Raw Mango's Latest Campaign Celebrates The Everyday Relevance Of Handloom Textiles

We all remember the first saree we fell in love with — whether it was a soft, aged silk saree worn by your mother on special occasions, or the quiet elegance of that one teacher in a cotton saree who always encouraged you to do more and be more. The importance of handloom for me is something that is profoundly personal, yet there was a lot of hesitance and even a lack of understanding about its beauty and nuance beyond textile enthusiasts. But with more homegrown creatives championing it, it is finally starting to get its much-deserved due. 

To celebrate National Handloom Day on the 7th of August, homegrown label Raw Mango has been quietly working on a project with the intention of building a greater awareness of the significance of textiles and handlooms in everyday life. In India, the best way to achieve this is to work with renowned talents who’ve made the sari and textiles their own through their work in cinema, and that is exactly what the label did. 

In creating a video series called ‘On Handloom’, they asked four distinct and celebrated artists from across Indian cinema — Rasika Duggal, Fatima Sana Sheik, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Anvita Dutt. These talents share their thoughts, memories and reflections on handlooms, and their personal relationship with handwoven textiles. 

While talking to Homegrown India, Sanjay Garg shared his thought process behind the curation of the talents they have worked with. “Each of these ladies marks a strong moment in Indian cinema and their contributions are undeniable, whether in the past, the present or for the future,” explains Sanjay. “They represent an idea of India for every generation, especially owing to the kind of works that they have selected. Many of them have been in women-centric cinema, which has been very definitive for their time.”

In her chat with Raw Mango, Konkona Sen Sharma explained how, for her, handloom is equated to her childhood and her mother’s home, as she grew up with it all around her. But in talking about particular textiles, she shared how mulmul is the coolest textile for her personally, which she discovered later in life, but Dhakai is what she grew up with. In terms of the featuring her in this handloom day campaign, Sanjay Garg shared how Konkana was one of the earliest champions of Raw Mango, and that, “...it was only befitting that when we do a series of this nature, we have Koko be a part of it, especially since she is a very strong voice of textiles.”

Video Credits -

Styling: Kanupriya Tandon @bbayelectric

Videography: Tito @theurbanennui

Visual identity: tota @tota.design

Hair & makeup: Gargi Karmakar @gargikarmakarmakeup

You can follow Raw Mango here.

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