The credit of making khadi glamorous definitely goes to fashion designer Aravind Joshua. A NIFT graduate from the 2001 batch, he decided to follow what was close to his heart, khadi, which he later chose for the silver screen. Twenty films and counting as a costume designer, Aravind proves that khadi can be right for ‘youngistan' too.
“The idea is to make khadi as young as possible and to make it fashionable. Working on Tamanna's wardrobe for “Happy Days” was a challenge. We used muslin khadi and kalamkari for her. Similarly for “Ashta Chamma” we came up with stylish blazers for Nani and cotton printed tops and skirts for Swati,” says Aravind.
All his films have a generous element of handlooms such as Mangalagiris for Kamalinee, the leading lady of “Anand”, and later khadi pants teamed with handloom shirts for her role in “Godavari”.
Talking about the line comprising peppy cardigans and earthy tones for Rana Daggubati in “Leader”, he says “the film demanded a certain fabric and colour palette. There was a lot of earthiness used in Rana's clothes in the latter half of the story to give him the look of a leader that people could connect with in real life.”
After wrapping up a hectic schedule designing for Sekhar Kammula's “Life is Beautiful”, Aravind is busy with the festive collection in khadi, complete with vegetable dyes and coconut shell buttons, under his Trithvaa label. The line incorporates tie and dye khadi and other textures seen in his works for Telugu films.
“Cotton is an ideal fabric and safe for Deepavali. It can be made decorative as well. We have chosen red, beige and exotic ‘dhoop chhaon' hues,” he says, pointing to his collection that features short tops, skirts and kurtas for women and shirts, kurtas and ‘bandhgalas' for men.
“There is a lot of appliqué work in khadi, and crochet work from Narsapur. I have a few looms at my workshop in Rajendranagar where I have weavers producing the kind of fabric I need. I am working on organic khadi which is 100 per cent eco friendly,” says the designer who believes in ethical clothing and fair trade, the international mantra for manufacturing products using sustainable methods and just pricing.
“The whole idea is to give continuous work and livelihood to the craftsmen in the villages as handicrafts are fast disappearing due to the absence of patronage,” says Aravind, taking a short break before he goes back to his scripts.
