The Offbeat Sari at the Design Museum

When the Head of Curatorial at the Design Museum Priya Khanchandani moved temporarily to India a few years ago, she was amazed by the way Delhi women wore their sari. She realised that what used to be seen as an old fashion costume had become a way to express one's identity. The sari had become 'cool', and fashion designers and people on the streets were reinventing the way to wear it, not afraid of pushing the boundaries.

This year, Khanchandani curates the Offbeat Sari exhibition, which is opening in May and will explore this reinvention, shedding a spotlight on contemporary Indian fashion.

'The sari is experiencing what is conceivably its most rapid reinvention in its 5,000-year history' Khanchandani said. ‘It makes the sari movement one of today’s most important global fashion stories, yet little is known of its true nature beyond South Asia. Women in cities who previously associated the sari with dressing up are transforming it into fresh, radical, everyday clothing that empowers them to express who they are, while designers are experimenting with its materiality by drawing on unbounded creativity.’

The show will bring together over 90 examples of saris made over the past decade, nearly all of which will be on loan from designers and studios across India and have never been seen in Britain before. On display will be a selection of saris by contemporary designers, from growing global brands to emerging studios. These include the delicate work of designers such as Abraham & Thakore, Raw Mango, Akaaro and NorBlackNorWhite, who have been at the cutting edge of the sari’s dynamic shift and renewed relevance.

HUEMN. Photo Pankaj Dahalia, Model Rachi Chitakara

One of the exhibition highlights will be the first-ever sari worn at the Met Gala in 2022. Designed by Sabyasachi, and styled with a gold Schiaparelli bodice, the ensemble was worn by Indian businesswoman and socialite Natasha Poornawalla and caught attention for its dramatic mix of Indian and Western couture.