It was a common sight outside most metropolitan malls바카라the swish set emerging with dozens of bags dangling from their wrists. Their attire and their shopping haul proclaimed the recognisable logos of international brands that sell the same dresses and shirts across the world, whether in Mumbai or Madrid, fresh out of factories in Bangladesh or Vietnam. This hamster wheel of fast fashion and international supply chains, however, has come to a jarring halt after the pandemic. Now, with the prime minister바카라s call to be 바카라vocal for local바카라, the fashion industry has taken a renewed interest in Indian handloom, often giving an edgy twist to age-old traditions.
Paromita Banerjee, a designer from Calcutta, says, 바카라My label only works with hand-made weaves as the base fabric for all our collections. But instead of doing a traditional backdrop, we contemporise the weaves and make them globally relevant. For example, we use the Bengali jamdani in almost all our collections. It originates from Dhaka and is one of the oldest-known weaves in India. But instead of using the jamdani in the traditional way, we use a contemporary version. We keep the context of the craft, but change the concept.바카라
Sustainable handloom in red by Urvashi Kaur
The kaleidoscopic colours and intricate patterns of Indian weaves have enormous appeal, but might come across as jarring or over the top for someone attuned to Western sensibilities. So, designers try to tone down traditional patterns or rework the colour combinations for a more global appeal. Paromita melds the riotous patterns of Indian handloom with Japanese minimalist aesthetics in her designs.
Designer Rina Singh uses plenty of Banarasi weaves in her collections. Her current favourites, though, are ikat and jamdani. 바카라I like experimenting with traditional textiles,바카라 she says. 바카라I alter them to play with silhouettes that can be worn with equal ease in the streets of Paris as well as Hyderabad. I also change motifs so that they appeal to a global audience. I make my own patterns and turn them into block prints.바카라
Black-and-orange Jamdani dress by Paromita
At the Lakme Fashion Week 2020, she worked on the ikat weave in collaboration with the Telangana State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society to showcase the handloom clusters of Narayanpet, Mahadevpura and Pochampally. The collaboration presented traditional textiles from Telangana in a new light.
She used a slow production workflow for the embroidery, manufacturing and finishing of the garments at her studio factory in Gurgaon to minimise waste.
The fascination for the local, however, is not just a transient trend. There have been designers who have always championed Indian weaves. Ritu Kumar is a notable example바카라she has incorporated block printing in her designs for years. 바카라When I started, I was lost in a desert,바카라 she says about her engagement with indigenous weaves. 바카라Many of us travelled across the country and came back with these fabulous textiles. The government encouraged it. I am happy that our generation and even the present generation understands and appreciates the beauty of our traditional weaves.바카라
Black and white Pochampally by designer Rina Singh
About 95 per cent of hand-woven fabric in the world comes from India. The unique legacies, nurtured over generations, cannot be replicated with machines. This distinctiveness inspires Indian designers to work with traditional weaves. Besides, in an industry of quick fixes and turnarounds, a painstaking design made with one바카라s hands for months or even years is sheer luxury. 바카라With machines fast replacing the human hand, Indian weaves are becoming even more valuable. They deserve the tag of handmade luxury,바카라 says Paromita.
It would be inaccurate to see traditional weavers as a monolith. There is a mind-boggling diversity, with different regions making unique contributions. Although the richness is under threat from the homogenising forces of globalisation, the weaves바카라 use in haute couture ensures they stand their ground among the countless fashion choices consumers have access to.
Designer duo Abraham and Thakore incorporates this rich diversity of weaves in their collections. 바카라We use ikat from Telangana, Maheshwar and Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh, jamdani from Bengal, tussar silk from Bihar and bandhani from Kutch for our collection,바카라 they say.
Mangalgiri check tunic by Paromita
With the spotlight on migrant labourers during the lockdown, there is also the realisation that many weavers have had to leave their traditional professions and take up odd jobs in cities. Designer Karishma Sahani Khan says, 바카라It is important to allow people to work in their hometowns so that the fashion industry can promote entrepreneurship across the country and encourage people to take up the profession in places where weaving is languishing.바카라
According to the Fourth All India Handloom Census 2019-2020, 35 lakh households work in the handloom industry. Most of them live in rural areas. Roughly half of them engage in it full-time. About 70 per cent of them work independently, while others are associated with a master weaver, state handloom boards, Khadi & Village Industries Commission or cooperative societies. Despite the rich tradition, handloom workers have meagre incomes. More than 67 per cent earn less than Rs 5,000 a month and about 26 per cent earn between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.
In this bleak scenario, the fashion world adopting indigenous weaves on a large scale could provide a much-needed thrust to the industry. Haute couture, one hopes, will tightly embrace khadi and make its bristly fibres stand out on lettuce hems and yokes.
