Forget the flapper girls and rock star chic. Ignore Marilyn Munroe's wispy-white halter dress and Audrey Hepburn's elfin look. Turn oblivious to French embroidery and Scottish houndstooth. Skip Morocco and Uzbekistan for inspiration…
It's all about homespun designs. For the first time in its colourful history, the country's premier style pageant Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) dedicates a day to Indian textiles. When the curtains go up at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai, on March 3, the spotlight will be turned on the common threads that form India's uncommon textile tradition.
Explaining the new initiative, Anjana Sharma, Director-Fashion, IMG-Reliance (that puts together the pageant) says, “Indian textiles contribute to over 4 per cent of the country's GDP. LFW allows for concentrated exposure in a short duration of time. By dedicating a whole day to Indian textiles, our aim is to provide a consolidated platform to designers to showcase the variety and vibrancy of Indian weaves. It will be a great opportunity to take it to a global audience.”
Talking about innovation within the format of tradition, Sharma says, “Indian textiles are intrinsically timeless. While we will maintain the authenticity of tradition, we will also look at creative departures that take fashion to the next level.”
Besides ramp shows, Indian Textiles Day will feature panel discussions by industry veterans, workshops, art installations and film screenings.
Says ace designer Krishna Mehta, who has been chosen to curate the shows: “Indian textiles have been largely ignored in our fashion circuit. Our textiles are versatile and allow endless creative possibilities. LFW is a fine forum for young designers to get initiated in this direction.”
As a curator, Mehta plans to make this a strong base for promoting indigenous crafts. “It will be a creative hub that will undoubtedly kindle interest in tradition, help more people learn and appreciate our humble fabrics and intricate hand skills. With experts in the field offering to participate in the discussions, there will be plenty to share in terms of expertise.”
No cap on creativity
As someone who believes that textile is the soul of design, Mehta has worked extensively with weavers for almost three decades. Having experimented with textiles and updated tradition to appeal to contemporary tastes, she asserts there is no cap on creativity. “Designers have to come out of their comfort zones and push themselves to prove their originality. They have to invest time and resource in research and development of fabrics, patterns, colours, etc., to create clothes that are simple yet stunning, contemporary yet sustainable. I have the word ‘Innovate or evaporate' written at the entry to my work space in Mumbai!”
Talk about sustaining labour-intensive crafts skills, and Mehta muses, “Doing a collection with a particular craft is good only as long as you are a student. You need to evolve as a professional and look at different things simultaneously. I have been working with weavers from Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and other places since 1982. I mix and match textile crafts with needlework traditions. For a creative person, the sky is the limit. There are umpteen possibilities to explore. Designers are in touch with trends. They can tweak tradition to make it suitable for today's globe-trotting woman. Thus they can expose indigenous textiles to fresh markets and bring the weavers back to their looms. One day, one attempt is surely not enough. Traditional textiles need the patronage of the public. I hope the Indian Textile Day will set the ball rolling…”
When it comes to the trade angle, Mehta is clear. “For most Indian designers, India remains their biggest market. When we think international, designers must understand that buyers are not coming here to order garments made with Chinese silk or Italian linen! What they want from us is what they can't get elsewhere in the world — our unique handwoven textiles with value additions no machine can replicate! It's again in this context that the Indian Textile Day can become a major window to display our forte.”
With an increasing number of designers turning to the West for inspiration, events such as the Indian Textile Day might go a long way towards restoring the concept of culture in clothes. For once, desi chic will take centre stage as the smog of synthetics is cleared out of the ramp by LFW's textile de force.
HOMESPUN HAPPINESS
Traditional crafts are vanishing because of the absence of a market for them. If well-presented, traditional textiles and crafts can find good markets here and abroad. The Indian Textile Day can go a long way towards creating awareness about the beauty of our ethnic skills. Since various threads of tradition will be presented in one stream, it will create a huge impact. I've always worked with homespun textiles, it gives me great comfort to reinvent them for today's clientele.
Vaishali S, designer
The Indian Textile Day will definitely spur many a young designer to focus, develop and contemporise Indian textiles and crafts. It's time we realised our rich heritage and tapped its potential to the fullest. I am overjoyed to be part of this initiative. I have been away for the last five seasons. If you have watched any recent fashion events, the only kind of ensembles that seem to be flooding the catwalks are dresses and gowns. While I think it is important to adapt to the times, it is also crucial to have a distinct identity for Indian fashion. Regardless of body type, women are happy to pour themselves into a dress — because it's ‘in'. I don't believe in in-your-face Indian-ness. It must be brought out in a subtle and stylish manner. As a brand we have continually done this in all our collections — using Indian textiles in contemporary silhouettes.
Deepika Govind, designer
