‘Impressions Indiennes’ by Ms. Isabelle Moulin launched at the century-old Oxford Bookstore

on Apr 08, 2022

Celebrated French textile artist and author Ms. Isabelle Moulin launched ‘Impressions Indiennes’ at the iconic 100-year-old Oxford Bookstore in Kolkata today. Her latest book is dedicated to Indo-French relations through the prism of silk. The event was presented by the Oxford Bookstore, Alliance française du Bengale, and Institut Français de New Delhi and was supported by the Crafts Council of West Bengal (CCWB). Noted author and journalist Sandip Roy hosted the engaging conversation.

The motive of her visit is to work on bilateral cooperation between India and France around design and textile, with obviously a special emphasis on silk in India.

Ms. Moulin has been establishing a dialogue between the Silky Cities Network, the Lyon Metropolis, and the Bangalore Municipality for the past three years in order to support and launch the city's bid, and therefore India's bid, in the Silk Cities network, the international network of cities, and the silk metropolises born in 2019 in Lyon, France.

Moulin is taking it a step further by collaborating with the Crafts Council of West Bengal to help Murshidabad Silk and bristles from West Bengal better position themselves in the global market. "Silk is a living material, and West Bengal has a rich silk tradition that includes varieties like mulberry, tasar, eri, and muga." "The silk industry in West Bengal is primarily concentrated in Murshidabad, and I am eager to learn more about Murshidabad Silk," Ms. Moulin said at the launch of her book 'Impressions Indiennes' at the Oxford Bookstore on Park Street in Kolkata.

To celebrate the occasion, Oxford Bookstore, Kolkata offered ‘Silk me Back’ an opportunity to present its exclusive collection of Jacquard printed silk scarves, specially created and made in France and vibrant Bengal Silks courtesy Crafts Council of West Bengal and had a specially designed ‘Silk’ themed menu presented by Cha Bar.

In 2011, Ms. Moulin created the Silk me Back, an approach that closely combines heritage and contemporary expressions, combining scientific, technical, and artistic perspectives on the theme of silk and textiles. Her project is supported by the local government in Lyon, France.

Since 2015, Silk me Back has been publishing a “Silky Collection” combining artistic, scientific, and technical perspectives on the theme of silk. Books on silk in Japan and China have already been published.

No. 3-I as ‘Impressions Indiennes’ was designed following a silky mission organized by the French Institute of New Delhi and Jaipur in November 2019.

New Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaipur, Punjab were the main stages of this mission which made it possible to carry out the photographic mission illustrating the work, to meet the contributors bringing their views and their expertise on the mutual silky French Indian inspirations, to initiate a program of exchanges of skills between universities and schools of Fashion and Design between the two countries.

The book based on an exchange between French and Indian designers was produced in record time, barely three months, in order to be able to be present in March 2020 at the Salon du Livre Paris which had been reserved as the primeur of the diffusion, in accordance with the agreement signed between the Silk me Back and the Institut Français de New Delhi.