For more than a year,designer Gaurav Jai Gupta worked hard on his Autumn-Winter 2012 collection titled Koyaanissqatsi for his label,Akaaro. It wasnt just the silhouettes and colour palettes that kept him busy. At his workshop on the outskirts of Delhi,Gupta was spinning a new fabric in which the power of cotton and silk met the glitz of Swarovski crystals. The outcome was the Handwoven Swarovski Akaaro Fabric. Apart from dresses,coats and trousers,Gupta has also designed belts made out of this fabric. The Swarovski crystal yarn was given to me by the company but no one has woven these crystals in cotton and silk. They are mostly embroidered or ironed on the fabrics, says Gupta. He has now filed for a patent. Gupta is not the only one innovating with fabrics in the Indian fashion industry. With a growing breed of clientele keen on alternative clothing,new fabrics spell distinction. Its far challenging for people to copy a garment if there is an offbeat and innovative fabric involved, reasons Mumbai designer Rahul Mishra. In fact,for his latest Autumn-Winter collection titled Similar Opposites,the designer created a wool-silk fabric which he calls Similar Opposites Textile. Its pure Merino wool woven with pure silk. Wool and silk are completely different in terms of look,and bringing the two together defines the name of the collection, explains Mishra. This range of tunics,dresses and trench coats was such a hit that Mishra is now on an innovation spree. He is in talks with The Woolmark Company,a global authority on Merino wool,to create a knit textile,and hes also tying up with a Japanese company for innovation of fabric and technique. It is challenging and exciting that I can design garments from the yarn stage. I am not giving clients regular chiffon or georgette,I am giving a sense of exclusivity, says Mishra. Besides designers,even textile firms are paving the way for fabric invention,and a few intriguing instances have come to the fore. Arunaa Textiles in Coimbatore,stocks organic materials such as bamboo,soy and modal fabric. Each of these takes more than a month to manufacture but they have the same touch and feel as silk or cotton along with added advantages. Soy is wrinkle-free and biodegradable; bamboo fabric is naturally hypoallergenic and provides protection from UV rays; and modal doesnt shrink or fade. There is a growing number of buyers investing in such fabrics. But we mostly cater to exporters, says Myilswamy Arumugha Gounder,CEO,Arunaa Textiles. Its primarily organic fabric that designers and textile firms experiment with. There is Ahimsa Silk and Ahimsa Leather too,that have found some takers. Bengaluru-based Deepika Govind works with Eri,which is silk,spun in a way that doesnt lead to the death of the silkworms. She showcased a range of soya bean knits in a Spring-Resort collection at Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai in March. Footwear designer Swati Lobo,similarly,uses ahimsa leather,obtained after a cow or buffalo dies naturally. While the market is abuzz about new fabrics,there is also nervousness. Although these fabrics,especially the organic ones,are eco-friendly,they do not give a luxurious look to the garment. Why would buyers be interested if these are like cotton,unless its a buyer who understands the technique and its value? says Delhi-based designer Jenjum Gadi,who refrains from using these. Not to forget,these fabrics,be it Guptas Swarovski fabric or bamboo and soy fabric,are costlier than conventional textiles. This factor doesnt work in the favour of innovative textiles. The Swarovski fabric I have created ranges between Rs 8,000 per metre to Rs 1 lakh per metre. Its pure luxury, says Gupta. But how many buyers has he had? It takes time to catch up but the response has been very good in the last two months, he says. (With inputs by Nupur Chaudhuri)
