Living inside a forest and observing its flora and fauna has inspired designer Anupama Dayal to create a collection which she will showcase at the Amazon India Fashion Week this Thursday.
The designer, who has always derived inspiration from nature, will be showcasing her love for Mangar forest, nestled in Aravali Hills of Faridabad, through a range of outfits like tops, pants, jackets, skirts. The collection “The Sacred Forest” makes sense as the designer has lately been spending considerable time there as she recently opened a resort. While setting up the place, she has been soaking in the spirit of the habitat and enjoying the presence of exotic birds and animals.
“There is more than one reason behind setting my collection in this sacred forest. Firstly, I have been bowled over by the lush greenery of the place. Secondly, the local villagers narrate me stories of mystic Baba Gudariya’s spirit. It is believed that his spirit is all over the forest. Legend has it that Baba Gudariya entered a cave in these forest to meditate and received enlightenment. As a result, no villager ever cuts down a tree. Now this magical forest is home to several species of flora and fauna. In Mangar, stands beautiful Dhau trees. The forest has at least 90 species of butterflies and wildlife like leopards, civets and deer. Therefore, the colour story is inspired by the jungle; we have used parakeet green, poison ivy, daffodil yellow, shades of indigo, burgundy and raisin in womenswear,” says Anupama, whose passion for forest matches enthusiasm of a naturalist.
Shedding light on the technique used to translate these inspirations into her outfits, Anupama says, “We have used hand block printing with organic dyes. A lot of intense floral motifs have been used. Creating three dimensional flowers was a fun exercise when you are in the midst of forest. To give the look of nomadic tribes and forest gypsies, we have created textures crinkling, plaise and fringes.”
Anupama says she has also tried to relate the collection to wandering nomad. “Keeping this at the back of our mind, we have created light, wearable clothes in multiple ways. So we have used a lot of Chanderis and silks of different weights and textures and intertwined them with intense florals. These are practical clothing as they are easy to travel with and have femininity written all over them. They have been made to last for long as I believe in the traditional concept of passing your clothes to the next generation.”
