No. 35 Ranchi-Tukupani Simdega Drape - Jharkhand, India

This tribal drape from southwestern Jharkhand begins with a knotted set of pleats at the navel akin to a ‘flower in bloom’.

How-to Drape Instructions

1. Hold inner end with left hand and make about 6 pleats with outer end.
2. Use inner end to tie knot around gathered pleats at center front waist.
3. Bring outer end anticlockwise and drape front to back over right shoulder.
4. Drape remaining outer end under fanned pleats anticlockwise and tuck in at waist.
5. Fan pleats into a flower.

The sari's design is universal and limitless, referenced around the world for its drape, textile and history. It is versatile and adaptable to context, environment and culture, with its making directly tied to the livelihoods of millions of karigars (craftspeople).

Traditionally, it is a single piece of unstitched fabric with variable densities in its parts - with heavier weights allowing for it to drape correctly. Today, its definition includes textiles woven by mill or by hand, often with one density.

Border&Fall’s project is a non-profit cultural documentation of an incredible textile and garment contribution from India, intended to address a perception shift of the sari, which is often seen as staid, traditional and increasingly worn only on formal occasions, particularly in urban India. Each of these films features a drape from a particular region in India, represented through fifteen states. Every drape stays true to its region, whereas the textiles and blouse pairings have been styled to represent a vision of the sari's changing presence.

This project was created by Border&Fall and its team includes Malika Verma Kashyap, Rta Kapur Chishti, Deep Kailey, Rashmi Varma, Sanjay Garg, Sunitha Kumar Emmart, Julia FG Smith, Suniti Rao, Rhea Subramanian, Pallavi Verma, Sharanya Aggarwal, Mehak Kapur Chishti, Carol Humtsoe and TJ Bhanu.