THREADED HISTORIES

My senior capstone/thesis, Threaded Histories captures South Asian wearables through a written, designed, and photographed exploration of culture. Surrounding the narratives of nineteen women tied to fashion and beyond, from Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka, I aimed to preserve the ethnic diversity South Asia offers. As a collection of publications, and original photographs this project serves to stitch together our stories, marking the histories of deeply individual groups of people worthy of celebration and honoring.

The first few weeks were dedicated to the narrowing down of 40+ applicants who found me through marketed colateral posted on social media, in aunty WhatsApp group chats, and on CMU and Pitt campuses. After two rounds of interviews, and understanding the stories of those who brought their histories and vulnerabilities to the forefront, I selected nineteen women.

Through our conversations I found commonalities, experiences shared even when perspectives and countries of origin differed, and following those aligned threads, I formed concepts that became each individual zine: [*] an introductory zine, [1] Pinned & Pressed, [2] Embroidered Legacies, [3] Unraveling the Melting Pot, [4] Mending the Silenced. These essays expound on concepts related to the South Asian cultural experiences. Interwoven text and photo collectively narrate our stories and perspectives through the voices of these nineteen women.

Each zine, bound with recycled saree fabric, includes entirely original photography and portraiture, styled by myself or the model themselves and creatively directed to correlate to the concept/zine the model was assigned to based on our initial conversation and further interviews. All imagery was shot on site at Romi Singh’s, Shingar Boutique in Monroeville, PA where most wearables were sourced. Design-wise, the publications utilize a knitted identification system, that provides one designated knit symbol (from the typeface Yarndings 20) for each person/model mentioned. The symbols come together to form the overarching branded identity, along with other stitched patterning and motifs.

More in Depth, Extra Things & Info Deck

TIMELINE - 14 WEEKS

DELIVERABLES - 5 PUBLICATIONS, 5 ORIGINAL ESSAYS WEAVING REAL STORIES AND HISTORIES INTO CONCEPTUAL THINK PIECES, OVER 80 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS

Thank you to my spectacular nineteen models: Sahana Chandrakant, Tasnim Rida, Kritika Khati, Namya Kathuria, Sana Hafeez, Bhaavya Manikonda, Aryah Khan, Ilhaam Husain, Esha Sultana, Jenna Gomes, Vasudha Cidambi, Lata Sharma, Pranavi Rohit, Savita Nagaraj, Rishika Agarwal, Sahaja Danthurthy, Priya Kulkarni, Diya Paul, & Amanda Munasinghe.

A special thank you to Romi Singh, the generous boutique owner who made this all happen, as the provider of sarees, jhumkas, a shooting space, and many slices of pizza.

CREATIVE DIRECTION + PHOTOGRAPHY + RESEARCH + WRITING + PRINT

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^[*] Introductory Zine —

This introductory zine, smaller in stature than its four counterparts as a method of creating distinction, includes a precursory foreword from me explaining my intentions and motivations behind this project, then dives into Romi Singh’s story and his boutique. There are breakdowns of every model represented and the publications they’re apart of, as well as designations of symbols chcracterized for each individual. Those symbols prove crucial in the mapping section of the zine, that honors where each model comes from on a national and regional scale. We wrap with a glossary of common terminologies for South Asian worn pieces as well as what they’re referred to as in different laungauges.

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^[1] Pinned & Pressed —

The transition of love and generational belonging is often tied to worn pieces. They are given to us by those we love most to be cherished while also providing a visible emblem to be proud of, representing our families and heritage. I spoke with mothers and daughters as they told their stories of wearables that informed their love of family and an understanding of the generational passage of South Asian culture. These women discuss motherhood from the perspectives of mothers but daughters and granddaughters as well and how familial ties have bound culture together for them, enforcing a love of cultured wear and experiences as a fixture in their everyday lives.

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^[2] Embroidered Legacies —

The transition of love and generational belonging is often tied to worn pieces. They are given to us by those we love most to be cherished while also providing a visible emblem to be proud of, representing our families and heritage. I spoke with mothers and daughters as they told their stories of wearables that informed their love of family and an understanding of the generational passage of South Asian culture. These women discuss motherhood from the perspectives of mothers but daughters and granddaughters as well and how familial ties have bound culture together for them, enforcing a love of cultured wear and experiences as a fixture in their everyday lives.

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^[3] Unraveling the Melting Pot —

The idea that every South Asian individual is from the same general melting pot of a place, is a consistently thought reality amongst a much too large population of ignorant thinkers, negating so much lived experience and fortitude in centuries-old civilizations. The similarities that bind us are significant and make us a community, but our unique traits define our identities and give our stories meaning. This zine highlights those distinctions, with more obscure nations and cultures like Nepal and Sri Lanka, as well as experiences rooted in spirtuality and finding belonging within what society has deemed a melting pot of community not every member of South Asia will always resonate with.

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^[4] Mending the Silenced —
As we honor the narratives and dialogues surrounding these perspectives rooted in the present, we must take the time to venture into the past and parse through how and why we got to points of contention at home and within our region. Colonialism, wars, and dire civil conflict exacerbated tensions within various countries, resulting in movements like the Partition and independence pursuits. Societal constructs, adapted and warped over time, stifle and harm rather than uplift South Asian women, queer individuals, religious minorities, and other groups of color. These women discuss those contentions as a means of uplifting themselves, their histories, and one another, tackling vulnerable topics through shared understandings rooted in their heritage.

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^[&] Last Thoughts—

I started this capstone/senior thesis with the goal of touching every one of my academic passions, social+political history, photography, and print design. I hoped to create something personally significant that would help me hone skills I have always hoped to procure. This was the most difficult endeavor I have pursued in my time at Carnegie Mellon. So much of it revolved around organization and leadership rather than simply just design, something I hadn’t ever put myself in a position to do, which made it that much more rewarding.

The first passage of this project states: “Existing in skin that has been passed down from some of society's foremost cultivators is a privilege. The complexion we carry varies across each and every unique place, shifting to accommodate space and temperature, and is steeped in rich history and cultured belonging. There is so much undeniable persistence of vibrancy in every pursuit of life within the South Asian race and the many diasporas that hold space within it.”

I am so grateful to be apart of this community and am honored to have been able to highlight these experiences, connecting our stories and histories, and weaving them in tandem.