the journeys of iris padmini

After studying at an Israeli arts college, Iris spent a few years as a student of interior design in London University, where she was exposed to and developed her design expressions. After departing London, she was lured to India by an indescribable calling. It was time for her strong architectural, minimalist Zen style to open up to some color and flavor, and she found herself in a land full of raw beauty and spirituality. Iris's path was unfolding and she was drawn into the lush world of Indian fabrics.

Whilst traveling back and forth to India, beginning in 2000, Iris began to build her business in Philadelphia, and developed her own line of home textiles and fashion. She run two busy retail stores in KOP Mall and Northern liberties and was living an inspired life.

Through traveling across the magical country, she explored the diversity of India's regional handiwork: the reflecting lakes of Kashmir and their fine embroidery and paper mache, the woven wool at the mountains of the Himalaya and the rare pashmina goat-wool.

Traveling on an old British Enfield motorcycle across the desert of Ladhak, she searched out Tibetan brocades, continued down the Hindu pilgrimage route to the silk capital Varanasi, on to the sun washed cotton saris of the south. She was influenced by the hippie party scene in Goa and overwhelmed by the fancy Bollywood high fashion in Mumbai and Pune.

Along the route, she collected reclaimed wedding and ceremony saris, fancy sequin handwork, and found vintage pieces of embroidery in various local sari bazaars and markets. She lost herself in the endless bazaars of handcrafted ribbons, beads, jewelry and precious stones.
 
Iris continues to work in Pushkar, Rajasthan, a colorful desert village known for its' camel fare.