Passionate weave

"Woven Splendour came about rather suddenly last year a little before Divali when I thought of gifting something different to my friends. I have always been very fond of bags and would actually call myself ‘bag mad!’” laughs Kavita Cooper who lives in Satara. Daughter of Maj Gen (retd) Hector and Dinar Thacker of Ahmedabad, it was her army background and family postings in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat as well as south India that gave her the opportunity to see and appreciate beautiful fabrics and weaves. "I have always felt that our Indian arts and artisans need and deserve much more recognition for their hard work, often in dismal conditions. We need to encourage these arts before they get engulfed by the more mass produced synthetic fabrics. I am basically from Ahmedabad, the home of beautiful fabrics and I am ever thankful to my mother and grandmother Ruby Khambatta, also from Ahmedabad, who taught me how to recognize and appreciate ethnic fabrics. Fortunately my husband Zal (of Satara’s well-known Cooper family) shares this fondness with me and also understands my great love for Indian arts,” Kavita avers.

Kavita Cooper: promoting ethnic art and artisans

Woven Splendour’s collection of handcrafted fabrics, stoles and clutches incorporate ancient weaves and motifs, states their website www.wovensplendour.com. Customers can order online. Prices mentioned range from Rs 500 to Rs 2,000 for heavier zardozi work. "We have received a good response to our website as well as to our Facebook page, but many people want to hold the goods in their hand before buying them so our products are also currently available at Sanskruti Lifestyle at Koregaon Park in Poona and at Options in Ahmedabad. We are looking for retail outlets in major cities in India. We are also targeting the wedding and corporate gifting markets,” she says. The artisans are located in Bombay and Poona. "I insist that there must be no child labor at all. I am most strict about that,” asserts the enterprising lady.
"Kavita has a highly evolved sense of style. Her passion for the arts combined with a very outgoing and kind nature endear her to customers and suppliers alike. After years of dedication to her family responsibilities I am very happy that she is doing something of her own that she enjoys,” says Zal.