ONCE UPON A RIVER | 2025

Once upon a river
'neath a solemn sky,
a bird saw itself
floating in a fish's eye.

Once Upon a River explores unions of different kinds.

The coming together of crafts, individuals and symbols is mirrored in the environment: the land meets the sea, fish and birds converge, and lovers appear in multiples. Holy unions are imagined in a location that represents cultural confluence; this story is set at the crossroads of three states. 

Convergence is technically accomplished in these garments as layers of ornamentation are woven into the brocade. Weaving (bunai) and handwork (kadhai), which are traditionally imagined as independent crafts, come together. Threads of real zari flow like ripples along the water. Reminiscent of a half-remembered dream, this collection is an invitation for brides, grooms and their extended families to take their own form.