The man who swears by the sari, designer Sanjay Garg, whose Raw Mango label adorns the most discerning wardrobes, is giving Bengaluru a quick peek into his signature line of luxury and occasional wear.
Banaras brocade and mashru panelled lehengas, shararas, cigarette pants, kurtas, pajamas, jackets and blouses make up the collection dominated by vibrant greens, pinks, gold and royal blues. By doing a stitched wear collection he’s not going away from his philosophy, he stresses. It’s only an extension of his objective. “It’s as if I’m making and selling more saris. I can never leave the sari. I have a special attachment to it. But after seeing how people use the sari in a limited way, I was wondering how I can increase the number of looms weaving handloom. Now I have doubled the use.” With 450 weavers already creating his designs, another 100 will join him, with this new line, says the handloom crusader.
“I’ve gone back to geometric cuts and panels — the Indian cuts — where you have the angular cuts at the sleeve, unlike the present day round cut that we apparently learnt later from the British,” he describes his signature line. He’s excited as he explains the gossamer ‘gulbadan mashru’ fabric he’s used in the collection — named after Emperor Babur’s daughter, and known for the rose-tinted skin it looks like. The collection focuses on the inherent beauty of a hand woven garment’s craftsmanship and raw material, without relying on heavy surface embellishments or ornamentation. “Of course I have some zardosi worked dupattas too, but we need a balance.”
Balance has been the crux of Sanjay’s thought process, even when he started his sari line over six years ago. He was outright warned that the saris won’t work because “there’s no embroidery on it. The saris are very behenji and jhola-type”. “I have a problem with the mindset where everyone believes they must do the same thing…that mass mentality. Everyone should not indulge in surface work,” he says.
That’s probably one of the reasons why cosmopolitan Bengaluru loves what he has to offer, he believes — not too much embroidery that is associated with the north of the country. “I’m mesmerized by the great balance in this city between tradition and modernity. But my brand does not have a regional identity — Bengalis, Tamilians — they all wear my saris. I fit in everywhere.” He also wants to break the boundaries between the ramp, art, fashion shows by showing his latest collection in an art gallery. Prices range from Rs. 4,500 to Rs 1.75 lakh. Sanjay also brings to the exhibition his latest collection of saris — the Three Shuttles Collection of silk saris, that draw from the architecture of South Indian temples. Using an ancient technique of three-shuttle weaving and an interlocking weft, each is characterized by a solid border and body woven separately, and a tie-dyed pallu. Rudrakasha motifs and the famed south checks, moonstones and bigger borders dominate the collection. He suddenly came upon the similarities between temples in north and south India while he was visiting a place near Chanderi, the hub of his weaving work. “I went to Varanasi and saw the temples there, but they are not very old, I discovered. But the temple I saw near Chanderi was so similar to a south Indian temple, with elaborate carvings on its exterior. I found such similar weaving techniques in the Benaras and the Kanchivaram saris. So I decided to name this collection so, hoping it emphasised on weaving technique. People think they are paying for the zari when they buy such a sari. But I want them to know they are paying for technique.”
He also did a special photoshoot for this sari collection, using Bengaluru’s well-known couples, across ages, professions and backgrounds. “The portraits are a contrast, with the men in personal clothing and women in saris, provoking curiosity about garment origins and identity in a rapidly changing India. Men seldom dress up in Indian wear for weddings, while Indian women will never go to a wedding in jeans!” The show is on February 27 and 28, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at #2, Berlie Street, Langford Town. Call 41213161.
