veteran fashion designer ritu kumars latest collection showcased on the indian textile day at the lfw includes her revivalist projects that centre around the traditional indian crafts and weaves the indian textile day yesterday saw a lot of traditional outfits on the lakme fashoin week winterfestive 2015 ramp veteran fashion designer ritu kumar presented varanasi weaves in continuation with her revivalist projects that centre around the traditional crafts and textiles of india the designer says the aim of this show was to bring the fabulous tradition of gold and silver weaving in benaras back into the mainstream flow of fashion the old holy city is not only the most ancient of old cities the weaves of banaras are the only surviving textiles in the world where the skills of the master weavers create handlooms which are a true statement of the bespoke garment these weaves and textiles are the most haute couture of all with a strong aesthetic statement of make in india benaras weaves are almost like a monument worth preserving like no other in the world ritus collection woven in four parts began with an interpretation of one of indias most coveted aesthetic the gossamer white on white line highlighted with gold in sheer and opaque threads woven in the main fabric requiring meticulous cut work by women of the region the next part of the collection was of saris rewoven to make them softer clinging and more sensuous than what has come of the looms of benaras in a long time the drape was reintroduced along with the subtle gold and moga thread weaving which make the saris wearable and attractive for the young with an aim of getting the newer generation looking to own one such sari as part of their wardrobe not necessarily for bridal wear only varanasi also weaves for the monasteries of the himalayas this silk route was done on ponies where lampas weaves a highly sophisticated ancient and highly rare technique of weaving is still done for the buddhist monasteries of the regions of ladakh bhutan sikkim and tibet these are religious fabrics now made into loose coats to give the look of one of the most skilled weaves of the world the last part of the show was conceived and executed with weaves developed as part of the csr programme of the designers team to reintroduce in woven from benaras the subtle and deep understanding of drape colour and technique of weaving to produce highly glamorous looks which are indias couture and the citys usp as it is the countrys heritage actor aditi rao hydari was the showstopper for the show dressed in an unconvetional drape with gold leggings and topi noted names from the hindi film industry shabana azmi dia mirza ria sen amrita puri mandira bedi and gul panag were seen on the front row