Kausheyam brings Hyderabad handlooms to Kochi, reviving memories of The Weavers

When Hyderabad-based store Kausheyam opens for a pop up in Kochi this weekend, it will be a walk down memory lane for the regulars of The Weavers, one the city’s first boutiques. The Weavers has worked with Hyderabad-based Kausheyam in the past, stocking their saris, before they closed down in 2021.

The exhibit promises to be a reunion for The Weavers regulars. Tucked away in a quiet corner of Panampilly Nagar, The Weavers was a one-stop shop for those looking for traditional silk and handloom saris and fabric for more than 35 years. 

The Weavers was the passion project of Thangam Mammen and her sister-in-law Bina Mathew which started rather unexpectedly and serendipitously some time in 1988. Although its shutters were downed post-Covid 2021, the memories — of the two women behind it and the many who shopped there — live on. 

Thangam reminisces, “It all started when we started travelling to Mumbai regularly. During those trips we would visit boutiques, one of which is now famously known as Biba. Those days it was run by Meena Bindra, the founder, out of her home.” Their clothes were so popular that their friends asked if Thangam and Bina could source more. “We would get a few in our suitcases, which people would pick up from our home,” says Thangam.   

Their trips gradually led them to Delhi and then Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Benaras besides Hyderabad, Kanchipuram and others. One thing led to another, what started out as informally as ‘picking up some stuff for friends’ became a business and The Weavers, a name suggested by a nephew, came to be.

“When we started, I don’t think there was anybody like us except the big shops like Parthas and Seematti. There was a store called Something Special, but other than that I don’t remember others like us from 38 years ago,” says Thangam.

It is hard to imagine co-ordinating a business like this without the support of technology like WhatsApp. Thangam responds, “We had to go in person and pick up stuff. In Benaras, for example, we would tie up the packages ourselves and take them to the hotel… But we handpicked everything. When we realised that stock was low in the store, we would set off.” She adds with a laugh, “That’s how we went on and on. Definitely not profit-making. We enjoyed going on a holiday. One thing that was great was that my sister-in-law and I think alike, so we did not have differences of opinion.”

One of the biggest losses they suffered was the unexpected death of one of their tailors, Vasanth, in 2019, who had been with them since the beginning. Then, post-Covid, travelling became difficult. They were also getting older, many other boutiques had come up in the city, and online shopping was exploding.

But The Weavers harks back to a time when shoppers became friends forming bonds that have lasted decades. “It kept us busy, and we made so many friends. It was not a shop, it was more like a home,” says Thangam.

Kausheyam brings with their collection of Paithani, Uppada, Gadwal, Kota and other traditional weaves.

The sale is on from February 6-7 at first floor, Westend Hall, Panampilly Nagar, Kochi from 10am – 6pm.