Film director Nuhash Humayun and actor Sunerah Binte Kamal of ‘Moshari’ received the ‘Jury’s Choice Award’ at the 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in South Korea, and choose to represent Bangladesh in custom-designed Aarong attire.
Nuhash Humayun wore a purple-blue asymmetric joysree silk panjabi with a geometric appliqued waistcoat made from fleece fabric. The panjabi was completed with a remi cotton ‘jogger’ style pajama, said a press release.
Sunerah donned an intricately crafted teal ombre half-silk jamdani saree embellished with silver and matte gold ‘jori’ thread. The saree was accesorised with a contemporary off shoulder blouse with sleeves made from silver and studded with teal stones.
Jamdani is a fine muslin textile craft on which specific floral motifs are famously hand woven to make high end sarees and other women’s and men’s apparel, home textiles and accessories. The art of jamdani refers to the unique weaving pattern made by skilled handloom artisans and has been practiced for centuries in Bengal. It has also been recognised as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage craft in 2013. Much of the jamdani motif designs are weaved by artisans from memory and have been passed down through the generations.
Aarong has historically played a significant role in preserving, promoting and sustaining jamdani craft by holding exhibitions, fashion shows, and supporting research through the decades. Aarong also has worked towards documenting these motifs, and promoting the revival of the craft, the release said.
Aarong, established in 1978, is a social enterprise of BRAC, the world’s largest nongovernmental development organisation. Today, Aarong works with over 65,000 artisans in Bangladesh to provide market access to marginalised craftspeople, especially women, and to uphold the rich craft heritage of the country. Aarong has 25 retail outlets throughout the country and provides international delivery to the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Singapore and UAE through aarong.com, its ecommerce platform.