Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

These celebrities wear handloom. Do you?

Last updated on: August 17, 2016 11:03 IST

Famous homegrown faces wear India on their sleeves.

When Textiles Minister Smriti Irani tweeted a picture supporting Indian handlooms on August 1, it flagged off a buzzworthy national campaign.

#IWearHandloom is currently one of the hottest trends on social media.

From famous folk to the aam aurat/aadmi, everyone seems to be embracing the timeless tradition of Indian weaves.

Tista Sengupta presents celebrities committed to the great cause of Indian handlooms.

Sonam Kapoor

IMAGE: Check out Sonam Kapoor -- who is usually draped in pricey European brands -- in colourful weaves from labels Anavila, left, and Gaurang Shah. Photographs: Kind courtesy Anavila/Gaurang Shah/Instagram

Mini Mathur

IMAGE: Mini Mathur wows in an Anavila handloom sari over a bell-sleeved blouse. Photograph: Kind courtesy Mini Mathur/Instagram

Kangana Ranaut

IMAGE: Kangana Ranaut's chic spin to Indian weaves is so cooool.
K goes geeky with an easy breezy cotton ivory dress from Pero by Aneeth Arora, left, and nails the badass diva look in a sari with a pair of sunnies. Photograph: Kind courtesy Style by Ami/Instagram

Tisca Chopra

IMAGE: Tisca Chopra transports us to a different time!
Draping a pretty Raw Mango pink and green checkered silk saree with a contrast sleeveless boat neck blouse, she finishes her desi look with polki earrings and a big bindi. Photograph: Kind courtesy Tisca Chopra/Instagram

Neha Dhupia

IMAGE: Donning a black crop top and gold chevron lehenga skirt from Raw Mango, Neha Dhupia makes Indian tradition look even more awesome. Photograph: Kind courtesy Neha Dhupia/Instagram

Karisma Kapoor

IMAGE: Opting for a beautiful pink embroidered silk lehenga from the Neerus collection by Avnish, Karisma Kapoor looks the classy style icon she is. Photograph: Kind courtesy Karisma Kapoor/Instagram

Kirron Kher

IMAGE: Chandigarh's Representative in the Lower House of the People shares an inseparable bond with the six yards of style.
Kirron Kher has been a showstopper for her go-to designer Gaurang Shah, known for his high-end handwoven ethnic wear.
Here, Kirron takes us back to the '50s and '60s in the designer's Kanjeevaram sari instilled with kalamkaris and zardozi. Photograph: Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com

Radhika Apte

IMAGE: Radhika Apte gives Indian handlooms a modern appeal.
Making her runway debut at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2016, she catches our attention in a hand-woven cotton Ikat dress from The Meraki Project by Sonali Pamnani. Photograph: Kind courtesy Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2016

Vidya Balan

IMAGE: Vidya Balan always wears handloom saris. Sporting a kalamkari sari here, Vidya seems to be doing her bit for bringing back the block-printed cotton textile to the mainstream. Photograph: Kind courtesy Gaurang Shah/Instagram

Sona Mohapatra

IMAGE: Take notes from singer Sona Mohapatra on how to rock a printed handloom sari.
Rendering a quirky, edgy touch to her look, she teams it up with a pair of ankle-length leather boots, a nose ring and a golden hathphool. Photograph: Kind courtesy Sona Mohapatra/Instagram

Anushka Manchanda

IMAGE: Angry Indian Goddesses actress and singer Anushka Manchanda picks a Raw Mango ensemble -- black top over a mashru silk striped green palazzo with a long jacket thrown over -- for the red carpet. Photograph: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Dia Mirza

IMAGE: Dia Mirza in an Indigo Chanderi silk sari teamed with a green pallu and zari border. Photograph: Kind courtesy Dia Mirza/Instagram

Kiran Rao

IMAGE: Dhobi Ghat director Kiran Rao is our poster woman of indie cool in a white phool badi jamdani sari from the Sooti collection of Raw Mango. Photograph: Kind courtesy Raw Mango/Instagram

Arundhati Roy

IMAGE: Elle magazine's July cover girl, Arundhati Roy -- novelist, activist and thinker -- swears by handwoven cotton outfits from labels Pero by Aneeth Arora and Rina Dhaka.
In her interview to the magazine Arundhati says, 'Both of them (Aneeth Arora and Rina Dhaka) are part of trying to craft a new aesthetic for us -- the modern women of Here.' Photograph: Kind courtesy Elle

Shabana Azmi

IMAGE: Shabana Azmi has worn handlooms for years.
The acting legend sashays down the ramp in a bright red handwoven Manish Malhotra sari beautifully paired with a boat neck embroidered blouse. Photograph: Pradeep Bandekar

Sushma Swaraj, Smriti Irani, Maneka Gandhi (from left to right)

IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, arguably the most people-friendly Mantri in the Modi ministry, left, with Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, who turns 60 on August 26, right, and Textiles Minister Smriti Irani. Photograph: Kind courtesy Smriti Irani/Twitter

Ali Fazal, Irrfan Khan

IMAGE: Ali Fazal, left, and Irrfan Khan look their best for the handloom cause. Photograph: Kind courtesy Aakanksha Agarwal (left)/Rohit Kamra/Instagram
Tista Sengupta Mumbai