Runway success: Indian textiles get a ramp rescue act

If one speaks about handwoven khadi Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian Independence movement are what comes to onersquos mind instantly Imagine creating a wedding outfit from this fabric giving kilos of embroidery a miss A handful of Indian fashion designers with a passion for reviving our traditional textiles and fabrics are doing this and the result pathbreaking indigenous fashion Soumitra Mondalrsquos Collection Marg at the Summer Resort edition of Lakmeacute Fashion Week held in March this year PicPradeep Dhivar For a while now Lakmeacute Fashion Week LFW has been celebrating Indian textiles in a big way with their Indian Textile Day event This initiative is now in its fourth edition ldquoThe Indian textiles sector has a deep impact on our society from weavers and their village communities to cooperative organisations who sell the product and eventually the consumerrdquo believes Saket Dhankar HeadFashion IMG Reliance event organisers He adds that textiles have an important sustainability impact and are a precious revenue earner for the Indian government too Weaver communities in Benares parts of Bengal and Madhya Pradesh and South India are known to export traditional fabrics to Western companies selling luxury highend fashion ldquoThe use of Indian textiles and craftsmanship is the USP of India and Indianu00a0fashionrdquo he asserts Season of change This season the Indian governmentrsquos support to fashion will reflect in Shruti Sancheti and Soumitra Mondalrsquos collections that have been created in association with the Maharashtra State Handlooms Corporation Limited Veteran designer Krishna Mehta will showcase Manipuri weaving crafts on the ramp through her association with Manipur Department of Commerce and Industries Oinam Nabakishore Singh Principal Secretary Commerce and Industry Sericulture Government of Manipur explains this development ldquoLocally depending on the patterns of the fabric the woven cloth is known as Ranithee Wangkheithee or Moiranthee Those who live in the valleys of Manipur use a form of cottonsilk tribes from the hills create a unique colourful fabric made from acrylic yarn instead of woollen yarn since it is colder We wanted to expand our market for these textiles we believe that a highend fashion event like LFW will be the right platform to display our crafts to the world Also these fabrics are woven mostly by women and hence apart from helping us promote these fabrics Krishna Mehta is supporting a social causerdquo Designer Krishna Mehta extreme right works with Manipuris for her collection for Indian Textile Day Mehta explains ldquoManipur is bordered by Myanmar and these women use Burmese looms The women in the villages are given looms in dowry Almost every family had a loom in their home But therersquos no market where one can place an order for fabric it takes hours to weave a metre and I needed 500 I had to visit every home across numerous villages to meet the mark To make it more contemporary they needed guidance to understand what changes had to be made to the traditional textilerdquo Manipuri fabrics do not rely on embroidery and hence different motifs are included while the fabric is woven hence creating patterns Mehta feels that designers need to develop the right way of structuring Indian textiles and the right price to sell more and get the economy rolling ldquoOnly then will it help the value chainrdquo Weight loss Rahul Mishra known for his logical play with Indian fabrics and silhouettes puts the trend into perspective ldquoIndiarsquos festive lines are weighed by kilos of embroidery But Indian textiles have the power to build couture lines on their own merit if structured well Fashion must help push this envelope by applying talent in the right direction and without changing our heritagerdquo Mishra will showcase a festive collection for the first time and true to his style it is practical couture for which he has used Chanderi and Maheshwari fabrics ldquoThe Indian bride is a power dresser and loves to show off This collection is for the bride who loves glamour but doesnrsquot wish to be weighed down Therersquos volume in the line Chanderi has been used in the best way possiblerdquo he reveals Echoing views about the adaptability of Indian fabrics is Vivek Kumar who will showcase his collection Kirtimukha The collection has been designed using a variety of silk and handloom cotton ldquoIt is the most comfortable fabric and Indian fashion buyers are aware and prefer it Several designers use Indian textiles but they need to promote it such that it helps the weaversrdquo Mishra reminds us of a success story where a Chanderi fabric weaver moved on from living in a hut to a threestorey house with a car after his work was publicised and recognised Support and survive A welcome example of supporting Indian textiles is Shravan Kumar who through his organisation Aalayam Society has been backing textiles from different states ldquoMany craftsmen earn more if they opt for labour jobs and hence have left their trade But if supported well it would give them a better lifestyle and also help bust the myth that Indian textiles cannot be glamorousrdquo he says Shravanrsquos efforts have helped increase the per capita income of villages surviving on handloom textiles in several states Shruti Sancheti has collaborated with the u00a0Maharashtra State Handlooms Corporation Limited for her Winter Festive collection LFW as an event has benefitted from this cause too ldquoThe response from Indian buyers has been strong because they are aware and educated about local craftsmanship International buyers tend to source from Indian designers because of their of Indian textiles and Indian craftsmanship This has created a new set of partnerships and outreach with government institutions for usrdquo Dhankar sums up Sabya says We should make most of our national identity and not try to outdo the West We canrsquot outdo the West in what they are good at Someone who imitates will remain a mediocre wannabe Designers here strive to reach a 100crore mark while international fashion houses are churning up revenues of 1000 crores Our wealth of textiles should be utilised If pushed in the right direction the West will respect you for who you areu00a0