As a fabric it scores well on looks but falls flat during non-winter months. Now to increase the shelf life of silk, three designers – Samant Chauhan, Deepika Govind and Shalini James – have demonstrated their innovation by blending it with other fabrics in their respective spring summer collections. Through experimentation they have found a new idiom. Usually branded as a winter fabric, it has been used in a way to make the wearer feel light, comfortable and functional.
Indus beckons
For her latest spring summer collection “Indus Tales”, Shalini James has made outfits by blending Ajrakh of Kutch with Mashru. “This has been done optimally to add lustre to the edges of the garment. I have done it in cotton fabric but necklines have Mashru fabric. My collection is Gujarat-specific where block printing technique is done traditionally in cotton and other fabric. Both these crafts are developed on the banks of the Indus.”
Silk has been used to define the block printed borders of the garment. The hemlines, necklines and sleeve edges are trimmed in a combination of silk, velvet and zari. “This helped to raise the luxury quotient of cotton and rendered it perfect for the occasional wear in summer.”
Explaining how silk can be sported in summer without compromising on comfort, Shalini says, “Silk blends are a good choice of fabric for occasion wear in summer. Chanderis and Maheswari fabrics, with their lightweight and slightly sheer quality, are perfect for use in the sultry summer weather. Mashru is an interesting silk-cotton blend too. Though created originally for a community that believed that silk should not touch the skin, its ingenious satin weave makes it a delight for silk aficionados in summer. The silk side of the fabric is lustrous and smooth, while the cotton side of it is cool and absorbent. Woven mostly in Gujarat, this fabric kept the Kutchi nomads cool even in the hot climate of the deserts.”
Giving a piece of advise to fashionistas, Shalini says, “For those who want to stick to pure cottons in summer, the luxury quotient can be upped by trimming the hemlines, necklines, collars or sleeve borders in silk.”
Textile for all seasons
Silk has always been known to be autumn/winter fabric but Deepika Govind has been challenging this notion by blending it with other fabrics. “For me silk has always been a textile for all seasons. It makes sense to use silk as it has the sheen, luxury and drape. The rustle of silk is so feminine and alluring. Since it is a perennial need for most of my collections it becomes important for me to make silks that work throughout the year.”
Explaining the blending process, Deepika says silk is a strong yarn. “The yarns I usually work on the weft are bamboo, modal and cotton. Through high technology spinning machines one could twist the two yarns thereby giving the two tone dyeing look. In some weaves we could have warp based fabric. At that point we could use the luminosity of the silk yarn. Sometimes, we could use weft based fabric.”
On her two decade long association with silk, Deepika says: “A long time has gone by and my work on silk has continued at its own rhythm and pace. When we talk about blending of silk then silk/modal has been my favourite for all seasons. The lustre and drape are eternal. Silk/modal is perfect for relaxed high waisted trousers, dresses, tunics and tops. My style has always been draped trousers, Indian or Asian inspired that are both comfortable and elegant. They can be worn with short cropped top.”
On the colours that work, Deepika says: “Delicious washed colours that would be ideal this summer as muted rose, tangerine, yellow and shades of grey. Another is the silk bamboo blend as it is light and makes the wearer feel beautiful when worn. Silk cotton works throughout the year.
Then there are different weaves, divergent cotton yarns and counts. Munga silk is another favourite of mine.”
Bhagalpur story
In 2004 when Samant Chauhan had its first brush with fashion in Delhi he was left aghast to learn that buyers of trendy designer stuff were oblivious of Bhagalpur’s exquisite silk. As this was the town where he was born and raised Samant wanted to bring it on the consciousness of city dwellers. A tedious job it was as it required changing the goalpost for weavers who would now have to focus on outfits rather than ubiquitous home furnishing. .
Not being an all-weather fabric made the task of amalgamating silk a bit difficult. “Unfortunately winter lasts only a couple of months in India. So the challenge for me was to extend its life beyond November, December and January. After research and mixing and matching of dissimilar fabrics I found a way out. I discovered a new weave which goes well with cotton and linen. To smoothen the fabric, we had to process at the yarn stage itself.”
Even when it became possible to blend silk with cotton and linen to make it a functional fabric in summers, Samant took help from NGOs to realise his ambitious project.
Weavers now work on the natural look of the silk yarn by maintaining the finest feel in raw look.
“Weaving of decorative fabric such as embroidery and print was not practised by weavers. But I have now introduced weaving of new fibre as a value-adding material. This has resulted in improving technical skills on dye stuff with eco-friendly dye with herbal material. Warp is silk and weft is linen yarn. To give the fabric a crisp look, it is weaved in a way that fabric has enough space to breath,” sums up Samant.
