South Asian Heritage Month: How Indian sarees are being celebrated by a group of women in Reading

  • ITV News Meridian's Siri Hampapur reports on this special feature for South Asian Heritage Month.

An Indian saree is not just a fashion statement, but a celebration of cultural identity.

Which is why a group of women in Berkshire get together once a month to wear them.

Saree Speak, based in Reading, gives members a way to show off their collection and share with others why their outfits are so special.

It comes as this year's theme for South Asian Heritage Month is 'free to be me'.

  • Mohima Bose, Co-founder of Saree Speak told ITV News Meridian why the Indian Cultural Dress is so important.

Mohima Bose, Co-founder “We meet once a month and we wear our sarees and we talk about it and we get our daughters to get involved as well.

“We organise events as well every three or four months… it’s mainly a ladies event and whoever comes has to wear a saree and talk about it.

“We have quizzes on sarees, general knowledge games on sarees, and we dance and have lots of food."

Asked why sarees are so important, she said: “If you see the history of India, in the olden days, it only used to be sarees and as fashion moved on they started making the other things.

“But before it was just a cloth wrapped around the body. So that’s why it’s very important because it’s going right back to our ancestors.

“We have to show the world how beautiful sarees are and how rich our culture is and keep the culture going.”

In olden days it is believed sarees were just one piece of fabric wrapped around the body. It's now worn with a blouse and petticoat. Credit: ITV News Meridian

Sarees are made up of six yards of colourful hand-woven fabric, paired with a matching blouse and a petticoat.

The material is wrapped around the waist, pleated, draped over the shoulder and then safety-pinned to stay in place.

Sarees can be passed down through generations of families and can sometimes increase in re-sale value as older sarees can have pure gold and silver weaved into the fabric.

They are often made from raw silk or pure cotton - and can take a weaver a couple of months to make just one.

The materials used and even the way in which it is draped can often reflect different regions in India, for example, Mysore silk sarees are often worn in Karnataka.

  • Local saree seller, Shruthi Belgavi is an expert on the materials used in sarees and how to wear them properly.

Shruthi Belgavi from Desiyard UK said: "I thought why don’t I bring this beautiful collection to the UK, to customers here, where we can also support the weavers back home.

"When you get a sari - it doesn’t end there, you have to get a proper blouse done and accessories and the way you carry yourself. It’s the whole package.

"Nowadays sarees are back in trend, more and more youngsters want to buy sarees and want to wear them."

As time moves on, trends have changed and there are modern versions of the traditional saree.

There are some sarees that are machine-made to be more affordable. They are also some which are made to be easier to wear, coming pre-pleated and pinned.

An example of a modern take on a saree can be seen by Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra, on Kim and Khloé Kardashian at the wedding of billionaire Mukesh Ambani's son.

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