Tamilnadu Handloom Weavers' Co-operative Society Ltd., (Co-optex) organized an interactive session on ‘Vintage Kancheevarams’ on Saturday, where textile enthusiasts from the city came together and discussed saris that were more than five decades old and the Kancheepurams silk sari’s new avatar.

The highlight of an exhibition organized as a part of the ‘Vintage Kanjeevarams’ interaction were silk saris developed specially by Cooptex in the colours and designs popularised by the legendary singer M.S. Subbulakshmi on the occasion of her birth centenary celebrations.

The event was also coordinated by textile enthusiasts Jaishree C. Iyer and Sreemathy Mohan, who also have an online forum ‘W3. Women Weave World.’ The forum has over 400 members from across the country that discusses textiles and weaves as well as their history and origins.

Jaishree, who had been on a textile tour to Bhubaneshwar and Puttapaka to learn about the traditional weaves of the Odisha said that the online forum has helped them learn and share information about weaves.

T.N. Venkatesh, managing director of Cooptex, said that among the vintage Kancheepuram sari varieties, they had been giving a contemporary touch to the weaves based on customer demand and requirements.

Weavers and designers from societies in Kancheepuram at the session spoke about vintage Kancheepuram saris such as Muthukattam, Mupaggam, Paayadi, Vaira oosi, Thuttripoo and the bridal saris woven for different communities.