Heritage In Motion: Tilfi Banaras’s experiential showcase

Tilfi Banaras founders Aditi Chand and Udit Khanna are based in New Delhi. But their retail stores are in Varanasi and Mumbai as they are still on the look out for a retail space matching with the brand’s ethos in Delhi.

When they wanted their clients to experience what the brand stands for in the Capital, they chose to do something that is not just textiles and garments, but visual art including performances at the Travancore Palace New Delhi titled “Heritage in Motion,” an expansive showcase showcased the city’s living craft traditions through contemporary design, material innovation and multidisciplinary expression. This immersive experience brought together their brand’s latest explorations across textiles, metal art, performance and culinary interpretation recognising the heritage at its present form yet looking at the future.

Conceived as a thread connecting past and possibility, Heritage in Motion was all about large-scale installations that articulate evolving artistic languages and material expressions. Each space reveals an ever-deepening engagement with Banaras’s enduring craftsmanship, spotlighting the subtle continuities and experimental departures that define Tilfi’s design philosophy. “We have a large client base in Delhi and we wanted to do something that brought them together to a place where we could showcase the various facets of our brand its values and streams,” said Aditi Chand. “Since we didn’t have a store in Delhi just as yet, this was the next best way in which our clients and prospective customers are exposed to our latest offerings.”

One of the most resonant installations was the Shikargah curation, tracing the evolution of this storied Banarasi narrative artform. Envisioned as an immersive forest inhabited by leopards, deer and stylised foliage, the installation brought to life both historical and contemporary interpretations of Shikargah. The textiles symbolised the motif’s transition from traditional figurations to more abstract and symbolic expressions -- an evolution shaped not by a departure from heritage but by its continual reinterpretation. 

Alongside the textiles, Tilfi introduced its expanding repertoire of metal art and collectible objects, made using Varanasi’s ancient repoussé technique. Sculptural trays, platters and small-format objects in brass capture the untamed elegance of the wild, extending the Shikargah narrative while demonstrating exceptional artisanal precision and a rare fluidity of form.

Material innovation came to the fore through collections such as antinomy, silk wool and linen, that explored the expanding possibilities of handloom craftsmanship. Their presentation imagines a sculptural arc symbolising continuity and cyclical reinvention, creating a landscape where tradition reshapes itself with each turn. 

Silk wool -- a pioneering fusion of Kashmiri Pashmina and Banarasi silk -- is displayed along contours reminiscent of gentle mountainous terrain. Motifs inspired by Himalayan flora and bright bird accents are rendered through classical Banarasi artistry, evoking the quiet majesty of winter landscapes. As the arc progressed, it transitioned into the airy geometry of linen, a softer expression of Banarasi craft, before culminating in the architectural precision of Antinomy, a collection that showcases twill fabric as a material innovation developed on Tilfi’s looms. 

Tilfi’s Bridal showcase included heirloom pieces inspired by the emotive language of Ragamala paintings and the expressive spirit of the Deccan. Rooted in classical motifs yet guided by contemporary sensibilities, the bridal collections celebrate the enduring resonance of love and the poetic beauty of two rich artistic legacies. The installation deepened this narrative through an abundance of florals and pomegranates -- symbols of fertility, abundance and timeless affection -- creating a visual language that looks toward a future shaped by artistry and intention.

The culinary experience, crafted in collaboration with La Marinate, extended the theme of Heritage in Motion into gastronomy. Traditional Banarasi flavours were reinterpreted with contemporary finesse, reimagining familiar dishes in inventive formats while retaining their rooted charm. From delicately reworked classics to thoughtfully modern compositions, the menu created a sensorial journey that feels intimate, inventive and unmistakably Banarasi.

The showcase also featured a dance performance that translated the brand’s theme into movement where the dancers draped in Tilfi sarees performed on the steps of Travancore Palace in intervals.  And as for opening a store in Delhi Chand says, “we’ve been looking for a space that resonates with our brand values and as soon as we find one, we will open the store in Delhi. In Mumbai we found this beautiful space in in one of the heritage buildings at Ballard Estate... hope we will find one in Delhi soon!”