A few seasons ago, one remembers viewing his multi-hued collection at a preview before Gaurang Shah showcased it at Lakme Fashion Week. There were saris and outfits in an assortment of weaves and techniques, in vibrant hues from vermillion reds to flaming oranges. This time, Gaurang is taking a break from colours. “It’s going to be white, with a touch of silver and gold,” he says, talking about his collection titled Muslin.
Nearly 40 ensembles — saris, anarkalis and lehangas — are getting finishing touches for Lakme Fashion Week, which begins on February 1. The summer/resort edition that’s normally held in March has been advanced to February this year, giving designers enough time to capitalise on orders. “It makes business sense. Otherwise, by the time most designers are ready with consignments, we are well into summer and many customers are on vacation,” says Gaurang.
He will be using weaves and techniques from West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Mughal motifs and geometric patterns on khadi, chikankari embroidery, Parsi gara and patti ka kaam embroidery which involves stitching a patchwork on fabric… all of these are used on organza, muslin, khadi and kota weaves.
He shows us a Benarsi-organza sari with intricate chikankari work. The sari gets its sheer quality from the organza, the satin yarn ensures a better fall. “Using organza alone can make a sari fluffy; I felt the fall would be better if we also use a satin yarn,” says Gaurang. This sari took seven months to make. “Intricate chikankari embroidery of this kind is usually done on georgette. We wanted to do it on handlooms,” he says.
An anarkali that uses weaves from Maheshwar is teamed with a chikankari dupatta, another has an interplay of kota and khadi and can be worn with a dhakai jamdani dupatta. In one outfit, Gaurang has used gold, silver and muga silk threads to give the embroidery the richness it requires to stand out.
White on white was a tricky combination to arrive at, he says. The real test is when he takes these outfits to the ramp. “One of my weavers commented, ‘ saab, kuchi bhi nahi dikhega ’. But I am confident the craftsmanship will be evident on stage,” he says.
Nearly 50 weavers made this collection possible and the team is ready with more saris and outfits that will roll out soon after LFW. “As soon as people see something on the ramp, they want it. So the production has to keep up with the demand,” he says. Gaurang recalls showing his collections to a few loyal clients prior to fashion week to gauge the reception and tap potential buyers. But some of them, he observes, place orders only after seeing a sari or an outfit on the ramp. “Within 24 hours after we posted a photograph of Carol Gracias wearing a khadi jamdani sari on Instagram, we got orders from the same clients who had seen the sari earlier. They weren’t sure how it would look,” laughs Gaurang.
Though this LFW collection will be in whites, his weavers are getting ready with the same embroidery and techniques in pastel hues, keeping in mind summer weddings. A pomegranate pink kota anarkali with dull gold border is among the stunning pieces. “This time I felt the need to do monotones. So expect a light yellow sari with a deep mustard border or a red sari with a maroon border and so on,” he sums up.
