Designers discuss the challenge of making sustainable fashion that's sexy

The Story ReSpun Raymonds Khadi Project fashion show was held on April 4 at its flagship store at Breach CandyThe guests gathered at Raymonds Breach Candy store earlier this month for The Story ReSpun a showing of the menswear brands latest line had one question on their minds how will the corporate professional accustomed to creasefree workwear warm up to whimsical organic khadi But the team at Indias oldest fabric retailer knew they had pressed the right button when the campaign around their justlaunched Khadi initiative clocked 15 million views in 30 hours on their social media pageRaymond has launched the collection in association with young designers Gaurav Khanijo Anuj Bhutani Ujjawal Dubey and Alan Alexander Kaleekal and their choice of textile is the fabric of the nation which they call universal and one that transcends age and social barriers The brand has used its fabric technology expertise to lend khadi drape and washandwear qualities The silhouettes and prints which comprise the collection of suits tuxedos bandhgalas bomber jackets hoodies shirts and kurtas are modern and approachable To complete the look on offer is a range of khadi accessories ties pocket squares cuff links and shoesVaranasibased textile developer and designer Hemang AgrawalsThe design and technical teams from Raymond worked extensively with clusters of khadi weavers from across the country for over 12 months to give the fabric a whole new face and form says Gaurav Mahajan PresidentApparel Business Raymond Style observers see Raymonds move as one that seeks to give sustainable fashion a nifty edge a trait often compromised in the drive to produce ethical fashion and promote indigenous crafts Fashion entrepreneur and consultant Sabina Chopra says in the absence of labels offering appealing sustainable designs at reasonable prices to the young buyer Raymonds model could be one to ape Collaborations between designers and fabric manufacturers could be the way forward if we are to impact purchase she thinksSummer 2018 collection reimagined Benarasi textiles to make minis and boxpleated dresses and used Tanchoi and Katarwan weaving techniques to create the houndstooth patternWhile the world over sustainable fashion champions fair trade local techniques of production and reuse and upcyling in India an ancient tradition of craft has moved focus to the revival of textiles That it is currently also a political talking point makes it complicated In India we stress on sustainable fashion from an aesthetic point of view motivated by the revival of textiles Theres too much of one thing without regard for price point the young customer demographic fit or design feels Delhibased designer Arjun Saluja He is currently occupied with creating a collection from upcycled cotton with a focus on minimum fabric wastage And so the sustainable cause is a subtle story behind the collection not its central identityAfter showing at LFW SR 2018 The Good Loom showcased its summer collection of casual menswear and sarees designed with a special focus on ethical production and getting the right fit at ARTISANS gallery at Kala Ghoda last weekHemang Agrawal textile developer and designer from Varanasi agrees Shoppers buy basis design and style The ethical credentials of a label come later he says Living in a city thats at the heart of the ongoing revival of Benarasi weaves he speaks of flybynight designers jumping in to claim to own the causeAgrawal decided it was time to rewrite the script one that tested the sprightly dressy competence of timehonoured Indian weaves UnRevive his summer 2018 collection included modernday essentials such as minis Mary Quantwould approve trench and boxpleated dresses maxis cropped pants and palazzos He pinned his interest on the sustainability mast by working with master weavers from his hometown to create tartan checks polka dots houndstooth and geometric patterns using the Tanchoi and Katarwan techniques Why cant handlooms be young he says explaining the thought behind using one of Indias oldest textiles to create plucky young designsChopra wonders why sustainable clothes are devoid of colour or refined cut A chunk of craft practitioners focusing solely on revival of textiles are taking for granted the design element of clothing Hence the final tailored garment tends to be weak on cut giving us tentlike boring clotheshellipwho decided colour is not cool she says Veteran designer duo David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore of AampT push the boundaries when the former says Theoretically you could do anything with craft even design a bikini or hot pants The trouble is designers are not intervening into developing their own textiles Ideally they shouldAampT made a compelling case for ethicsmeetsaesthetics with the recent SadakSmart collection Encouraged by DIY countercultural streetwear trend the range looked at indigenous shapes such as the salwar kameez saree and ghagra and tipped them in favour of teasing everyday styles using updated versions of sequined Chanderi aari embroidery and floral patterns inspired by the great Indian chintzNot so long ago antifit fashion found its moment internationally and India a land of drapes was more than happy The unstructured silhouette became an approved form of antifit and handloom one of the heroes of sustainable fashion tagged along Saluja points out that a change in design will take place only when we break the myth that handwoven equals antifit The latter is about how you play with both fabric and body kiss it or turn it away from skin Lend it form or leave it formless Fabric development plus emphasis on silhouettes is keyAnd so good design is both the problem and the solution Sustain a 12yearold apparel vertical of the Good Earth brand of luxury lifestyle insists on being known as classically Indian We are not interested in being hip or cool But we understand the value of offering modern clothing options that highlight Indias incredible workmanship It might be difficult to make khadi glamorous so weve started working with Bhagalpuri silks for evening wear Similarly weve updated traditional embroideries by combining them with fresher colour ways says Deepshikha Khanna head of SustainRozana a subbrand of Sustain positions itself as daily tonic for everyday wardrobe woes Aimed at younger clients its a line of separates Sassy shirtdresses long and short kurtas lehengas kalidar kurtas and Hiba trousers are made in malkha cotton khadi and muslin priced between Rs 4500 and Rs 22000 Interestingly timely interest by two of Indias biggest fashion weeks has plucked the sustainable fashion lobbyists from their craftbased address to dazzling runways with dedicated show slots The AutumnWinter 2017 edition of Amazon India Fashion Week addressed the relevance of handlooms while highlighting sustainable businesses with The Handloom School Supported by Good Earth nine designers including Sanjay Garg Neeru Kumar Gaurav Jai Gupta Rajesh Pratap Singh Rohit Bal Peacutero and Ekagrave worked with weavers and textiles designers under the watchful eye of textile revivalist Sally HolkarFor the last seven years Lakmeacute Fashion Week has dedicated a day towards the promotion of Indian crafts recycling and repurposing It started as a means to encourage dialogue on sustainable values And with initiatives like CraftisCool we are working towards creating viable collections that appeal to high street sensibility says Gautam Vazirani fashion curator IMGReliance organisers of LFWThis season LFW collaborated with The Good Loom an artisanal brand from GoCoop the first ecommerce store to win a national award for Marketing of Handlooms to present a selection of smart casual menswear and sarees with a special focus on ethical production and getting the right fit It was a sincere attempt at bridging the gap between how the countrys Instagram generation interprets fashion and its duet with indigenous craftsmanship That sustainable fashion should be sexy and not stop at mundane or homogeneous is now our agenda The millennials dont see themselves dressed in kaftans or antifit shapes adds Vazirani But hes up against a challenge Designers often tell him of the 35 consumer loving the antifit way Saluja has an answer to that Lets not be blinded by the revival manifesto Sixty per cent of Indias population is under 35 and they are seeking stylish readytowear optionsChallenge of handlooms Colour forecast doesnt figure in our schemeFor 11yearold label Amrich led by Delhibased Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav instead of reinforcing a divide between ethical and nonethical consumers they prefer to be known as a Western wear brand of separates infused with enough versatility to be worn in Indian styles Working with handlooms is not without its unique set of challenges For example we cant afford to follow the colour forecast since we work with natural dyes Plus we work with tricky timelines We have to work two years in advance since there is lot of back and forth between craftsmen and our design team says Vijaya Luckily the two design and develop their signature shibori inhouse making it possible to control how the garment is cut It also allows us to keep the price affordable The shibori range starts at Rs 13000 he addsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates