The new sari—from subcultural trends to innovative and experimental designs using cutting-edge materials

In recent years, the sari has been reinvented. Urban youth who previously associated the sari with formal attire can now be found wearing saris and sneakers on their commutes to work. Designers are experimenting with hybrid forms such as sari gowns and dresses, pre-draped saris and innovative materials such as steel. Individuals are wearing the sari as an expression of resistance to social norms and activists are embodying it as an object of protest. Today, the sari manifests as a site for design innovation, an expression of identity and a crafted object carrying layers of cultural meanings.

The Offbeat Sari celebrates these innovations in sari design, with photography of pieces by leading contemporary designers. Commissioned essays by notable Indian writers such as Pragya Agarwal and Sonia Faleiro explore ideas such as gender fluidity, politics, sustainability, female empowerment and the self-image of India, alongside interviews with the designers whose work illustrates each theme.