Rema Kumar-Createnewnarratives

23/04/2026

Nilanjana’s mother’s Dhakai Jamdani, a timeless masterpiece of classic elegance, finds new life as a diaphanous dupatta. Its intricate jaal motifs are reimagined and repositioned with meticulous care, while the pallu is appliquéd and quilt-reinforced onto a matching blue silk sari that echoes the original weave perfectly.

A match made in heaven.

21/04/2026

Flashback to five years ago: This is how a typical project sparks—with a heartfelt video and a sari’s hidden story.

Nilanjana reached out: “I’m inspired by all the restoration work you’re doing on sarees. The pic I shared is of a Bangladeshi dhakai jamdani—45 years old and literally falling apart. As you may know, dhakai is a very fine cotton… Do you think it’s possible to do anything about it?…since it’s my mom’s saree, it’s really precious to me. It cost a bomb even 45 years ago. Maybe if you’re willing to help, I can send a video of the saree and then take a call? It’s difficult to touch… falling apart literally…”

From fragile threads to renewed legacy—what do you think happened next? Watch the video and wait for Part 2 to see how we went about giving this exquisite sari a fresh lease of life!

19/04/2026

It’s profoundly beautiful to resurrect a fraying sari on its last legs, birthing not one, but two entirely new ones. Here’s the latest edition of , where transformation meets tradition.

After sending the original Teal Orange sari for rebirth, Uma sent across these two saris - the red and the green - and together we explored endless creative paths before aligning on the perfect vision forward. A shoutout to Uma—your trust fuels these stories!

Witness the depth of reimagining and reengineering: intricate border transfers, thoughtful pallu redesigns, and meticulous piecing that turned scarcity into abundance.

When one became two, a legacy was woven anew—sustainable, soulful, and ready for new chapters.

14/04/2026

Last year Vandita reached out to me with images of this vintage sari of her mother’s- something straight out of old Hindi movies - a blue nylon with silver sequin work - she texted - “Has a special place in my heart, as I admired my mother carrying it so well”…
.don’t we all have images of our mothers in a favourite sari of ours that we loved seeing her draped- in the deep recesses of our hearts they remain evergreen that way- and we relive being that little girl who quickly wants to grow up and wear the same sari, secretly hoping to look as graceful as she did…

With “Create New Narratives” there have been innumerable saris that have been given a rebirth to carry on the legacy, hopefully to our daughters too..

Vandita was extremely patient as we chose a pale pink tussar to transfer the embroidery- it took us months to finish waiting for the right Karigar to get free with the finishing touch of hand embroidery..

And I was so delighted that Vandita’s mother was visiting her when she received the sari in its new avatar - “It’s outstanding. Mom loved it 😍” came the message..

One more page added onto ..

You can see the original blue sari which had many stains and faded lines..

11/04/2026

Revisiting old posts feels like opening a treasure chest of transformations—countless saris reborn in our workshops, thanks to your unwavering trust and our creative leaps!

In this spotlight, witness one sari birthing two stunning avatars!

First, the “Black Beauty” —our initial reimagination. Manisha trusted the process, sensing more magic ahead. Then came the Tussar stunner: the original’s magenta body stealing the show on golden-beige Kosa silk woven in Champa. We amplified the drama with brocade paisley borders and extra pallu flair from our stash, sealed with vibrant magenta handblock prints.

What heirloom sari is whispering for its next chapter with us?

30/03/2026

25/03/2026

I am so happy and delighted to share this reel, took me a while to put it together though! Sujatha had shared all these images and I didn’t want to skip any.

This is another chapter in the edition that I take pride in. Sujatha had sent across the borders from a sari and her Amma’s tissue sari (1966) which was falling apart. These were among the many saris that she had sent for transformation in different batches and we worked on them one by one over a year. There are a couple more still to be done.

So after many discussions we decided to team these two together on a Magenta silk dyed to a shade she wanted. After transfer of borders, reinforcements and quilting, voilà - we have this transformation that speaks a brand new story.

Sujatha is great at archiving- it was lovely to see the sepia image of her grandparents sashtiapthapurti in 1967 where her mother had draped this sari. And loved the way she juxtaposed Amma’s image with hers in the new version. And the fact that Amma approved the new look is a blessing to me!

Thanks for all your patience , your enthusiasm and complete trust in my craft pushes me to do better with every sari of yours ❤️

23/03/2026

Repost from
20/2026
Kaaradayaan nombu wishes friends. Actually I completely forgot about this today and realised around afternoon after seeing watsapp messages about it 🥲. I had no saradu in hand, so chanted Lalitha Sahasranamam and gave fruits neivedhyam 🙏🏼😇

Saree 7/2026 is a Gadwal that I bought pre loved from . It was plain with lot of stains. Dear Rema through her gave this a totally new look. My first ever Gadwal 🙂🙂

createnewnarrativesbyrk

19/03/2026

“Loved it! Planned to wear it for my 30th anniversary, but it shone at my 31st—on my niece’s Barmala ceremony,” shared Sharmila, along with stunning photos. Pure delight!

Two years since this one got a rebirth - another gem: the heirloom wedding sari Sharmila entrusted to me in Chennai. A brilliant pista green zari tissue jacquard, stained and fraying—but we breathed new life into it. Transferred onto fresh silk dyed to match the original colour as she requested, fashioning the intricate brocade as mehrab borders and palla, quilted for strength, with a potli bag from the salvaged body.

Watch till the end to see the transformation and original. Unforgettable!

16/03/2026

Elevate your workday with this breezy cotton Kalamkari sari from our Printed Narratives collection—lightweight malmal fabric ensures all-day comfort for busy schedules or casual outings.

Dress it up with statement jewelry for elegance or keep it minimal for effortless chic; it’s a versatile stunner that blends tradition with modern ease.

13/03/2026

When the final creation leaves you marveling at its origins—utterly transformed, yet whispering of its roots.