Save the Loom launches new saree line 'Vidhi' for lawyers

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 13, 2021

NGO Save the Loom has launched a new line of handloom sarees named ‘Vidhi’, designed specially for lawyers to fit their dress codes and add a modern touch. 

 
Save the Loom, which has strong ties to female lawyers, has launched a collection of monochrome sarees designed to be worn in court as well as for events afterwards, the NGO announced on Instagram. The line of Kasavu sarees, a traditional weave from Kerala, were woven with a heavier count and using luxurious threads to elevate the traditional weave and make it more desirable for a younger audience. 
 
“Our problem was how to make the sari lighter and appealing to a young lawyer who doesn’t want to wear the heavily-starched saris that her grandmother wore which balloon up after a few hours of wear,” Save the Loom’s founder, Ramesh Menon, told Vogue India about the development of the collection. 

Some sarees in the collection are reversible to give wearers the chance to flip them over and have a new outfit ready for after work. Designs also feature stripe details, which can only be seen when the traditional lawyers’ over-robe is removed, which is designed to give more versatility for post-court engagements. 

“We don’t want people to buy handloom from Kerala as charity,” said Menon. “We’ve reimagined the handwoven fabrics to make them relevant to contemporary consumers and elevate them to the status of specialty, handcrafted products that they are.”
 
The collection recently launched with a WhatsApp catalogue to celebrate the 116th birth anniversary of Justice Anna Chandy, the first woman advocate of India. The collection is also dedicated to Save the Loom’s founding patron, Justice KK Usha, who was the first female chief justice of Kerala and who passed away last year.