the opposite is true ?

Chasm of Nature

This project reimagines the traditional Tree of Life motif in textile art, bridging heritage and contemporary design. Using screen printing, it offers a modern reinterpretation of this timeless symbol, blending tradition with innovative visual expression.

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Brigitte Singh

Inspired by the brand’s dedication to Mughal-era craftsmanship, this project reinterprets my earlier designs through Brigitte Singh’s distinctive aesthetic. By aligning with the brand’s traditional sensibilities, I explore new visual possibilities while honouring heritage textile artistry.

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Fleeting Blossom

A nostalgic return to childhood, where flowers became storytellers and memories bloomed. This print design project captures those fleeting moments, translating personal recollections into delicate floral narratives.

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Feminine Devine

Drawing inspiration from Neelkanth Chaudhari’s painting Feminine Divine, this project translates its essence into a vibrant jaal pattern. The artwork is reimagined through colour, repetition, and rhythm, celebrating feminine energy in a layered visual tapestry.

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New Geometries

An exploration that blurs the boundary between organic and inorganic forms, crafted through the traditional technique of Ikat. This project redefines geometry through movement, softness, and structure—where form, rhythm, and craft merge into a new visual language.

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The Shade of Dreams

Convocation Stole — National Institute of Andhra Pradesh: A visual echo of land, culture, and identity, this stole design draws inspiration from the spirit of Andhra Pradesh. Rooted in regional colours, and heritage, it celebrates both tradition and academic achievement through a symbolic woven narrative.

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Playful Venture

An exploratory project that designs playful educational materials for children using the fading craft of pattu pai making from Tamil Nadu. By reviving technique through learning tools, the project supports cultural preservation while nurturing curiosity and creativity.

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Threads of the Nature

An exploration of natural materials derived from plants, woven through advanced double-cloth techniques. This project investigates surface, structure, and sustainability, pushing the boundaries of woven textiles through tactility and material authenticity.

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The Mughal Garden

An exploration of historical Mughal and Islamic art, architecture, and garden motifs interpreted through advanced Jacquard weaving techniques.

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I see textiles as stories told through thread - living, tactile, and rich with meaning. As a textile and apparel designer, I think through texture and colour, translating my experiences into work shaped by intention, curiosity, and sensitivity.

Textile & Apparel Designer / Print + Woven Surface Developer / Craft Documentation & Research Practitioner / Visual Storyteller / Sustainable Practitioner.

Safa THESNI

I see design as a language of material, colour, culture, and emotion. My inspiration comes from the world around me , photography, travel, space, and the heritage of Indian crafts. Every experience becomes a visual note that slowly translates into textiles.

I approach design through observation, research, and documentation, with a strong inclination toward sustainable thinking and responsible material practice. I enjoy exploring the relationship between colour, weave, and surface, and continuously look for ways to create meaningful work with sensitivity to environment, community, and material lifespan.

What excites me most is the ability to blend tradition with innovation honouring craft while experimenting with new processes and perspectives. Collaboration and shared learning fuel my growth; I learn from places, artisans, and conversations, allowing each project to evolve thoughtfully and deliberately.

This portfolio is a reflection of my journey, a collection of surfaces, textiles, and narratives shaped by curiosity and craft. Each work represents my perspective, my passion, and the stories I choose to tell through design.

- National institute of Design, NID AP (2021-2025)

- Govt. Higher secondary school Chalissery (2018-2020)

- 11.11/ ELEVEN.ELEVEN - Junior Textile Designer, New Delhi ( 2025 )

- 11.11/ ELEVEN.ELEVEN - Graduation Project internship, New Delhi ( 2025 )

- AIIMS Mangalagiri — Convocation Outfit Design (2024)
Designed convocation attire for the institute.

- Baro Market & Sanchari.co — Summer Internship (2024)
Fieldwork with artisans, process research, interviews, and craft documentation.

- SIDR Craft — Craft Documentation (2023)
Worked with Bandhani artisans in Kutch to study technique and develop original designs.

- SPACE DESIGN - Chithrakatha'23, design olympics (2023)

- APCO — Print Project Developed saree print designs for Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society. (2022)

- Mime - silent performance, Kerala State Kalolsavam'20
District 2nd Prize in Mime. (2020)

- School Art Competition — 1st Prize (Oil Painting) (2018)

- Puppetry (Kerala Work Experience Fair), District 1st A Grade (2013)

Collaborations & Achievements

Education

portrait

Design feels like mapping emotion - like turning something felt into something that can be held.I learn from people, from artisans who hold generations in their fingertips, from fibres that behave differently every time, from mistakes that sting first and teach later, and from quiet moments when ideas finally settle.

Hi,
I’m Safa,

Observer

design is not invented - it is discovered in what already exists around you.

Curiosity feels like the thing that guides me , genuinely.Every material is a question and my process is just me slowly answering it, layer by layer, attempt by attempt.

I collect details like artefacts - gently, curiously, and with purpose.

My colours are memories.

My textures are places.

My fabrics are feelings.

"photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything te do with the way you see them."

- Elliott Erwitt

Every trial becomes a new opening, a new door, a new possibility. Nothing is wasted. Everything is part of the becoming.

My growth isn’t straight or perfect - it loops, circles, pauses, jumps. Some days it feels like a breakthrough, some days like starting over. But that’s the part I love. Curiosity takes me into unknown directions, experimentation gives that unknown a shape.

always learning.

Always becoming.

RESUME

Crown Pine

Inspired by the early growth stages of the pineapple plant, this project explores form, texture, and pattern to create innovative fabric surfaces. Through varied textile techniques, the essence of emerging foliage is translated into tactile material expressions.

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Kutch Born Again

A documentation project that captures the voices, skills, and stories of Kutch’s artisans, where traditional crafts are being reinterpreted with fresh vision. Through conversations, observation, and field exploration, the work reflects how heritage survives, evolves, and breathes through the hands and minds of its makers.

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Bandhani

A craft documentation rooted in the traditional practice of Bandhani from Gujarat—immersing into its origins, culture, and stories. This project learns directly from artisans and communities, tracing the rhythm of technique, heritage, and the living history behind each tied dot.

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Harago

: A study of contemporary trend directions translated into the visual and material language of the brand. This project explores concept development and design ideation inspired by Harago’s aesthetic—merging research, interpretation, and brand-aligned creative expression.

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Vincent's Sunflower

A visual translation of Vincent van Gogh’s iconic sunflower series into a 2.5D form. This project reinterprets the painting’s colour, depth, and movement, bringing texture and dimensionality to a masterpiece through layered representation.

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Sketches

A visual journal built on quiet observation, capturing the poetry of everyday life. These sketches reflect fleeting moments, ordinary scenes, and the subtle beauty of the mundane, seen through an attentive eye and wandering line.

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Paper cache

Tiny sculptures shaped from layers of papier-mâché, capturing stories in smallness. These pieces explore scale, texture, and the quiet charm of hand-made forms.

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Kodachrome

A photographic narrative capturing people, culture, and nature , framing the stories that surround us every day. Through colour, light, and lived moments, this series documents the beauty of ordinary life and the worlds that unfold quietly within it.

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A Second Stitch

A collection inspired by Japanese Boro techniques, celebrating repair, reuse, and stories held within cloth. Through patchwork, layering, and visible mending, the project explores how fabric remembers, survives, and finds new life in every stitch.

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Chimera

contrasts in texture could inform new designs. By combining structured embroidery with fluid fabric layering, a balance between order and natural randomness could be achieved, just as nature itself creates harmony through contrast. , About capturing an experience through textile expression.

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Imprint

An exploration of traditional block printing using bamboo as both material and tool. Natural dyes and surface experimentation bring the process alive, celebrating texture, craft, and the organic beauty of handmade marks.

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Echo

A cross-cultural exploration blending traditional crafts with regional costume heritage, inspired by the sea tribes of Indonesia. This project weaves together stories, symbolism, and material identity, creating a dialogue between cultures through textile expression.

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Mended whispers

A celebration of imperfection, this project finds beauty in fragments-mending, joining, and reweaving broken pieces into something whole. Through the art of repair, it transforms flaws into quiet stories of resilience and renewal.

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Safa

CONTACT ME

safathasnie@gmail.com

safa thesni

Instagram

Behance

@copyright safa thesni

@safaportfolio.com

Contact me

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