Roots of Indian fashion lie in the rich historical narratives and cultural ethos of the country. Behind the glamour and glitz of high street fashion is the stark reality of how artisans in remote regions are diligently practising our age-old crafts. Utilising their knowledge, expertise and craftsmanship in a modern avatar in a productive way is the only way Indian designers can make their presence felt on the global fashion map.
Now, an attempt in this direction has been made by former designer Geeta Khanna through her book “Style of India”. Her début book was released at a gala function at French Embassy where huge pictures of models dressed in Razia Sultan look as well as tribal look were exhibited.
Brought out by Hachette India, the book has recreations of drapes and accessories over centuries. It has perceptive essays and weaves a chronicle of style from the Harappan civilisation to the present era.
Explaining the need for writing this book, Geeta, the founder and principal director of Hirumchi Styling Company (HSC), says, “I have been a designer and honed my skills under Marc Jacobs and Tarun Tahiliani. For seven years I was a designer. Then I switched to styling. The next step was to write a book. I felt a gap, as India was not presented as a one stop destination for craft. Indian fashion designers need to showcase their craft but in a modern way. This is the only way forward.”
Writing the book was like starting from a scratch. “It was in New York where I realised that Indian crafts was nowhere to be seen. I had gone to NIFT to study fashion but tracing the link between history and Indian fashion required extensive study. So I studied at Fashion Institute of Technology, New York and went through a number of books. FIT gave me an understanding on how fashion works internationally.”
Digging into ateliers of designers was a time consuming exercise. So also was the extensive research which took her across the country. As a result, the book has stunning visuals of styles and expressions that the country has to offer. “A lot of legal work had to be done. Issues revolving around copyright, contacting publishers, getting sanction for pictures had to be taken care of.”
Seasoned designers, who made a mark in 1980s like Manish Arora, Manish Malhotra, Raghavendra Rathore and Tarun Tahiliani have been presented. “Studying and examining their works took me five years. At one time I decided to give it up but the book has seen the light of the day because of support from my family and yoga.”
Speaking at the discussion on her book, Geeta highlighted the significance of narrating a story of mythology and history into costumes. “We have to pick elements of our culture like the Navratri art, which is found in all mediums. It can be seen on pallu where the Ramayana’s narrative is scripted. Itis found in paintings, embroidery...here I would like to point out that Manish Malhotra was the first designer to take the narrative of Ramayan to the Paris Fashion Week. He interpreted our culture in a modern way.”
Participating in the discussion, FDCI President, Sunil Sethi said, “Gone are the days when people could work from the garage of their homes. Now there is social, ethical compliances that have to adhered to. I am glad that Indian designers are following the rules. Earlier our designers had to rely on private agencies to distribute their products. But now the social media has given them an unbelievable opportunity to reach out to a large number of people without relying on anyone.”
Concurring with his views that social media has become a harbinger of change for designers, fashion photographer Tarun Khiwal recalled the recent photo shoot he had done for Sabyasachi Mukherjee. “It was for six days for Sabya. It was put on the Instagram; we ran the whole campaign. Later, it was released in magazines. Earlier it was magazine and then social media. Now slowly this process is reversing. It is a big change.”
