collection has been inspired by the Katab technique of ribbon and cord appliqué, but pared down in keeping with our aesthetic sensibility with modern asymmetric forms and a monochromatic colour palette.