Textile Treats

This year,there was a new addition in the form of a separate Indian Textile show. This initiative saw textile designer Mayank Mansingh Kaul curate the works of three designers — Gaurav Jai Gupta of Akaaro,Swati Kalsi and Ashdeen Lilaowala. Each of them has a strong background in textiles with Gupta,in particular,being well-known for his studio weaving techniques. “All three use Indian textiles as a central motif and can creatively express themselves through traditional textiles,” says Kaul.

While Kalsi and Lilaowala featured handwoven embroidery — Sujani embroidery from Bihar and Parsi Gara embroidery,respectively — in Western silhouettes,Gupta’s line lay emphasis on structured garments made with minimal cutting so as to achieve zero cloth wastage.

Kalsi points out that their show hinted at the rising awareness,and thus popularity,of Indian textiles used in a contemporary mould. “India is known to be a hub of textiles and yet,it’s only now that we have begun to celebrate our textile culture. Shows such as these reflect a broad-mindedness that our industry needs now,” says the designer,whose LFW line of asymmetrical dresses,boleros,coats and skirt-and-blouse ensembles won the LFW Heritage Award (accompanied by a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh).

For Gupta,this show at LFW was a way of creating awareness about the concept of restoration as well as the preservation of the hand-weaving technique. “Mass production in the garment industry,the fast-changing trends and the boom of the power loom sector have to be balanced out by reviving,sustaining and valuing the traditional knowledge of ‘hand-crafting’. Accordingly,my collection of dresses,tunics,shirts,trousers and jackets,titled Re-,was made using handwoven fabrics such as chanderi,banarasi and tope silk,” he says. Encouraged by the response to his previous showings,he chose to venture into menswear and saris as well this time around.

Lilaowala has been working on the preservation and promotion of Parsi Gara embroidery and researching for a book on the Zoroastrian craft of Kusti weaving. At the show,he highlighted these in a collection of cocktail dresses,gowns and saris with motifs such as butterflies,birds and flowers. Clearly,revival is a term that Lilaowala is familiar with. “When I got into design,I realised that Gara embroidery needed a new context in order to make it relevant to everyone,not just Parsis,” says Lilaowala,who has dressed pop stars such as Beyonce Knowles and Mariah Carey.

Gupta,however,has a word of caution. “Promoting textiles will need constant attention because even though they are connected,textile design and fashion design are two different disciplines. It’s like photography and movies,the latter is more glamorous than the former and hence,draws more people,” he says.