‘Romantic’ is probably not the first word you would associate with the colour black. Anavila Misra, though, has never followed the norm. In a marked departure from her trademark earthy tones, black is the dominant colour of her new collection ‘Blur’, which will be closing Sustainable Fashion Day at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017 in Mumbai next week. “When you see black in fashion, it is either very strong or sexy,” says Misra. “We wanted to work with the colour in a very different way, romanticise and make it soft and fluid.”
Minimalism has been the hallmark of Misra’s designs, but design and form have taken precedence in her new collection. “It is usually black or white which gives you pure form, in design,” says Misra. “We are going beyond the textile element of what we had been doing and creating a multi-layered design language, so there was a natural attraction to this colour.”
The changed design language is perceived from the basic weaving level, in the techniques used. “We have done double cloth saris,” says Misra. “Apart from the weave, we have developed our own hand blocks.” Once the blocks have been used, the familiar khatwa work by her Jharkand artisans makes its presence felt. Silks, cotton silks, and linen with khaki have been used to create different forms. Care has been taken to ensure that even though multiple techniques have been used in one piece, it stays true to Misra’s basic ethos of simplicity.
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And it’s not just the sari — Misra has played around with the form of the blouse as well. While comfort is ensured with loose sleeves and comfortable arm-holes, the body has been given a different shape thorough her use of pleats, ruching and pin tucks. Depending on the blouse and the accessories, Misra’s saris can be worn through the day. A black-gray chequered sari is paired with a t-shirt during the day, and a metallic blouse with a jacket over it, for the night. The collection also features about six jackets in which Misra has used woven fabrics like khadi-denim.
The underlying theme of Blur, according to Misra, was to create an international design language in textiles. Ask her if she can see her black saris as a replacement to the LBD and she disagrees. “With this collection I look at how the sari can be traditional and yet look international, without giving away its core, which is the form of the sari,” she says. “It is about blurring boundaries between the East and the West. The way the whole form of the sari comes together, with the kind of blouses we have done, the technique and colour we have used indicate that this sari can be worn anywhere in the world.”
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Anavila Misra’s Blur will be closing Sustainable Fashion Day during the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017 in Mumbai, on August 17.