the art of sari drapes
In the Sari Series FAQ, founder Malika Verma addresses a question people ask her all the time: what are her favorite saree drapes? The answer is concise and detailed, noting only the curtain from the traditional garment found in India and South Asia, but the region of origin: “Personal favorites are Boggili Possi from Andhra Pradesh, Yakshangana Kasi from Karnataka and Kotapad curtain from Orissa.” Verma, the founder of Border&Fall, an agency dedicated to craft and design working between India and New York, began this project ten years ago with the aim of crystallizing the knowledge of the sari and creating a freely accessible archive that demonstrated the regional and technical diversity of the arrangement of this garment.
Bhootheyara Sari Drape – Karnataka, India ©Border&Fall
Yakshagana Parvati Kase Sari Drape – Karnataka, India ©Border&Fall
in conversation with malika verma of border&fall
The Sari Series it has two main outputs: the first consists of eighty-nine draping videos covering fifteen regions in India. The second is three independent short films that capture cultural and aesthetic aspects of the sari. In conversation with designboom, Verma talks about the research, impact and future of the anthology.
How to Drape a Sari: No. 1 No. 1 Venukagundaram Drape – Andhra Pradesh, India, the first video of the Sari series, modeled by Carol Humtsoe.
Venukagundaram Sari Drape – Andhra Pradesh, India ©Border&Fall
In the first how-to-drape video, Naga model Carol Humtsoe demonstrates the Venukagundaram Drape. The description accompanying each tutorial gives an insight into the technique, area and material of the sari depicted. Here, it is noted that Humtsoe creates, “an agronomist’s superview from the northern coastal region of Andhra Pradesh”. Looking at the model, it doesn’t display the typical features one would expect from mainland India. Nagaland, a northeastern Indian state that shares a border with Myanmar, is often on the periphery of discussions about the country. Talking about the casting, Verma notes that Humtsoe casting “It was a very deliberate choice. When we looked at the whole project and the complete line of the agency (Border&Fall), the work we do is actually to change the perceptions of Made in India.’
how to embarrass video series
In each video, the model starts with a large stretch of fabric, the exact dimensions of which are given in the description. She then takes various steps to tie it around her hips, sweep it between her legs, form pleats by gently working the fabric between her fingers, and fasten it with a buckle at the waistband. In every gesture, the architecture of the garment is shaped. Through the process of forming the fabric on the body, questions arise about its use, origin and history.
Hazaribag Sari Drape – Jharkhand, India. ©Border&Fall
Agari Sari Drape – Maharashtra, India ©Border&Fall
Adivasi Sari Drape – Kerala, India ©Border&Fall
This line of thinking is not unfamiliar to Verma, whose interest in clothing inspired the creation of the line. ‘Like many things, it was born out of a personal need, desire or discovery. This was very much the case with me: I am someone who is very familiar with saris, but it was very much an occasion wear type. Which is true for many people who grew up outside India, but equally true for those in India, especially in urban India.” Verma points to her Canadian upbringing and nearly two decades of living and working in India, saying “because I lived there, I wanted to look at the change in my relationship with clothing.”
Gochi Kattu Sari Drape – Andhra Pradesh, India ©Border&Fall
investigating the state of the draping
Verma cites two texts that were foundational to her own understanding of what sari draping could be. The first is ‘Saris: Tradition and Beyond’, co-authored by textile scholar Rta Kapur Chishti, who would go on to be a consultant on the Sari series. The other is “An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping” by Chantal Boulanger, published in 1997. “As I continued my personal journey with this, I thought how interesting it would be to democratize access to it (the knowledge) in a way that really looked at adoption by the general public.” notes about laying the groundwork for what would become this massive anthology. “It’s having that conversation in a broader, more democratic way.”
Border&Fall began by mapping the landscape of saris and draping. “There were one or two Bollywood drapers covering the stars,” Verma comments on the state of the discourse at the start of the project in the mid-2010s. “In hotels as well as weddings, the drapery experts would come in with their 50 pins and embarrass themselves in a way or two, but that’s where the drapery really was. What’s emerged in the last ten years is a whole new generation of drapers, enthusiasts, people who are influencing through drape and that’s been amazing to see.” As of 2026, the official hashtag #TheSariSeries has over 11,000 Instagram posts. Verma also speaks highly of her partners in the project, one of whom is contemporary textile brand Raw Mango, founded by Sanjay Garg, who is also a consultant.
