The Consulate General of India, New York in association with BARNEYS New York, MAIYET, a luxury fashion brand, and NEST, a nonprofit organization hosted an event at the Consulate on May 9, 2013 to celebrate ground breaking of Varanasi Silk Weaving facility and Benaras Silk Capsule Collection.

Rebecca Van Bergen, founding member of NEST highlighted the history of Varanasi silk weaving and gave a brief overview about the facility and Varanasi NEST\'s working with an organization dedicated to saving the dying craft of silk weaving through the creation of a centralized weaving facility. The facility will be a focal point for the weaving business, a way to help improve the capacity and ability of the weavers of Varanasi, and a place to train the next generation of artisans, and NEST\'s collaboration with world-renowned architect David Adjaye on this project.

Consul General Ambassador Dynaneshwar Mulay welcomed the guests and congratulated the partners on their endeavors of preserving the Silk Weaving traditions of Varanasi.

Daniella Vitale, CEO of BARNEYS New York, Paul Van Zyl and Kristy Caylor, founders of MAIYET, David Adjaye, Frieda Pinto, and Wendy Schmidt were present during the event.