Aboriginal art, Native American motifs, Indian tribal symbols and African beadwork are the creative pillars of Nupur Kanoi’s new collection

In her new collection, Maya, designer Nupur Kanoi, creates an illusion of patterns while fusing tribal art symbols, craft techniques and her newfound love for cats 

A symphony of tribal art symbols from across the globe underscores fashion designer Nupur Kanoi’s recent collection — Maya. Woven in the warp and weft of textiles like pure silk, crepe silk, georgette silk, khaki cotton, cotton silk and silk satin, Maya comprises nearly 25 craft techniques. It is rooted in the creative essence that dictates the core of tribal art — Nature. Nupur chooses to describe the edit as “one of the most intricate collections” her eponymous label has made so far.

“It highlights tribal art and symbols that depict the surroundings of the natives — such as trees, huts, animals, rain, crop fields and general plant life — from Aboriginal art, Native American motifs and Indian tribal symbols,” says Nupur.

A fusion of symbols and prints with beadwork, kantha and crewel embroidery techniques, Maya’s curatorial journey began in Kolkata where the entire range has been manufactured. Nupur sourced the material for the edit from Delhi as well. “I spent an entire day in Chandni Chowk to shop the material, and we got some threads and all from Kolkata too. I wanted there to be an influence of Bengal in the edit,” explains Nupur, who took nearly two years to create this collection. “It involved a lot of research because of the wide spectrum of tribal art it covers, from India to Australia and Africa. Even the embroidery and prints were created in-house,” she says.

A line-up of 86 designs, ranging from saris and co-ords to pencil skirts and jumpsuits, Maya features earthy tones, like oxblood, rust orange and teal, that blend with black and ivory. “I get the dyeing done myself, at my workshop. The collection has an odd mix of colours that come together with all the other elements. Dyeing takes a lot of time because it’s the colour that makes or breaks the collection for me,” says Nupur, who started her label in 2006.

Stating that African beadwork has become an intrinsic part of the brand’s DNA, she admits to its reappearance in each collection “in some way or the other”. Maya, too, dances attendance to the tunes of African beadwork, while flirting with 3D-fringe details. “I think 3D-fringe — that dominates most part of the collection and adds to the intricacy and movement in every piece — is an elemental highlight in Maya. We handmade them in all sizes and lengths, from beaded ones to fabric strips in prints and kantha. Graphic texture is another defining design element which we keep evolving every season in new and innovative ways in our embroideries,” says Nupur.

Nupur launched her flagship store in Kolkata in 2018 and its top three floors serve as her brand’s manufacturing unit. “I have a team of nearly 80–100 people. I also outsource embroideries from craftspeople living in villages on the city’s outskirts,” she says.

Discussing the most challenging aspect of curating Maya, Nupur swings between the exhaustive research it took to select symbols and specialised karigars (craftspeople) and explaining the concept. “Our in-house karigars have been with us for over 10 years, they know all the techniques, but in this collection we have combined many techniques for each piece, from zardozi to kantha. Sometimes, we have 10 to 20 techniques on one piece,” she adds.