Crafting Meghalaya: A Journey into Textile Culture by Fashion Design Department for Craft Project 2025

Words by Dr. Nisaphi L. Lyndem (Lecturer, Fashion Design)

In early 2025, Fashion Design students from third-year, travelled to Meghalaya for a deeply engaging and hands-on exploration of the region’s rich textile heritage. This study trip, a part of the craft project 2025, opened a window into the lives, stories and skills of local artisans, allowing students to understand the depth of tradition behind everyday materials and techniques.

The learning experience was carefully structured in collaboration with NESFAS (North East Society for Agroecology Support), who facilitated immersive interactions with local craftspeople through workshops, storytelling sessions and shared meals. Students were welcomed into homes, workspaces and conversations, learning through doing, watching, trying and at times, getting it wrong before getting it right.

One of the central focuses of the trip was Khneng embroidery and the Eri silk production process of Ri Bhoi, a skill rooted in sustainability and tedious practice. Students observed how the silkworms are reared and how the silk is extracted without harm, spun by hand and woven into fabric. They also experienced traditional natural dyeing methods, learning how plant-based materials such as turmeric, lac and local minerals are transformed into earthy colours.Through demonstrations and participation in floor loom weaving, students connected with the age-old practice of weaving, guided by the hands of diverse artisans.

In the village of Mustoh, students were introduced to the intricate tradition of Khneng embroidery, an age-old technique practiced on Eri silk. Defined by its geometric motifs, each stitch is hand-done by a group of 3 women who have carried this tradition forward for generations, and who now guide and train more women artisans in the community.

Daily journaling became an integral part of the students’ journey; an intentional pause that encouraged deeper reflection. Through these moments, they began to see beyond process, noticing the values and quiet resilience embedded in textile traditions. These insights gradually took form in their work, through garments, documentation and visual narratives that carried the ethos of what they had experienced.

After a week of intensive field study, the students returned to Delhi bringing the essence of Khasi culture. At the IIAD Graduation Show 2025, their studio spaces transformed into an evocative showcase. The intent behind this exhibit was to create a space that could translate the students’ hands-on learning, community interactions, and material explorations into thoughtful, sensory-rich displays. Through garments, journals, sketches, films, cuisine and spatial installations, the exhibition invited visitors to experience the atmosphere of Meghalaya.

‘Crafting Meghalaya’ was a conversation on process and presence. It highlighted how design education, when grounded in real-world engagements, encourages students to listen, observe, and respond with care. The pieces on display were informed by traditional techniques, developed through storytelling and close dialogue with artisans and local experts.

Each corner reflected one of their processes of handloom weaving, natural dyeing, silk rearing. The exhibition culminated in showcasing documented works of the craft project along with fresh designs in handloom cotton and eri silk using contemporary motifs in Khneng embroidery.

By bringing this body of work into Unfold’25, the aim was also to share the story beyond the classroom, with peers, faculty, industry, and visiting audiences. It also offered a platform for students to articulate their own growth– how learning directly from communities reshaped their understanding of what it means to design in a diverse and interconnected world. Ultimately, ‘Crafting Meghalaya’ stood as a celebration of the relationships built, the questions asked, and the knowledge exchanged during the field visit.

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