Modern weaves: Designer Anupama Dayal contemporises the Banarasi sari

You have a flirty, feminine resortwear line as well as a contrasting bridal line with brocades and rich weaves. How have you brought their distillate to this line?
I’ve brought the spirit of both to the Ekaya line. I was still in the ‘Kama’ mood of my Autumn-Winter 2014 bridal collection, with its sexy blouses and figure-defining drapes. I’ve brought that sensuousness to this line. From my resortwear line, I’ve essentially brought the relaxed, easy-breezy vibe, keeping things intensely feminine, light and happy.

Banarasis are generally associated with heavy drapes and jewel colours, but you’ve stayed away from obvious references.
I’ve broken away from the thicker textiles and worked with lighter weaves. We experimented a lot with khaddi weaves, trying to make the georgettes and silks as light as possible. The essential priority was to make them look good on the body. We’ve also played with modern ‘pop’ colours and intense pastels. So, there is parakeet green, sindoor red and sunset orange, along with saturated blush pink, pale blue and yellow. The emphasis is on unusual combinations —  a red sari with a baby pink blouse or a yellow sari peeking through a peach waistcoat. The Banarasi sari is a wonderful piece of heritage. But we have to push the boundaries a little or it’ll become a museum piece.

How have you maintained your trademark touch?
Apart from the atypical colour palette, the motifs used in ‘Kama’, like the fish, the Bankura horse and peepul leaf, are from the Anupamaa archives. We’ve also used a lot of signature floral motifs in our forthcoming line “Phool”, like the Iris flower, chhota Mughal flowers, genda phool, peonies and roses. The collection is laden with trimmings like beads and tassels, another Anupamaa trademark.