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Fibre Indian Crafts & 2 Fashion The LakméFashion Week 3inMumbaiexploredthe 31toFebruary Summer/Resort 2019heldfromJanuary challenges posedbycircularity, showcasedinitiativesinupcycling,andemphasisedonthesignificanceof craft, culture and heritage in today’s fashionindustry, reportsMeherCastelino cultureandheritageintoday’s craft, The CraftingofIndia I boost. and clustersinIndiaamajor have giventhemanyweavers for severalseasons,which (LFW) havebeendoingthis and LakméFashion Week Design CouncilofIndia(FDCI) fashion shows.TheFashion people whomatteristhrough tothepublicand the story forms oftakingthe of themostpopular its fabrics,andone promoted through ndia isusually Seerat Virdi Seerat Pooja Monga Kriti T ula

The Challenge of Circularity was a modern take on phulkari The Circular Design Challenge embroidery of Punjab. All patterns (CDC) was created at LFW used sustainable techniques, in collaboration with the UN such as zero-waste pattern-cutting Environment as a part of R|Elan’s and upcycling discarded fabric ‘Fashion for Earth’ initiative. It waste for embroideries. was the country’s first award for  Pooja Monga, 37, from Mumbai is circularity in fashion promoting the founder of Saltpetre—Minimal sustainability across the value x Sustainable x Work Wear, a chain, and inspiring innovation and sustainable fashion workwear offering solutions to reduce the brand for women. All Saltpetre environmental impact of the fashion products are produced using and textiles industry in the country. scientifically validated sustainable It was visualised as a platform for processes. The brand also tracks young fashion/accessory designers the environmental footprint of to showcase their creativity by using products from cradle to grave. materials from diverse sources  Kriti Tula, 30, from Delhi, is the of waste—including plastic—to creative director and co-owner of promote circularity. From over 900 Doodlage, an upcycling fashion registrations and 30 different cites brand. Doodlage works with of India, the eight finalists unveiled defected, end-of-the-line fabrics, their collections before a 6-member post-cutting waste and post- jury that included Atul Bagai (India stitching waste to create limited- country head, UN Environment), edition collections. Mickey Boardman (editorial director  Kanika Ahuja, 28, from New and columnist for Paper magazine, Delhi, is the founder of Lifaffa, New York City), Rahul Mishra an upcycling fashion and (fashion and textiles designer) accessory brand. Her collection among others. was made from recycled fabric There were eight finalists in all: from discarded polythene bags  Seerat Virdi, 27, from Ludhiana, collected from landfills. Lifaffa is is the creative director and collaborating with Akseer, a group founder of fashion brand of low-income Afghan refugee Kani k a A huja Miesu. Her collection for CDC women in Delhi for her collection.

Fibre2Fashion | 3 4 Trends | Fibre Indian Crafts & Textiles 2 Fashion circularity inbusinessstrategyand operations.” chain tobecomeagloballeader inembedding help transformtheentireIndian textilesvalue are confidentthatourvariousinitiatives will a focusoncircularityandsustainability. We exhibit theirinnovativeideasanddesignswith designers andtheentiretextilevaluechainto for buddingconceptcreators,fashion CDC isprovidingtheenormousopportunities here havebolsteredourviewthatinitiativeslike footprint. Thefabulouscollectionsdisplayed environmental the fashionandtextile industry’s should bemainstreamedtodrasticallyreduce the environment.Circularfashioncanand benefits notjustfortheindustry, butalsofor that circularityinfashionhasunprecedented         Jury memberBagai said,“Itisevident Jury funky logoandcarrybag. as amenswearcreation, long t-shirtwitha appliquéd garment,bagsandshoesaswell into araincoat,bagandumbrella,3D comprised recyclingofplastictarpaulin into uniquepieces. Thewinningcollection fabrics andmaterialsreinventedthem utilised existingresourcesintermsof upcycled pre-lovedsaris. Theirdesigns in Mumbaimadetheproductswith An underprivilegedcommunityofwomen studied attheUniversitaBocconiinItaly. andStefanohas manufacturing fromNIFT 2019. Poornima hasadegree inapparel present acollectionatLFWWinter/Festive that won₹20lakhandanopportunityto lifestylefashionbrand an eco-ethical 50, fromMumbaiarepartofIWas ASari, Poornima Pande, 33,and artisanal techniques. of Goa,repurposingwasteplasticwith inspiration frombeachesandarchitecture India. HisconceptforCDChastakenan sustainable materialsandartisansin and asocialenterprisethatworkswith founder ofBareek,amenswearbrand Aman Singh environment. shared passionofcreativity, fashionandthe subcultures fromaroundtheworldthrough Pozruh. Herdesignswereinspiredbythe her sustainablefashionlabelcalled Aiman Sabri,33,fromNewDelhi,launched embroidery. through handloomsandmechanised fabric. Her designsinvolvedupcycling fabric, whichwashandwovenintoanew were madeusingpre-consumerwaste the founderofIroIro. Allherproducts Bhaavya Goenka,24,fromJaipur, is , 28,fromNewDelhi,isthe Stefano Funari ,

Aman Singh Bhaavya Goenka

Poornima Pande Aiman Sabri Upcycling Tencel Upcycling of fabrics is in, and Tencel along with F­ashion Revolution worked with three talented designers from different parts of India who presented upcycled creations at the event. Each designer worked with 500 panels and created an amazing line of ensembles.  Rossebelle, Chennai: Started in 2016, the Rossebelle brand purchased old, remaining fabrics from companies and designers and reused them by turning them into stylish garments. The Tencel collection called ‘Enduring Nineteenth’ was inspired by the 19th century style, when clothes featured dramatic silhouettes, oversized sleeves and skirts with intricate ornamentation.  Door of Maai, Kolkata: Sustainability is a cause close to Pooja Gupta’s brand Door of Maai (DOM). The label believes in responsible design—Wear Ethnical Wear DOM. Each collection revolved around environment-friendly fabrics— R o ss e b elle GOTS certified, organic or . From the Tencel collection, DOM visualised a line inspired by the Victorian era. The tonal white-on-white and beige-on-beige work was prominent throughout the garments.  Doodlage, Delhi: Kriti Tula’s Doodlage label has been at the forefront of the sustainablity movement for many years now. Re-designing, re-constructing and re-cycling good, second- hand clothing is the brand’s fortè. The Tencel collection was inspired by the evolution of the flower girl. Hence, it was a feminine, dainty and relaxed line with silhouettes that spelt comfort for the summer heat. Little floral hand-embroidery masked some of the irregularities cleverly in the fabric, while panels were D oor of Maai D oodlage turned into bags.

Fibre2Fashion | 5 6 Trends | Fibre Indian Crafts & Textiles 2 Fashion colourful artsy,colourful fantasyofstyleandcraft. mirror work,thecollectionwas a with Combining thebandhanicraft and hasbeencreatedbyRangsutra. brought bandhanitocentrestage, art, roots,modernityandthisseason, label hasfashionablycombinedcraft, collections presentedinthepast.The for itssustainableaspectsduringthe zari. creation waswoveninpurecottonand the weaversofBalramapuramwhereeach for thecollection, alongwithatributeto Travancore bloomedincottonandkasavu fromtheKingdomof sufficient. Thestory below thepovertylinebecomeself- initiative thathelpedcommunitiesliving Kudumbashree Project–a government experience asregionaldirectorofthe Usha Devihas35-yearpublicservice and sustainweaversofBalramapuram. 2016 asAnka,whichendeavourstorevive textiles andhandlooms,whichresultedin Balakrishnan’s lifelongpassionwas natural dyeblock-printing. ikat, jamdaaniandjacquard,alongwith designs usingtraditionalweaveslike Bengal andAssamcreatedamazing master weavers in AndhraPradesh, West Jyoti hasworkedwithasilkgroupof80 inAssam,asalsomanyoutlets, factory provides employmenttomany. With a that hasneverbeenseenbefore,and fastidious dresser. that willsuittherequirementsofevery tunics, dresses,skirts,shirtsandjackets, a fashionfeastofsaris,blouses,pants, Guwahati in2007. whom shestartedEriyarnfactoriesin worked withtextiletechnologists Eri tointernationalmarkets,Jyotihas Takingwith artisanalcraftspersons. years havebeenspentinexperimenting Her 20 accessories andhomefurnishing. brand thatoffersErisilkfabrics,saris, producer andmarketerofherEreena been pathbreakingforadesigner, regions ofIndia. andtextilesfromvarious traditions, craft to centrestagethebeautyofdesign, Three amazingdesignersbrought Crafting Amazement The Anaamlabelhasbeenknown On theotherhand,UshaDevi Ereena producesexclusivesilk The ‘BhoomiBhoomi’collectionwas workintextileshas Jyoti Reddy’s

ANKA EREENA

ANAAM The Northeast of Sustainability Launched at LFW, the Action Plan on North East India Report (APONIR) was aimed to strengthen the livelihoods of artisans by providing them with development support and market linkages. The achievements and interventions of the project, made in marginalised handloom clusters in Assam for areas such as Barkhetri (Nalbari) and Rampur (Kamrup), towards sustainable production and development, were presented in association with implementation partner GoCoop. Anita Dongre’s Grassroot label and Raymond, in collaboration with Antar Agni, had eri and muga textiles hand-woven by artisans in these clusters which were then turned into garments. Dongre’s Grassroot label’s line was an initiative for the Sustainable Development of the Northeast project. The label has been inspired by “Fashion with a Purpose” and for this collection too, she chose hand-spun fabrics from small clusters in Rampur. Fabrics woven from eri, muga and matka fibres were the base for the eye-catching ensembles, which were highlighted with block printing and embroidery. Dongre brought her distinct designing skills to the forefront with a mix of indutvas or ethnicwear in a delicate combo of ivory and gold. In the other initiative, Antar Agni’s design sensibilities came to centrestage when the collection by Ujjawal Dubey, in association with Raymond, unveiled the capsule line that took the Sustainable Development of the Northeast on to a higher fashion level. The programme’s aim is to strengthen the livelihoods of artisans of the region and provide more opportunities. The ‘Story Re-spun – Raymond’, is a pledge by Raymond to help rejuvenate traditional Indian craft by collaborating with artisans and designers to create products that are relevant and compelling for consumers of today. As a part of this initiative, over the last two years, design and technical teams from Raymond have worked extensively with khadi and handloom clusters across the country to give the fabric a whole new face and form, while keeping its soul intact. The collection called ‘Balance’ was created from the beautiful fabrics woven by artisans of Assam. Fibres like cotton, eri, tussar and muga were beautifully turned into luxurious fabrics, dappled with classic Indian motifs, which, at times glittered with DONGRE GRA SS ROOT ANITA M OND AGNI W ITH RAY ANTAR zari work.

Fibre2Fashion | 7 8 Trends | Fibre Indian Crafts & Textiles 2 Fashion as acooperativesocietyin1944, looms andontotherunway. Australia tothe‘MadeinIndia’ the journeyofmerinowoolfrom Australian .Thisshowunveiled the worldwidesupplychainfor development andmarketingalong enterprise thatconductsresearch, Wool Innovation, anot-for-profit ofAustralian is asubsidiary 2019. TheWoolmark Company collection, atLFWSummer/Resort for theunique#FarmToFashion partnered withPéroandBhuttico fashion industry. culture andheritageintoday’s theimportanceofcraft, that signify merino wooltextilesandfashion Australia, MadeinIndia’handmade for aspecialshowcaseof‘Grownin based woolweaverscooperative fashion labelsandBhuttico, aKullu- one ofIndia’shigh-endsustainable the eventwasonebetweenPéro, A uniquecollaborationthatmarked A UniqueFashionExperience

When Bhutticowasfirstformed The Woolmark Company PERO iconic hand-weavingtradition. merino woolandhighlightedIndia’s garments thatusedAustralian handwoven andhandmadeluxury for thetrio, thecollectioncomprised Australian merinowool. relation ofover50yearswith in turnhasalong-standing societiesinIndia,which is oneoftheoldestcooperative fabric theyhavemade.Bhuttico a bookrecordoftheamount weaverholds practices asevery merino wool.Itworksonethical authorised userofWoolmark’s fabrics andmore.Bhutticoisan stunning shawls,stoles,suiting traditional techniquestocreate weavers andmasterusing awards toitscredit,withover600 andhasseveralnational industry names inthehandwovenshawl Bhuttico isamongthebiggest sustain theirlivelihood.Today, andtogether tonurturetheircraft the Bhuttivillage,whohadcome it consistedof12weaversfrom Marking thefirstcollaboration

PERO aspect. renewable andbiodegradable since thewoolhasastrongnatural the aptchoiceforPérolabel patterns. Themerinowoolwas designs inspiredbythepattu weavers alsofeaturedthegeometric developed byPérowiththeBhuttico off-white. colours inshadesofblue,khakiand patterns ofpattuinmonochrome the revivaloftraditionalgeometric artisans andthishelpedtovisualise was inspiredbytheworkof of Kullu inHimachalPradesh, Péro Moving intothepicturesquetown launched thePérolabelin2009. of Fashion Technology had (NIFT) graduate fromNationalInstitute Design, Ahmedabadandafashion from theNationalInstituteof Péro’s signaturestyle. handmade merinowooltextilesin India’ initiative andshowcased the ‘GrowninAustralia,Made The collaborationwasapartof In addition, thefabrictapes Aneeth Arora,atextilesgraduate B ETHANY W ILLIA MS

Crafting India’s Future Revolution, we brought Crafting The British Council’s global Futures to India last year for the ‘Crafting Futures’ India programme, first time. We invited Williams in collaboration with IMG Reliance and Dev Varman to undertake a and Fashion Revolution, brought residency amongst female artisanal the show to the country. Fashion producers in Tripura through Revolution is an organisation that the film of the residency that we celebrates fashion as a positive commissioned from Storybom influence, while also scrutinising Films. Through the integration of industry practices and raising fabrics and designs from Tripura awareness of the most pressing into today’s show and exhibition, issues facing the fashion industry the extraordinary talent of the textile The collaboration was between producers of Tripura has reached British designer Bethany Williams national and international stage.” and Indian designer Aratrik Dev Jaspreet Chandok, vice-president Varman of the label Tilla, who and head of fashion at IMG Reliance explored new fashion systems and said, “We are happy to partner with approached female textile artisans British Council for the Crafting in the Northeast region. The aim Futures programme and we look was to grow their livelihoods forward to grow this as a larger and economic opportunities by conversation in the future.” responding to a creative brief set by During the LFW Summer/ Fashion Revolution. Resort 2018, Dev Varman for the Helen Sylvester, director, British Northeast Mojo Show presented Council (India-West), said, “The his label Tilla, started in 2011 in Crafting Futures programme Ahmedabad and focused on the supports economic, social and ‘risha’ or the narrow Tripuri breast cultural development among clothes. Women from the prominent AR M AN craft producing communities in 19 tribes of Tripura wove these in a seven countries. With our partners single strip on loinlooms. Creating K DE V ARATRI IMG Reliance/LFW and Fashion womenswear and home textiles, Dev

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| Fibre Indian Crafts & Textiles 2 Fashion material becauseofitsstrength and weavers lovedweavingwiththe andallthe risha, replacingacrylic 2019 collectionusedTencel forthe eveningwear. Tilla’s Summer/Resort move effortlesslyfromdayto resortwear separatesthatwould khadi andhandwovensilkfor combined thestripswithchanderi, black, red,white,ochréandthen it isnowpractised. while mappingthecontextinwhich of thiscraft, investigated thehistory tribal womenacrossthestateand the rishawovenonloinloomsby Tripura. Hebroughtintofocusagain too, heworkedwiththetextilesof 2018 toearly2019andthistime Futures programmefromApril which wasaresultoftheCrafting presented theTripura Collection, stunning incolourandform. feminine clothingthatwere converted tocreatecontemporary, shawls. Thetraditionalweaveswere panels werehand-joinedforskirtsand or patchwork.Thewovenstripsand kantha androganblockprinteddots khadiandmul-mul,with chanderi, Varman usedfinesheerfabricslike

Dev Varman focusedon This season, DevVarman BETHANY WILLIAMS and textilesfromwaste. those fromtheReang community Tripuri fabrics,morespecifically community, inItaly, developed the The SanPatrignanotheir craft. communities ofwomenand Williams focusedonconnecting with Tripuri textilesandculture. be ofinteresttoanyoneworking technical notes.Thecataloguewill of motifsand along withaglossary which havebeencatalogued, weaving ofsomethesedesigns, undertaken inanefforttorevivethe rishas. Astudyofthesetextileswas consisted of34traditionallywoven but differenttimelines.Thetextiles villages ofTripura, ontwoparallel worn asitwasinthepalaceand last decadesoftherishabeing and textilesthatrecordedthe Court’, consistingofphotographs People’ two parts,‘The and‘The Varman alsohadanexhibitionin presentation ontheramp,Dev garments. line ofready-to-wear and thereforepresentafashionable help thewomenearnalivelihood to publicisethetextiles,aswell lustre. Theaimofthecollectionwas The collectionofBethany In additiontothefashion Rupini andDebbarmacommunities. created bytheHrangkhwal,Reang, garments. Thefabricsforthese were Tripura intheformoffivemenswear her experimentswiththefabrics of new garments. Williams displayed reconstituted andhand-printedinto isunpickedbeforebeing recycling andsortingfacility. The from ChrisCarneyCollections,a within thecollectionweresourced and patterns.Thedenimelements only showcasedthistribalhistory any ofthedesignsfabrics,but Williams didnotwanttochange unwritten tribalhistory. Therefore, depicted andprovidedalotof of life. want todamagethisbeautifulway as aholisticapproach,shedidnot community neededtobeconsidered withinthe any changeorintervention the residency, Williams believedthat that wasinterdependent.Through being partofavillageeco-system process, withmaker, sellerandbuyer of living,especiallyinthewovencloth self-sustainingmodel provides avery discovered thateachcommunity futures residencyinTripura, Williams The wovenclothofeachtribe When completingthecrafting When Artisans Speak passion and love for craft. I am A dazzling show was held at the grateful to Sachin Tendulkar for UNESCO World Heritage site—the partnering with weavers and textiles Elephanta Caves near Mumbai—in legacy of our country, as he begins January 2019 that was titled ‘Artisan a new chapter. Instead of profiting Speak’. The event showcased alone, he has chosen to share the the GI textiles of India, through a profit with the community that has confluence of fashion, music and built the craft legacy of our country.” dance. The Union minister for The textiles companies that textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani, secretary signed agreements with the office textiles, Raghvendra Singh and of the development commissioner other officials from the ministry (handlooms), ministry of textiles, on were present on the occasion. the occasion were: Former Indian cricketer Sachin  Arvind True Blue Limited (Kulin Tendulkar was present, on behalf of Lalbhai, executive director); Arvind True Blue Limited.  Raymond Ltd (Gaurav Mahajan, Addressing the gathering, Irani president — group apparels); said: “I am grateful to industry  Welspun India Limited (Anil captains for stepping up to this Channa, executive director — initiative under the aegis of the operations); ministry of textiles. The textiles  Titan Co Ltd (Ajoy Chawla, senior secretary has been speaking about vice-president); the need to explore synergy between  Reliance Retail Limited (Akhilesh our culture and textiles. We are now Prasad, president and chief standing at a site where 2,000 years executive) ago, people built something without Under the agreements, the the aid of modern technology, weavers service centres (WSCs) something that depicts pure under the office of DC (handlooms)

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| Fibre Indian Crafts & Textiles 2 Fashion rvind Ltd.),RaghvendraSingh(Seceretary,Kulin Lalbhai(ExecutiveDirector-Arvind MinistyofT Sanjay Rastogi(Developmentcommissioner-Handlooms),SachinT handlooms. the lineinkhadiandsilk West Bengalcreativelywove Murshidabad andNadiain weavers fromBardhhaman, lovers. Some350master unveiled forIndianfashion of exquisitegarmentswas launched inIndiawhenaline Satoshi Ishii.Thelabelwas with Japanesedesigner in 2018,consultation Tokyo, Japan, bySoumitra at VlasBlommeinMeguro, ‘Bunon’ thatwaslaunched in theformoflabel exciting fashionpresentation category. There wasan established designers for severalseasonsinthe fabulous khadicollections known, havingpresentedhis and hisbrandMargarewell- The nameSoumitraMondal From JapantoIndia

BUNON endulkar, SmiritiZubinIrani(Uniontextilesminister), extiles) andothers. block printscotton. handloom on and Rakesh Thakore withhand- saris,andDavidAbraham maheshwari, Rajib Debnathwith with chikankari,Padmaja with chanderi, MeeraMuzaffarAli Shahani Khanwithkota doria/ saris throughAnka,Karishma withBalaramapuram Balakrishnan kancheepuram , paithani, weaver ShantilalBhangadewith with banarasibrocades,m with chikankari,Payal Khandwala artisans featuredRahul Mishra presented bydesignersand development ofIndia’shandlooms. by theprivatesectortowards beginning ofmajorcommitments historic occasionwillmarkanew understanding forweavers.The realisation andimprovedmarket This willalsoresultinbetterprice quality, costandtimeconstraints. handloom clusters,asperdefined source theirrequirementsfrom will enabletextilefirmstodirectly The grandfashionshow Gaurang Shahwith Ushadevi aster