Archana Shah

Archana Shah has been collaborating with artisans around the country for the last 40 years to create textiles for urban markets. As a design student at NID, she developed a keen interest in the traditional craft skills of indigenous artisans, and travelled to remote corners of the country to study, understand and experience the vast variety of weaving, dyeing, printing, embroidery and ornamentation techniques practised by different communities. This proved to be a very enriching journey, and the unique skills of the people of various regions, their distinctive colour palettes, and rich design vocabulary became the base for all her future work. This journey motivated her to start a clothing company, BANDHEJ, in 1985, a label that focuses on traditional textile skills, and offers a range of eco-friendly, handcrafted, clothing for Indian women with an eastern sensibility. The company was started with the vision of upholding, preserving and promoting the precious skills and inherent knowledge of indigenous artisans through collaborative design interventions. Over the years, through many initiatives and interactions, she has been able to revive and rejuvenate several craft skills, thereby encouraging young artisans to realise that they can earn a decent livelihood by pursuing their traditional vocation. In 2013, she published her first book, SHIFTING SANDS, Kutch: A Land in Transition. It recounts her personal journey of discovery, which is interwoven with her association of over four decades with the land of Kutch, its people and their crafts. She is working on her next book on the value of handcrafted textiles in present times.After graduating from NID, Archana started a clothing company, BANDHEJ in 1985, a label that focuses on traditional textile skills, and offers a range of eco-friendly, handcrafted, clothing for Indian women with an eastern sensibility. In 2013, she published her first book, SHIFTING SANDS, Kutch: A Land in Transition. It recounts her personal journey of discovery, over three decades with the land of Kutch, its people and their crafts