Fabric of India

Written by Luciana Bhangu, Account Manager at Now.

For me the V&A never disappoints, from the sculpture hall I used to marvel at as a young school girl, to the library which I spent many hours in as a university student (often pretending it was my campus). Last week I attended the private view of Fabric of India and like all V&A events it was beautiful, from the authentic Paneer canapés to the atmospheric music, the main hall never fails to impress.

The exhibition is part of the V&A’s India Festival and explores textiles from the 3rd to the 21st century. I found the nod to current fashion interesting, at the end of the show the ethical label People Tree was displayed making an interesting contrast to the traditional sari designs at the beginning. The magpie that lives within me marvelled at the gold, silver and copper threaded textiles and I especially loved the interpretation of European individuals in some of the textiles created for export – charming depictions of Western people from the eyes of someone seeing a race of people with fresh eyes.

Historically the caste system has been pivotal to India’s culture and this elitist undertone was definitely present in the exhibition. Whilst looking at the beautiful textiles I thought of all the Indians who could only dream of touching such fabrics…

I always find visiting museums in the evening quite magical and think it’s important to keep in touch with the cultural landmarks of London to not get lost in the busy city, I would definitely recommend the Fabric of India exhibition especially if you are in need of some aesthetic inspiration!