Soi Bharat embroidery, Gujarat

This co-design project was undertaken with Ahir women artisans associated with SEWA in Radhanpur, Gujarat, for Hansiba, SEWA's apparel brand. Adopting a participatory design approach, the project centred on dialogue, observation, and mutual learning to create contemporary embroidered apparel rooted in traditional craft practices. The design process began by selecting an object from the artisan's local environment as a shared source of inspiration. Using garlic as the chosen object, conversations with the artisan explored its cultural associations, narratives, form, and visual characteristics. The object was studied through different angles, sections, and abstractions to collaboratively develop artworks. Alongside learning the Soi-Bharat embroidery stitches and traditional motif vocabulary, these explorations were translated into a contemporary embroidered surfaces for apparel, creating an exchange of skills, ideas, and design perspectives.