Walk through the blue wooden doors on Alfred House Gardens and you enter a world of subtle grandeur. Fabrics, colours, weaves, spaces and accessories all allow for an expression of what is naturally beautiful. More than just a clothes store, the focus at Rithihi is on the human touch. All products are hand made and sourced directly from the weavers and craftsmen across the subcontinent.
Rithihi prides in highlighting a community of crafts people who are experimenting with innovative designs, colours and weaves, without losing the authentic flavour of traditionality.
Designer brands available at Rithihi who come under this umbrella—from Sri Lanka are Nelum Harasgama and Asanga Godamunna and from India are Raw Mango, Bai Lou, Padmini and Wickramaditiya, and Nilu Ebrahim along with a very special collection by designer Anshuma Damani. Talking about her recent exhibition at Rithihi, Anshuma says, “weavers are artists, I feel I am like a medium. I make them think out of the box and make changes. Hand-woven fabric and block printing is labour intensive and highly skilled. I have experimented with different kinds of block printing—pigment printing, acid and discharge are some of the kinds in my current collection. My designs have been appreciated in Sri Lanka. This encourages me to create exclusive designs for Rithihi year after year. This year I have played with pastels to super bright. Tradition with a new age twist is what this collection is all about. Rithihi remains true to traditional handlooms, I appreciate their effort to bring traditional Indian textiles and make it reach as many people as possible, so that the industry remains viable.”
An exclusive collection this season was the Vintage Shades trunk show that specialises in true Cashmere shawls and stoles for the connoisseur.
Also at Rithihi was a special display of traditional Sri Lankan silver jewellery from ‘Sri Manitara’, alongside a collection from ‘Kadambari Jewels’ sourced from the region of Insulindia. All proceeds from the sale of these items went to mobilising disabled children and youth in Sri Lanka through the charities ‘Walking Tall’ and ‘Wheelchairs to go’.
