Centographs mirror world unrest through camouflage to crochet, cold pigment dyeing, paying tribute to Kantha, crafting arches where you least expect it—on a functional bag at FDCI’s Boys club showcasing by Countrymade.
By Asmita Aggarwal
Fashion is not an archipelago, it’s affected by socio-economic factors, even though it is low on the food chain it is affected by geopolitics-what’s happening in Iran to Ukraine-war that has destroyed the lives of millions.
It is not something that’s new to mankind—only problem is that they refuse to learn from past mistakes. It was only natural that this LFW, his line is aptly titled “Cenotaph”, or memorial, a tomb of sorts. It symbolises the architecture of what remains, every city you go to has a tomb—India Gate, to Taj Mahal or even Arc de Triomphe to the Glorious Dead (Yasukuni Shrine), Japan. “History is a witness to wars and angst,” says Sushant Abrol, of the label Countrymade. He is not being preachy, but gently urging everyone to open their eyes, think, and witness history being manufactured. He shows his despondency through buttonholes that are stitched but left without buttons, as linings remain unfinished.
He has been travelling all over the world in the last three months, seeing unrest with the war, Trump’s decisions that have affected the daily lives of billions of people. US President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lowered tariff burden on Indian exports to the US from 50% to 18%. Earlier manufacturing hubs like Ludhiana, textile-rich hubs such as Tiruppur, Panipat, Surat, Bikaner, and Coimbatore are also facing instability. “The best stores in the world are hesitant to work with Indian designers, due to tariffs-trade uncertainty has caused massive drop in sales,” he affirms, adding, “buyers have to pay more duties now, so many are revisiting bulk orders due to geopolitical unrest. Market is price conscious, I’ve started thinking about costing, as fashion is commerce, not just about self-expression and runway applause.”
Channelling the theme, “absence is presence” through Centograph, how stone texture fades over time, chips off, decays, displayed in linen, along with cold pigment dyeing. His bag designed like the India Gate is fully functional and usable, resembling the arches, used as a recurring motif through camouflage to crochet. Sometimes as a geometrical element that is hand embroidered, or patchworked.
For LFW X FDCI he has introduced ripstop and herringbone, two fabrics that reveal crisis, to represent a “lived in” look, even the runway walk by models was emblematic of pensiveness and despondency, an emotion that the world is grappling with now. “We have added sun fading, depicting how over time the monument gets textures –rays affect the stone in multiple ways. “The theme has been researched 360 degrees,” he says, as he enters the seventh year in fashion, learning that it is ever evolving, important to stay relevant, stay in the present, absorb things that happen around you. “Right new luxury is the last priority, many want to consume fashion, but are unwilling to pay the price for hand techniques,” he rues.
Denim, known for its ruggedness, has been washed out, bronze coating added to mimic how every centograph is often accompanied by a bronze statue, which we can also see at Amar Jawan Jyoti. “I never forget my signature-hand kantha mixed with German architecture Bauhaus (minimalistic, geometric shapes, and industrial materials like steel and glass),” he concludes.