Meera Mehta
Meera Mehta is a weaver and textile designer, based in Mumbai, India.
Textiles she has created have been displayed in museums and galleries around the world. In particular, she has been responsible for the revival of the 'Paithani' sari, a legendary sari, which has been woven in Maharashtra, India for the past 2,000 years in a town located close to the Ajanta caves, to its original grandeur. The Paithani sari is known for its intricate weave of pure silk and gold - and many of Meera's pieces take anywhere from a month to years to design and weave. Many of the designs have been influenced by Buddhist
paintings which can be seen in the woven Paithani motifs - lotus flowers, swans and gold.
Many years ago, British Airways decided that it would adorn not one, but a handful of its aircraft with one of Meera's saris. They put the design on the tailfins of its planes[1] and pasted Meera's signature on these birds. Said Meera then, "This is even better than having someone wear it."
Many of her brocades and saris have been displayed in museums in the United States, Switzerland and London. Some adorn the walls of some of the classiest homes in Manhattan, London, San Francisco, Mumbai, Zurich, Delhi, Tokyo and Washington DC. Meera is frequently invited as a speaker at museum societies and cultural organizations[2] and as a judge at fashion and design schools including the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, her alma mater and NIFT, Mumbai. In 2002, she designed a collection of gold jewelry for InterGold which was launched with the World Gold Council[3]
Meera maintains a studio in South Mumbai, and stocks one of a type saris referred to by one international publication as a "purchase for this generation and for posterity...an heirloom that can still be acquired". She used silk and tussar yarn and genuine gold and silver thread. She also stocks hand-printed silks, woven fabrics, brocades and wall hangings. She has a husband, a son and a daughter.