“I’m like a child with my Legos while designing,” says Aneeth
The grand finale designer Aneeth Arora takes us on a round trip from Swedish pottery Delft, Chinese porcelain to French textiles toile de Jouy at LFW. By Asmita Aggarwal It is “finally finale” Aneeth Arora grins as she enters the 16th year of her brand Pero, ready to dazzle us with her handmade with love wonders at the LFW X FDCI finale. The NID Ahmedabad alumni who studied at NIFT, knew at 18, she had to move out of Udaipur, her hometown and that adventure brought her to Delhi. Her innate sense of simplicity comes from her mother, who would stitch her dresses, and now works with her (factory) along with 60 in-house women artisans they support. “I’m in awe of these hard-working women-get up early, cook and clean for entire family, work with us, go home, then again feed their kids. Even then they are ready to do overtime. Just like my mom who comes home with me, then wants to make something nutritious for dinner,” she adds. Her brother who is “money man” in the family is the “mind” of the business, Aneeth calls herself the “heart”. There are no distractions in Aneeth’s life, there is intense focus, just like her Hello Kitty collaborations, make each piece labour consuming but edgy. “Growing up I never had many toys, I was always in my own world, got an occasional Barbie when I got good ranks. I learnt how to be open hearted like my mom, pour her love, it helped me through life, and specially living in a city as cut throat as Delhi,” she laughs. Recalling an interesting incident, she says, she was asked to sew buttons on her dad’s shirt, she resisted, little did she know that would be her life! Didn’t know she would do clothing, before like all girls, confused, she wrote exams, took coaching classes for architecture, fine arts, applying to NID to NIFT. “I didn’t clear the NID exam first time, studied textiles in NIFT. I do believe in the universe and its magic tremendously,” she affirms. In these 16 year-long journeys, she has learnt to be grateful, realized she can’t do this alone, she has thus built a strong team. “I was simple, had not studied business, observed no one was doing Jamdanis, started getting them specially woven, got many orders. Thought I was doing something right,” she adds. The same experience was with crochet, but clusters move at snail’s speed. She learnt how to deal with that too, now nothing fazes her. “We work six months in advance, this year the theme for LFW finale was blue and white, it was a seamless fit,” she says. She is showcasing a winter line as per the season, even though in India there isn’t a heavy winter. Her austere theme – being at office from 9 am to 5 pm and then looking forward to that freedom, “breaking free”! Basically the “out of office” feeling. “Imagine that emotion when you are writing an email to take seven days off, I’m trying to encapsulate that happiness,” she laughs. She designs clothes not just for working women, but as separates, something you can add to your existing wardrobe. “We had a 75-year-old client who still hasn’t lost the child within,” admits Aneeth. There are always add ons to all her styles, pom poms, tassels, to frills. The process is like a child who is sitting with her Legos on the floor, trying to build something new and exciting with the same blocks. Aditi Ranjan, her professor at NID, said to her, “don’t stop the creative exploration till you are satisfied, always begin from the simplest idea,” she remembers. This thought translates to her khadi with just red selvage, she often says, people must wonder how it is made. Never compromising on quality, “one artisan one piece philosophy” she channels. This LFW, she has done navy and white, it is a shift and surprise as she is known for her burst of colours and florals, in French textile toile de Jouy or “cloth from Jouy” (a little town near Versailles) an integral part of French history. It originated from Ireland, but Franco-German artisan Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf’s factory in Jouy-en-Josas, made it quintessentially French. “We have used references from Swedish pottery, 17th-18th century Dutch blue-and-white tin-glazed technique. There are references from Chinese porcelain too,” she explains. Pero is a handmade luxury product, it is slow fashion, time consuming, but she never ever wants to do Paris Fashion Week. “It is a 15-minute show. Can one see the detailing? We have been doing trade shows from season one, from Tranoi, French, White in Milan, Premium in Berlin. They love our ikkats, bandhinis and Patola,” she explains, adding she likes the one-on-one interaction rather than an impersonal showcasing. She has an enduring love affair with checks, NID exposed her to looms, the first pattern she ever made was checks. “It has endless possibilities, so many permutations and combinations can be achieved, it is also the simplest form of weaving,” she concludes.
Farming in Hajipur village to LFW with wool indigo denim
Farmer’s son Satendra Singh and Dilip Singh meet Anurag Gupta to showcase their experiments with indigo dyed wool in IIT Delhi paving way for jeans you can wear in winter, keep warm! By Asmita Aggarwal He is from a non-descript village, Hajipur, tehsil Saipau, Dholpur, on the MP-UP border, in Rajasthan, born to a farmer, his dreams were beyond the fields everyday he grew up watching. Satendra Singh’s school bag was hand sewn at home out of leftover Urea bags that came for crops nourishment, mom used to cut and stitch two handles on them, which went with his blue faded pants and rubber chappals. He decided to work on textiles, graduated from the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Jodhpur, and then from Bhilwara did his B Tech in textile chemistry. Cleared the entrance for IIT Delhi, to do his M Tech in textile engineering, little did he know his thesis would take him to LFW X FDCI runway. Can we make denim in wool for colder climates? You can’t wear denim in winter, is there an alternative for it? These were the questions that were swirling in his mind, when he began working with Prof B S Butola, Department of Textile and Fibre engineering, who told him to try indigo dyeing wool, it took two years to perfect this project! “The fabulous part about IIT is it gives you money for research, the challenge was to make denim in wool, machine washable at home,” he says. The product was handloom, wool Merino from Australia, so he decided to show the prototype to Levi’s. They loved it, and saw potential. Indigotex Private Limited, his company, is an IIT Delhi–originated startup, focused on R&D in innovative, sustainable textiles, protective textiles, and waterless technologies to reduce water consumption in textile industry. The company’s first product, IndiWool™️ Denim, is a wool-based, all-weather denim fabric that is machine washable. “Indigotex is developing ECOTEX wool and wool-blended machine-washable fabrics and indigenous lightweight breathable extreme-cold textile solutions (up to −30 °C) for the Indian Army which till now is wearing imported fabrics, in Siachen,” he says. They are funded by FITT-IIT Delhi, SIDBI and Ministry of Textiles. His trip to Bharat Tex he recalls a funny incident, with just his bag, after office, carrying samples, he knew nobody, “any foreigner going into a denim stall I followed and showed them my work, came back to IIT as I had no money.” Indian wool is underutilized as it’s too coarse, almost 70 per cent goes waste, farmers burn it, he says. In his village farming is only 4-5 months, rest of the time no work, in Dholpur, there’s no industry, unemployment, poverty, his idea was to start wool indigo industry there-with his company Indigotex. Designer Anurag Gupta decided to work with new materials like wool denim, for LFW, though his journey began from a village Biskohar, Ayodhya, in 2018, he knew it was going to be experimental. “Covid changed me. I decided I won’t work with craft but do something out-of-the-box,” he adds. In fashion they shy away from innovation, want to play safe as long as it is lucrative, he feels. He started working with knits, when most knitting units were shutting down, no work for them, exports affected due to high tariffs. “Knits are not considered a craft, but I decided to make knits in jacquards—overturned bird eye, ribbed, tuck, which no one wanted to do in small quantities, somehow I convinced them,” says Anurag. His signature though has been deconstruction, adding textures, subverting the template, cutting, slashing, which he says, “wasn’t accepted by clients, it was tough to survive for me. My themes too were unique-manual scavengers which no fashion journalist wanted to write about.” The wool experiment with Satender Singh, makes it softer and the roughness goes out, less water consumption, in more ways than one it is sustainable, also this wool after washing doesn’t shrink. “The surface is smooth and wearable and doesn’t feel itchy! Satendra Singh and Dilip Singh’s collaboration was a eureka moment for me,” he adds. Inspired by 18th century Japanese painter Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Anurag liked his landscapes, women, Kabuki actors, cats, and mythical animals, especially Samurais, seaside islands to dragons. “Fashion magazines make me feel like an outsider, also I’m not a people pleaser, rich privileged kids get more easy coverage as they are in the party gang, we know jugaad, started from scratch,” he laughs. He signs of by saying he wanted to show a film he made on pollution, a video as a brand, how it is affecting human life.
Life comes a full ‘Crcle’ for Varshne
From upcycling leather to using stainless steel as handles for bags, Varshne, the CDC winner with her label Crcle, is telling us being modern is valuing our textiles. By Asmita Aggarwal Born and raised in Chennai, her graduation project in 2020 at NIFT (fashion design) mirrored the most potent fabric that has been adopted by the West like never before-Madras checks. Varshne wanted to depict it in a contemporary way, made a jacket not inside out or reversible but upside down, on the back was Chennai emblazoned and when you flip it you see Madras—it was an ambigram. “Lots of things inspired me, how the colour bleeds in Madras checks, as it is naturally dyed, gives a new look to the fabric every time, ideal for Chennai weather,” says Varshne, who showcased her eco-label Crcle, at the LFW X FDCI titled “Dialogue”. South where she grew up was all about Kanjeevaram saris, bright hues, but as a kid she was all about baggy jeans and oversized shirts, complete opposite-a study in contrasts. Varshne or “rain” in Sanskrit launched her label in 2024, wanted Crcle “to close the loop”. The arts she imbibed growing up -Bharatnatyam, to hip hop, free style dancing, as well as being an avid athlete, long jump to marathons, instilled discipline and an understanding of conviction. Thus “Dialogue” her collection was a conversation between—those wearing it, making it and the material. “It is about emotion transfer, how human beings connect with the garment, making them hold on to it forever,” says the Circular Design Challenge winner. Using crochet (hand done by a cluster in Pondicherry), hand embroidery, with various shades of madder to indigo, making textiles with vegan wool, using korai grass (cultivated along the Cauvery River in Tamil Nadu) which is traditionally used for mats in Chennai, she crafted bags with stainless steel handles. These can again be recycled and bonus: steel never loses its luster. “The beauty of crochet is you can completely unravel it, starting from the beginning, it becomes a fabric again. It offers endless possibilities,” she smiles. Another initiative she embarked upon was collecting waste leather from factories, who generally discard it, and are reluctant to hand it over. It was a challenge to convince them to give it to her, they couldn’t understand why she would even accept such small quantities. She segregated it colour wise, made bags out of it, giving them a new life. “My brand is menswear, but I look at it as unisex, anyone can wear it,” she admits, offering elevated essentials.
Caught in a “mesh”
From unabashedly loving colour, paying tribute to Japanese flowers, to engineering her own mesh-like fabric for LFW, Aisha Rao, hopes to go “green” by being mindful. By Asmita Aggarwal If you ever see Aisha Rao’s Hyderabad home, you will know how her upcycled philosophy reflects there too! The terrazzo tiles, almost 12 to 13 different colours have been used in the dining area, they were lying waste. She decided to break them down, add vibrancy all over the place, where she enjoys meals with her family. After all it was a monumental effort, took four years to build, she feels a sense of despondency when you ask if sustainability in bridal wear can be ever possible? Brides who are generally eco-conscious also don’t want to channel this “green” sentiment on their big day—”there is a general apathy, I feel if you are really green it must reflect in your daily grind,” she clarifies adding you must be mindful of everything from leaving lights on, to indiscriminate use to air conditioning, or choosing to take out the car for small distances. Her style for LFW is predominantly pret, Indian modern style, funky shararas, co-ords, dressy (you can wear on destination weddings) in wearable silhouettes, she decided she will make her own fabric rather than sourcing from China/Korea. “After R and D we made a mesh-like fabric—using badla, Resham, cotton threads– jaal was engineered,” she adds, saying it was a laborious time-consuming process using water soluble paper. The collection is titled “Inter-Hana”, “Hana” refers to in Japan, appreciating seasonal beauty, flowers — rebirth and renewal of spring, et al. Inter translates to in between seasons, also interwoven (like Interlaken in Switzerland ‘in between lakes’). For her sustainability is not just about crafts, and artisans, but also how well you treat and pay your workers, at the grassroot level, giving them PF to ESR. She has also taken the first step towards setting up an ETP effluent treatment plant in her factory, along with getting solar equipped, moving to an industrial zone. “We wanted product level self-reliance, didn’t want to import, you can see what is happening geo-politically, we try to source domestically,” she adds. Interestingly her bestselling lehenga “Dreamlight” has an engaging soulful story behind it, it may be wild at heart, using an avalanche of sequins, beads, bugle beads, nakshi to poth, but the beauty is all the things that fall down, during reversing is not thrown away, but washed, cleaned, and reused. “I’m not saying I am zero waste, but re-embellishment can save waste, lessen carbon footprint. We buy a Tesla, not because it is electric, but it is also a beautiful looking car, with great design,” she smiles. The difference between Hyderabad and Delhi even though they both love bling is people here care about quality, willing to pay any price for it; even men are opening to colour albeit slowly. “I love the exuberance hues offer, it’s my signature I can never get enough of it. But having said that we down South always celebrate our culture. Rashmika from Coorg, draped saris in Telugu way, Vijay wore a dhoti, with an elastic on top. If you see my home, it’s a riot of conflicting and contrasting shades, just like my wardrobe, not grey or beige,” she laughs. Though she believes your environment influences you, even the way you think, her husband has also attempted to adopt tonality abandoning blacks, “it is a good stimulation” she laughs. Crafts are always on her mind—raffia interwoven in mesh, dori techniques, macrame approach, offering a crochet look, not French, but an Indian undertone is done in-house. Influencer Juhi Patel VMA look with those swinging tassels- hand-embroidered with beads, sequins, crystals, and layers of fine thread work was a winner. “It took 900 hours to make this gown, almost 1,500 tassels, hand-knotted individually along with embroidery with over 70 shades of thread,” concludes Aisha.
Against war, Sushant pens protest
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.
Khadi denim takes centerstage
From burnt orange leather to khadi denim Pawan Sachdeva’s journey in dressing men has been a discovery of sorts-meet the new experimental man, who likes his shirt with zippers, pants with not so useful buckles and a stitched dhoti for some extra zing. By Asmita Aggarwal The craziest offering by Pawan Sachdeva till now over the last 20 years has been his experimental leather line—rust, burnt orange, to shiny emeralds, not so surprisingly it was well accepted by men who maybe wanted a break from stripes, black and greys. He explains, menswear is where the real play is now—they are loving embroideries to bling, it is a no holds bar situation. This year for the FDCI NavDhara khadi show, he discovered a loom in Naraina, that crafts khadi denim, the width is 40 metres, (60 metres minimum), not rough, rather smooth as butter, though expensive. His vocabulary is streetwear, relaxed oversized, he decided not to dye the denim, but play with washes-enzyme to sand wash to stone in innovative cuts and finishes. The fun is in zippers, reflective tapes to buckles added in unexpected places, in all the 13 looks that he showcased on the runway at LFW X FDCI khadi show. “The new generation prioritizes comfort over style, access to global runways through social media has been a game changer. Earlier menswear was basic linen shirts, now there is an explosion of colour,” he adds. Another interesting addition to this mélange is the lungi, that you wear every day in scorching summers, but Pawan decided to elevate it to cocktail wear. It comes stitched, accompanied by a belt and zipper. “Men want something fresh, lungi became a hit on the red carpet,” he concludes. No one is doubting its power as from Jackie Shroff to Sunil Shetty its love has been well expressed and documented.
Khadi is subtle luxe: Shruti Sancheti
Adding Gond, Warli art, making motifs quirky, weaving magic in handloom clusters of Vidarbha, Shruti Sancheti gives Khadi a new spin to serenade Gen Z with her pret label Across 29. By Asmita Aggarwal When Grammy winning pianist Charu Suri (Shayan, Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, known for blending Indian raagas with jazz) decided to wear Indian handicrafts, it was a hurrah moment as the trench style jacket in Maheshwari silk and tissue was a winner. The beauty of it was techniques used, jacquard, aari, dabka to Resham. In the business of fashion for the last 15 years, Nagpur-based Shruti Sancheti, says the style was Anarkali that resembled a gown, as Charu is from Central India, she added temple borders in Kosa silk that reminded her what her dad gave her mother (she is a Marathi mixed with South Indian roots). “Charu flew me down to Los Angeles, I styled her along with Suhani Pittie jewellery, I used a simple weave, added block prints to insides of the jacket—used Kutch karigiri, Kashmiri stitches, she wanted to look her age not like a fashionista. She depended on me as her fashion acumen was limited but she was sure she wanted to take heritage with her on a global stage, explains Shruti. Showing at the FDCI X LFW khadi showcase, she admits Gen Z associates khadi with a coarse, slubby fabric, mostly for older women, but with better treatments, they have observed it is more fluid, can be made up to 200 counts. “I don’t think Gen Z cares about virtues of Khadi, cool in summer and warm in winter, but the Japanese buyers loved it, so we decided to talk to them in their language—of separates, structured jackets not predictable saris,” she adds. There are many techniques—Nasi, silk or cotton from handloom clusters in Vidarbha, Maharashtra to Geech, or Geech Dana Bandhej, from Rajasthan, she has crafted within the line, working with Dhapewada cluster 20 kms from Nagpur. Her mul-mul cotton comes from Sausar, Lodhikheda, and Mohgaon handloom cluster in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh. “Koshti sub-caste of Hindus, specialized in weaving Magtha, patterned borders using Dobby,” she explains. Today there are 7000 weaving families, but only less than 500 families are weaving. Shruti recently launched her pret brand “Across 29” hoping to represent crafts from the 29 states of India, done in textiles, as separates for a younger audience, including the Nagpur check and stripes, more international in its appeal, thinner, originally only restricted to saris, now she has made trousers and shirts. “We did a test drive of it in Paris and were pleasantly surprised at the response,” she smiles. She added Gond and Warli art, but not in its traditional format of women making rangoli, but quirky motifs like dolls walking dogs with sunglasses, or a tiger driving a scooter, she has taken creative liberties to serenade those who are disconnected from textiles. Her book “Weaves of Vidarbha” encapsulates the stories, and tales of the artisans, and their forgotten craft told through woven wonders. In hues of moss green, ivory, charcoal, you can mix, and match the wrap skirts in textured khadi. “Khadi is really quiet luxury, hand spun, time consuming and built to last,” she concludes.
Meet Lambani tribe from Tanda
Emblazoned with seashells, mirrors, colorful threadwork khadi gets a cool makeover with tribal women from Sandur’s deft hand work at the FDCI Khadi showcasing. By Asmita Aggarwal The beauty of Khadi is in its enviable properties—summer cool and winter warmth, when you combine empowerment and women artisans in this mix, it becomes a movement of sorts. Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra (SKKK) has tied up with Co-Ek, (Centre of Excellence for Khadi), an initiative by the Ministry of MSME and KVIC, attempting to make Khadi young, cool and fresh. SKKK is working with tribal Lambani women from Tanda of Susheelanagar, a nomadic community, almost 500 artisans, hoping to make them self-reliant. Further the Khadi Commission equipped them with handlooms, Ambar charakas, so this year at LFW they will be showcasing their cotton khadi—hand spun spinning, weaving, and natural dyeing. Villages of Yeswantnagar, Krishnanagar, and Sandur, is using Ambar charkha, with 76 skilled women executing intricate Sandur Lambani embroidery. SKKK has worked to preserve the Lambani craft, won the UNESCO Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts in South Asia and has the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for “Sandur Lambani hand embroidery”. The inspiration has been nifty checks at Victoria and Albert Museum; here is the twist rather than uniformity they added surprises in the warp and weft. This was executed by the Devanga weaving community, artisans with 40-year experience who previously worked with the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha, Hubballi, the only BIS-certified national flagmaker. “We have worked with Bijli embroidery, ‘lightning’ work, reflective, has a sparkling effect. It is space dyeing, with a chambray effect, looks complicated, but is simple,” says Nargis Zaidi, head, Apparels at the Centre of Excellence for Khadi. The Khadi unit currently employs around 98 weavers, but most clusters are set in their ways, hesitant to experiment, adds Nargis. The Lambanis use vivacious hues, red to indigos, but Co-Ek has toned them down, offering classic shapes, kedia tops, reversible jackets. “There is an increased awareness amongst youngsters about hand-made, hand embroidered, it is like a limited edition sneaker for them in some ways,” adds Nargis. Shruthi Muniyappa from Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra, says, “2023 a Guinness World Record was set at Hampi for the largest display of Lambani items. Artisans are skilled at block printing, and khadi production, our attempt is to make women breadwinners.” The patch work embroidery, mirrors and white metal jewellery along with seashells, intermingled with coloured threads makes each piece unique, as it carries 500 years of legacy, when they moved from Rajasthan to South India for trading, in Karnataka- 16th century!
Denims soaked in nostalgia
“One day I would like to do something with Kanjeevarams and temple borders,” says Payal Pratap. By Asmita Aggarwal Payal Pratap is a mood, a flavour as she was sure when she graduated from the fourth batch of NIFT, wearability is going to be the focus. Though she agrees over the last three decades, there has been an increased curiosity about what buyers are wearing, spotlight on mindful consumption, “globe has shrunk and fair-trade practices are practised widely, polyester is unacceptable”. The flip side is market is saturated and question is “do we really need to make more clothes?” “Women are a lot fitter, they want to reuse their clothing, reinvent their existing wardrobe, rejig it. We make a lot of separates, easy to mix and match, travel friendly, you can take from lunch to dinner,” says Payal. Even though she calls herself “tech challenged” social media is most important for any business, as a small town in Wales to a village in Europe can see your offerings. “For LFW I’ve worked with denims, given it my own spin,” she says. Laser cuts, to being inspired by her mom’s green garden, she inherited the love for nature. She has used Cyanotype photography, a camera-less technique, that creates white and Prussian blue images, it is fossil like, the results, similar to what you get on an X ray, then she built on it. The denim used is sustainable that R Relan produces, recycling Pet bottles, making a fibre out of it often called “green gold”. “It is not like other denim, it has elasticity,” she adds. Ashish Soni has made suiting materials out of it and Namrata Joshipura activewear, it is supple, softer, not the usual stiff denim we all grew up with, she affirms. Payal has had a lasting love affair with denim, it fades and ages, it has a sense of nostalgia, offers versatility, many virtues. “We have added texture, prints and embroidery, oversized silhouettes,” she explains. Her experiments with pret also led her to launch Umbar, a brand that she hopes to revive soon, though she has never dabbled in couture. “The idea is always to be simple and pure, travel, see exhibitions that inspire you, imbibe all that in your subconscious and someday bring alive the collection, when you are starting a new line-thought process,” she adds. Her oldest piece of denim is now 12, it has aged with her, though denims become precious pieces when you add lots of embroidery on them, you can then wear on occasions. “For the last 30 years I’ve always done hand embroidered pieces, never machines,” she adds. Her love for cross stitch, beads, woven fabrics, layering is constant, Jamdani from Phulia, Bengal, khadi to khadi wool she has been using for the last 7-8 years is evident in each line. “What I would like to explore is Kanjeevarams and temple borders, maybe I stayed in Bangalore for 5-6 years as a school girl, my dad was in the Army, maybe the fascination comes from there,” she smiles. Never did she think that “designer” of the family at ten, who would tell her mom which bag to carry with her silk sari, would one day be a successful guru of style!
Anamika to support 101 artisans
She is a tour de force in fashion, most sought after but she is wanting to give back generously, by making artisans from various clusters in Gond and Pichwai self-reliant, that’s her mission for the next three years. By Asmita Aggarwal Anamika Khanna has been a trooper of sorts ever since she won the Damania Award in 1995, her journey has been interesting in more ways than one. “I didn’t know then what was even one meter of cloth,” she laughs. Today she is Sonam and sister Rhea Kapoor’s go to! So, when she went as a newcomer to London Fashion Week, “putting yourself as a new label AK-OK was a challenge, we got an overwhelming response”, says the Kolkata-based guru of meaningful details. Though she was impressed by the working style, professionalism in London, it was simply “humbling”. At AK-OK, which she is showing at LFW X FDCI is for her “what we dream we do, hoping to offer global pret, this product has the wherewithal to become that”. Couture is hand crafted, we can’t compromise, completely hand done, nothing digital, even the jewellery perspective is Western with an Indian soul, wear it in New York or Dibrugarh. “We mix ancient temple motifs, with contemporary acrylic, 3-D printing, and two dynamic materials. I’m having a lot of fun with AK-OK (began when she was unwell, her twins would ask her AK- are you ok?), it is limitless, feel like a child in a candy store,” giggles Khanna. Though the designer now wants to give back, her new project is making women artisans 101 (she doesn’t know how she got that number in her mind) financially independent-craft clusters over the next three years. “Let’s say the Gond or Pichwai artisans, the idea is to spotlight them, as I use their craft in my bridal wear, hoping it brings awareness to the clusters and make women self-reliant. This will be a recurring initiative not a one-time passion but will continue,” says Anamika. Her fame has crossed borders, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leye wore her fitted bandhgala satin silk self-on-self, handmade embroidered on Jan 26, this year. “I knew she would like something like that, seeing her crisp no nonsense suits,” says Anamika. Her more recent love has been double ikkat Patola, sometimes she uses it as a traditional sari, other times as a base to enhance different experiments, mixing it with lace and Banarasi. Patola is sourced from Swadesh (Reliance Foundation to support master artisans like Kanubhai Salvi and Hema Patel, GI-certified handwoven in Patan, Gujarat, almost 750 years old). Though her one desire remains unfulfilled– to dress the iconic actress Rekha, her beauty frozen in time, “she would look ethereal in our organza sari, wouldn’t like to alter her look, or personality,” says Anamika. Dressing Rashmika Mandanna, from Coorg, in a rust-orange silk saree with a bold red border inspired by “Deccan Temple” embroidery in antique gold for her D day with Vijay Deverakonda. “We had to tone down the brief, or it would look like a costume, not too ethnic India,” she clarifies. It took two months to create, several months for R and D, as “research couldn’t be random”. She explains how concepts varied from shikar; they indulge in down South motifs for Vijay as well as South temple structures for the veil for Rashmika. Her two boys have made a place for themselves outside the shadow of their mom—Viraj the shy twin is an artist, Vishesh, has a master’s degree in design from Central Saint Martins. “He is in touch with Gen Z, I don’t know them, this is a big advantage, so I listen. He is the one who sent me sketches for menswear and I really respect his opinion. We three are good for each other,” she says. Her LFW line is an homage to flowers she loves, like Coco Chanel, her obsession with camellias, plus she is looking at an alternative to fur, vegan and sustainable. “We have explored knits, versatility is the key here, Japanese fabric was added for the first time, denim was cut and slashed last time, this year we have taken a detour. I work with my instinct to design for women, knowing what they want,” she signs off.