Even when in college and subsisting on a pocket money of Rs. 100, Madhu Jain dressed with care, and conscience. She wore only natural fibres and her heart beat for ikat. “It was one of those things… it stirred my soul and the love lasted.”
The designer’s latest range, featuring influences from Uzbekistan, is on show at The Folly, Amethyst. As a prelude, she did a show (choreographed by Anita Ratnam) with members of the Duchess Club, where they sported her creations. “All graceful ladies with strong personalities. I’m so grateful traditional wear is alive in Chennai — saris, salwars… you celebrate them.”
The current show is like a retrospective of 29 years of Madhu’s work with Ikat. There are rare samples from Andhra and Odisha, and the Thai-influenced line with mandalas as motifs.
“Uzbek ikat is not adaptable to Indian climatic conditions; it’s barely a strip of fabric. And, they have two varieties — Adras, worn by all, and Atlas, worn by royalty, which is darker, richer.”
So, Madhu Indianised it, and got it woven in Andhra and Odisha. “Design intervention, where the weaver is concerned, is very important,” says the designer, whose first show was held nearly 30 years ago at The Oberoi, Delhi. It was also the first time she could afford to use the expensive Odisha ikat.
Madhu says that she’s lasted this long because she loves her work, is thirsty for knowledge, and willing to go the extra mile for it — sometimes, she’s even sold collections at cost price, because she believed in what she was doing.
It was this belief that saw her launch bamboo fibre in 2003 with Milind Soman. It is also because of this that Madhu likes to let her fabric do the talking. “The textile is the star. I believe in simple silhouettes, but garments with impeccable cut and finish,” she says.
The exhibition concludes on September 25, and is on from 11 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. Call 4599 1630 for details.
