Every once in a while we come across designers giving a new spin to handlooms, transforming them into fashionable garments. For most, the romance with handlooms lasts for a season. Very few take the arduous path of persistently working with weavers. When Bangalore-based designers and textile developers Chandrashekar and Ravi Kiran talk about ikats, it's evident that they fall into the latter category.
“Ikat calls for mathematical precision. A lot of preparation goes into working out the patterns on a graph. Once the planning is done, weavers prefer to execute the design for a few thousand metres. They are thrown off the hook if you want them to weave new patterns and that too only for a few hundred metres,” explains M.V. Chandrashekar.
He and Ravi Kiran have been working with weavers in Pochampally for the label Translate, in partnership with entrepreneurs Vinita and Vikas Passary. “The work with the weavers began in May 2011. The younger generation has moved to other jobs and only a few older weavers continue to weave ikats. It takes a lot of coaxing to make them do something new. You can't blame them, since many have moved to power looms for want of higher profits. When you work with weavers, you are not dealing with an individual weaver, but also his family, the thought process, social and economic constraints,” says Chandrasekhar.
The first collection of Translate, on display at Anonym, Jubilee Hills, comprises women's wear (a stunning range of saris, accessories, chic western and Indian wear), menswear and kids wear. There was design intervention at every stage of developing the textile, they explain. “Not many weavers take pride in their craft anymore. Besides not being open to experimentation, they also face rejection since they use naphthol dyes that are unacceptable by export standards. We decided to use only VAT dyes since they don't run colour. The fabric is also washed, shrunk and softened,” says Ravi Kiran.
The duo used different thread counts to make the fabric malleable. “Using a very high thread count makes the fabric really soft, but the sari pleats end up sticking to each other. So we used different thread counts for different silhouettes to ensure a good fall,” says Ravi Kiran. Meticulously woven double ikat motifs are contrasted by simple weaves at the borders, and a third colour and pattern is introduced on the pallu of a two-toned sari.
The second stage of working with the weavers, which is underway now, will bring in more variation promise the designers. “The weavers get a share in the profits and are made accountable for the weave. There is stringent quality control,” adds Chandrashekar.
The silhouettes don't necessarily cater to fashion trends of the season. “We want people to continue wearing these garments even after a few seasons. Classic silhouettes withstand the test of time,” says Chandrashekar.
