RmKV
Encyclopedia
RmKV is an award-winning manufacturer of designer silk saris
, based in Tirunelveli
, India
. It is also one of the oldest and largest sari retailers in Tamil Nadu
. RmKV expanded its bracnes in various parts of Tamil Nadu other than Tirunelveli including Chennai, Coimbatore.
, Tamil Nadu, in 1924 by Rm. K. Visvanatha Pillai, dealing mainly in silk Kanchipuram
sarees. After the death of his son V.Kumaraswamy, who led RmKV from 1955 to 1988, the family concern was led by his grandson K.Viswanathan, a Textile Technology graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Under K.Viswanathan RmKV established its own weaving centre in Arani and won the first ISO9001-2000 certification for silk saree manufacture in the industry. He also established a design team for the creation of original hand-woven silk sarees. Traditional Tamil and Indian themes were rendered in silk and zari into woven sarees.
RmKV is today led by K.Siva Kumar, himself a hands-on weaving enthusiast. Hand-loom weaving of sarees can be witnessed live in the Vannarpettai and Coimbatore stores.
painting), Aiswarya Pookkal, Kural Ovium (depicting couplets from the Thirukkural), a line of textured "embossed silk" sarees, a reversible saree, a 50000-colour saree, and sarees inspired by Op Art
.
As with many of its campaigns, renowned textile designer Subrata Bhowmick was the consultant behind RmKV's Hamsa Damayanti sari and its subsequent advertising campaign. Using then-unknown Deepika Padukone
to model the sari, Bhowmick and RmKV created a sensation in the traditional world of silk sarees.
Most recently RmKV has released lines of natural-dyed and "light silk" sarees, using manufacturing techniques for which patents are pending.
Saris
Saris was a Palestinian Arab village that was depopulated during the major offensive launched by the Haganah on 6 April 1948. Called Operation Nachshon, and launched before the British had left Palestine, its objective was to capture villages between Jerusalem and the coastal plain.-History:During...
, based in Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is also one of the oldest and largest sari retailers in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. RmKV expanded its bracnes in various parts of Tamil Nadu other than Tirunelveli including Chennai, Coimbatore.
History
RmKV Silks was begun as a saree shop in TirunelveliTirunelveli
Tirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
, Tamil Nadu, in 1924 by Rm. K. Visvanatha Pillai, dealing mainly in silk Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram, or Kanchi, is a temple city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district...
sarees. After the death of his son V.Kumaraswamy, who led RmKV from 1955 to 1988, the family concern was led by his grandson K.Viswanathan, a Textile Technology graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Under K.Viswanathan RmKV established its own weaving centre in Arani and won the first ISO9001-2000 certification for silk saree manufacture in the industry. He also established a design team for the creation of original hand-woven silk sarees. Traditional Tamil and Indian themes were rendered in silk and zari into woven sarees.
RmKV is today led by K.Siva Kumar, himself a hands-on weaving enthusiast. Hand-loom weaving of sarees can be witnessed live in the Vannarpettai and Coimbatore stores.
Design and Manufacturing Innovations in Silk
RmKV pioneered innovation in the traditional field of silk sarees when they came out with a saree depicting, in woven silk and jari, 33 Bharatanatyam dance poses for Subramanya Bharathi's famous song Chinnanchiru Kiliye. Since then RmKV has released about three dozen designer sarees, including Hamsa Damayanthi (based on the Raja Ravi VarmaRaja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana...
painting), Aiswarya Pookkal, Kural Ovium (depicting couplets from the Thirukkural), a line of textured "embossed silk" sarees, a reversible saree, a 50000-colour saree, and sarees inspired by Op Art
Op art
Op art, also known as optical art, is a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions."Optical art is a method of painting concerning the interaction between illusion and picture plane, between understanding and seeing." Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made...
.
As with many of its campaigns, renowned textile designer Subrata Bhowmick was the consultant behind RmKV's Hamsa Damayanti sari and its subsequent advertising campaign. Using then-unknown Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone is an Indian actress and a former model. She appears mostly in Hindi as well as Tamil and Kannada language films. Born to Badminton player Prakash Padukone, she chose to become an actress and not pursue a career in sports.Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film...
to model the sari, Bhowmick and RmKV created a sensation in the traditional world of silk sarees.
Most recently RmKV has released lines of natural-dyed and "light silk" sarees, using manufacturing techniques for which patents are pending.
Awards
- National Award for Master Weavers and Master Craftpersons in 1998 - K.Siva Kumar and S.Rajendran, RmKV
- National Award for Master Weavers and Master Craftpersons in 1999 - K.Viswanathan and S.Dinakaran, RmKV