Ethnic Weaves & Drapes was started by me as a very small attempt to bring beautiful saris from India to a few close friends in the US. It started with 3 friends the first year, then a few more the year after and so on. Thanks to my girlfriends who have always encouraged me and liked my taste in saris, Ethnic Weaves and Drapes has continued to bring exclusive designs transcending boundaries between traditional and contemporary from different corners of India .
My passion for beautiful Indian fabrics and saris started when I was a little kid. Growing up in a small town in North-Bengal, India, I seldom got a chance to see saris from various parts of India. My aunt Smt. Ratna Sen, a connoisseur of Indian handloom, would bring saris for my mom as Durga Puja gifts. She also had a lovely collection of her own. I used to admire her for her taste in the intricate designs adorning delicate Indian fabric. The image of her draped in a beautiful cotton red and black “Bichitrapuri Sari” with her long hair tied in a beautiful braid and a big bindi has been permanently etched in my memory, so elegant and smart. Every time we met, she would give vivid descriptions of the saris she bought, which part of India they came from and the stories and trivia associated with their creation. Later she became the inspiration for my very first entrepreneurial venture as a modiste at age 8, making and selling doll clothes and saris.
My love for saris entered a dormant phase as I got busy with my studies in school, until I moved to Kolkata to attend graduate school. This is where I met my future husband. Kolkata not only brought me love but also rekindled my long lost passion for saris. “Prem” or love meant taking long walks from Jadavpur to Dhakuria holding hands, and eventually those dates ended up me taking my date into nearby Dakshinapan and doing window shopping. Every-time I liked a sari, I remember telling Agnibha, now my husband, that one day I would own it and many more.
Many years have passed since then. Now I live in Houston, TX, have a beautiful family and full time job as a Geoscientist. But despite these major life events, my passion for Indian drapes and an equally strong entrepreneurial zeal has been unswayed, and that has been the inspiration for the creation of Ethnic Weaves and Drapes. Through Ethnic Weaves and Drapes I share my passion for the artistic brilliance of weavers in remote villages of India with connoisseurs all over the world who long for a piece of the profound culture and heritage. In addition to traditional Indian Saris , we also carry made-to-order contemporary saris and a wide selection of ornate blouses that complement and enhance your elegant look.
The mission and vision of Ethnic Weaves and Drapes is to bring you the best and the most unique creations from all over India and let you experience the tradition of weaving and handloom production, dating back hundreds of years. With every sari bought from us, you own a piece of this rich historical tradition that truly brings out the ethnic best in you.
Rituparna Sarker and the rest of the Ethnic Weaves and Drapes team.
