Eclectic Northeast – July 2019

78 │ │ July 2019

ENe Bureau

fashion

I

ndia, especially the Northeast, is a treasure

trove of unique textiles, but every year, more

and more skilled weavers are forced to switch

to more ‘secure’ jobs as hand-woven fabric have lost

their demand. This is why a lot of young designers

have been working tirelessly with weavers to retain

the tradition, and also make it popular again among

buyers, young and old. Preeti Bhutani and Moumi

Moola are currently working towards this goal. They

are hoping that their label ‘Taatini’ will help showcase

unique stories of the tribal communities through

textiles, tribal folk design and indigenous silks.

The label ‘Taatini’, conceptualized in 2015, wants to bring weavers and

textiles to limelight

Tales Through Textiles

The Birth of an Idea

With a Masters degree in textile design from UK,

Preeti used to design for brands such as Zara Home,

and Moumi, a psychology honours graduate, worked

with foundations for urban poor communities, and is

still involved with various social and civic issues. Both

co-founders may come from different backgrounds

but they have the same desire to put weaves on the

map. ‘We started conceptualizing and researching in

2015. The exploration, interpretation and preservation
      of the aesthetic identity along with the traditional
      practices of our tribal community are the basis of our
      design philosophy.
      With roots in Assam and Karnataka, both girls
      spent a lot of time in tea estates across Assam and
      in Guwahati. And so, it was a given that they would
      reach out to weavers in the State. In addition to that,
      they also work with weaving clusters from Varanasi,
      West Bengal and Hubli in Karnataka.