THREADED HISTORIES
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. Two from Nepal, two from Pakistan, three from Bangladesh, seven from India and one from Sri Lanka. All are from varied regions, speak different languages, practice different religions and forms of spirituality, and overall have rich cultural histories rooted in their homelands.
Through our conversations I found commanalities, 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. 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 on site shot at Romi Singh’s, Shingar Boutique in Monroeville, PA where most shot/worn wearables were sourced.
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 + NARRATIVE-DRIVEN WRITING + PRINT
[*] Introductory Zine —
I started off creating marketing collateral for Dreamforce, getting the word out to potential customers about what the event can offer them. I utilized Dreamforce 2024’s branding consisting of framing elements, stacking nature silhouettes tree textures and character illustrations within small square modules, and a bright-toned color palette. When experimenting early on, the initial style guide utilized physical wayfinding and banner designs and I found modules harder to stack when expanding outside of the banner specs in a digital context. That led me to create ads with modules floating in a sky composition with clouds obscuring part of the last module to have it actively integrate with the background.
[1] Pinned & Pressed —
I started off creating marketing collateral for Dreamforce, getting the word out to potential customers about what the event can offer them. I utilized Dreamforce 2024’s branding consisting of framing elements, stacking nature silhouettes tree textures and character illustrations within small square modules, and a bright-toned color palette. When experimenting early on, the initial style guide utilized physical wayfinding and banner designs and I found modules harder to stack when expanding outside of the banner specs in a digital context. That led me to create ads with modules floating in a sky composition with clouds obscuring part of the last module to have it actively integrate with the background.
[2] Embroidered Legacies —
I started off creating marketing collateral for Dreamforce, getting the word out to potential customers about what the event can offer them. I utilized Dreamforce 2024’s branding consisting of framing elements, stacking nature silhouettes tree textures and character illustrations within small square modules, and a bright-toned color palette. When experimenting early on, the initial style guide utilized physical wayfinding and banner designs and I found modules harder to stack when expanding outside of the banner specs in a digital context. That led me to create ads with modules floating in a sky composition with clouds obscuring part of the last module to have it actively integrate with the background.
[3] Unraveling the Melting Pot —
I started off creating marketing collateral for Dreamforce, getting the word out to potential customers about what the event can offer them. I utilized Dreamforce 2024’s branding consisting of framing elements, stacking nature silhouettes tree textures and character illustrations within small square modules, and a bright-toned color palette. When experimenting early on, the initial style guide utilized physical wayfinding and banner designs and I found modules harder to stack when expanding outside of the banner specs in a digital context. That led me to create ads with modules floating in a sky composition with clouds obscuring part of the last module to have it actively integrate with the background.
[4] Mending the Silenced —
I started off creating marketing collateral for Dreamforce, getting the word out to potential customers about what the event can offer them. I utilized Dreamforce 2024’s branding consisting of framing elements, stacking nature silhouettes tree textures and character illustrations within small square modules, and a bright-toned color palette. When experimenting early on, the initial style guide utilized physical wayfinding and banner designs and I found modules harder to stack when expanding outside of the banner specs in a digital context. That led me to create ads with modules floating in a sky composition with clouds obscuring part of the last module to have it actively integrate with the background.
[&] 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. The features that shape our faces and limbs hold stories and strength. The plethora of languages that span the region, standing the test of time, is a testament to the communities that thrive in their individuality. The textiles woven, the literature written, and the crafters of spice and home-cooked memory are made with hands that have so much wisdom carved into them. 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.