Co-Optex expo ’Izhai- The Thread’ held

A saree weaved with the picture of Thiruvalluvar along Thirukurals kept in display at the ‘Izhai- The Thread’,an exhibition organised by Co-optex in Chennai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: AKHILA EASWARAN

At the ‘Izhai- the Thread’ one day exhibition by Co-Optex at Folly in Amethyst on Saturday, many visitors paused right at the entrance, eyes fixed on the showstopper where all the 1330 kurals and Thiruvalluvar’s image were woven into a vermilion red silk saree.

But that was not only the scene stealer. A group of young women were huddled together, clicking pictures of the handloom machine and experiencing weaving for the first time, alongside a weaver of Co-Optex guiding them through the process. Elsewhere, Mahatma Gandhi’s image was intricately woven into a saree, and in another, weavers themselves were acknowledged on the borders of the fabric.

“Many have a perception that Co-Optex sells only sarees or bedsheets, but this year’s exhibition is to introduce the customers to our new designs, and receive their personal feedback,” says V. Amuthavalli, Principal Secretary of Handlooms, Handicrafts, Textiles and Khadi Department.

Not just sticking to home turf, Co-Optex is making appearances at international conferences, with young designers from NIFT Chennai and DOT school of Design joining the team. “We are having a designer meet every month where we come up with new design, bringing western wears that also has an international market, readymade wears, bamboo towels and so on,” says Managing Director Deepak Jacob.

Some of the selected students from DOT school of design have their graduation seminar sponsored by the Co-Optex where their ideations would be brought to textiles soon. Some of their latest innovations are about zero-waste design, western and casual wears for the teenagers, turning a silk saree into an Indo-western or fusion wear, ready to wear sarees which will be sold at Co-Optex after their graduation and implemented for future designs.

“Kodali Karuppur motif found during the 18th-19th century is the recent design we have opted for our silk and cotton sarees, it is a way to revive that textile,” says textile designer of Co-Optex Mahalingam P. Alongside the team from Co-Optex collecting constructive feedback from customers, the showcase also ended with saree-draping exhibits of different styles.