Fried fish on a plate, a banana leaf sadya, apostles, Mother Mary, banana trees, pepper vines...designer Jebin Johny, of Jebsispar, uses design to assert his identity, unapologetically. For someone who wanted to move abroad, this intense embrace of who he is—a Malayali— is deliberate.
“My stint in the United Kingdom gave me the confidence and taught me its value,” says the 28-year-old Vazhakkulam-based designer. His flamboyance is understated —faded denim shirt thrown over a black tee worn with jeans and a rather prominent rosary around his neck. So is he religious? “I believe. But it is not my identity. The rosary is not only about faith, I like to wear it.” He has always dressed sharp, he confesses, and adds sheepishly, “when I was younger to impress the girls.”
There is an endearing whimsicality, even mischief, to his garments. Setting up base in Kochi, being in the heart of things, would make sense. But he prefers his ecosystem in Vazhakkulam with its quiet, the people, and its river that flows by. “I like being there; it is where I grew up. There is an ease being there, no external pressure.” Jebsispar is derived from Jebin, sisters and parents — the ties that define him.
Dancer, model/actor, designer —he had to be one of these when he grew up. Looking at magazines, he dreamt of being in them someday and thanks to his 2015 Lakme Fashion Week début, in the Gen Next category (Autumn-Winter Festive), that dream came true; subsequently, on other occasions too. Until then Fashion Weeks had been about Manish Malhotra and Sabyasachi, it gave him exposure to the industry.
“Art has been with me as a kid. My mother used to dance, both my sisters are dancers; my father is into literature and my maternal grandmother was a local theatre artist!” This engagement with the arts made it easy to choose design as a career. Jebin’s mother is retired panchayat secretary while his father is a retired headmaster and both his sisters are nurses.
As a kid he liked to draw, unfortunately nobody seem to ‘get’ his art which discouraged him. Abstraction in art was an unfamiliar concept, to him and to those who looked at his drawings. He eyed with suspicion the few who were appreciative. It put him off drawing until he reached England for his Masters in fashion design and textiles from the University of Northampton. He did his B.Tech in fashion technology in Tirupur.
He found his drawings —abstract/contemporary— appreciated and encouraged, giving him confidence. Today, prints are his strength, he draws them and gets the prints on fabric that comes alive as garments.
His inspirations are an eclectic mix, but mostly artists—Da Vinci to Picasso to Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Design inspiration is Dolce & Gabbana, for their themes.
Jebin’s process is complex, “I express my emotions and feelings. My inspiration comes from my own life. I would say that Jebsispar is all about emotions. It starts from research and painting, it’s a very personal process. A design comes out of anger, happiness, sadness... depending on my emotional state. My prints speak a lot.” Colours are as important, he says. His palette is bright—orange, red, blue, green, yellow, red.
Initially working with knits, the garments were made in Tirupur. Until a visit opened his eyes to the working conditions there, “Something struck me. I don’t only want to make money, I want those who work with me to benefit as well. For every garment made for me, the most the tailors got was ₹20.”
He quit knits. Research took time but he found his medium in the Koothampally fabric, working with a family of weavers there. Saris, maxi dresses, crop tops and elastic skirts are all fashioned out of the fabric; he also works with khadi. He retails in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Kochi (at 108, Fort Kochi),
“Handloomed fabric is a luxury, only here is it perceived as being cheap. In another 20 years there might not be many weavers left. It made me think about how could I make it work for me and me for it.” Jebsispar garments are manufactured locally, at a tailoring unit run by nuns. “I have three-four tailors and a master cutter. We trained them in standardisation, and finishing, initially they were not too keen about working with me, but I convinced them.”
He is driven by conscientiousness and its by product sustainability, being eco-friendly and indulging in fair trade practices. His yardage is printed —block, screen, and digital—in Bengaluru, using eco-friendly dyes. “The attempt is to practice sustainability, I don’t claim a 100%, but definitely a large percentage.”
Part of that plan is the absence of zippers and buttons, the plan is a zero-waste process while designing, which is adhered to even while cutting fabric. The cut pieces are used as fasteners. When used, the buttons are eco-friendly.
For someone in a business that derives itself from trends, Jebin’s take is unorthodox. “We believe ‘buy less and choose well’. Our products are handloom and last for years, use them as much as possible. Trends are overrated and create waste. I personally have stopped buying fast fashion. Those I have, I will use as much as possible.”
Spring Summer ‘19 is inspired by migration. Since his interpretation is rooted in Kerala, for this collection inspiration comes from Theyyam. “An NRI, when he goes overseas, migrates to God-like status with the move or that’s how we perceive them. In Theyyam, an ordinary mortal becomes a God.” The colours are those of Theyyam. His earlier ‘Nasrani’ collection was inspired by aspects of his faith. “It is not about one religion, I have worshipped in temples and mosques with my friends.”
