Diksha Khanna

Julley !

Textiles make a play for austerity, as Diksha Khanna goes back to the roots, with eco-leaf printing to focus on sustainable processes.

In a world that has faced many isolations both literal and metaphorical, it was almost like a spiritually electrifying overhaul, as Mumbai-based designer Diksha Khanna, found inspiration in the barren landscape of Ladakh.

This interesting dichotomy of strong juxtaposed with the fragile, has inspired the trans-seasonal, fluid womenswear’22 line for the Lakme Fashion Week and FDCI, titled “Julley”, or “Hello” in Ladakhi, this season. Traditional costumes and nuances are interpreted in insightful shapes, and dexterous detailing, making ensembles, mostly androgynous. The contrast finds its way into the concept through unusual textile choices.
Think denim with zari khadi receiving a dramatic touch as it is elevated with natural-dyed eco leaf printing on breezy handwoven linen and mul-mul. What makes this line ideal is its rendering— linen lends a whimsical layering of separates, and becomes a new-age offshoot of the local way of dressing.

“It was my first, intrepid solo travel in 2021 as we battled covid and its mental and physical reverberations; I longed for a place, which tugged at the heart, offered me a ray of hope as well as unadulterated adventure. The off-roading on rough terrains, resembled what mankind is encountering on a deeper level-soul searching, in midst of nowhere, with uncertain times ahead,” says Diksha Khanna, an alumni of NIFT Delhi and University of Leeds, England.

What emerged from this conundrum is the need to go back to the roots, so there is eco-natural, dye dry leaf printing in a confluence of fabrics ranging from chanderi, linen and denim, woven in three different states Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal separately. “I visited a tiny village, Venkatapuram, Krishna district about 50 kms from Andhra Pradesh, where this laborious process of eco prints was executed. We wanted to mirror the specific shape of eucalyptus leaves, which were being used,” adds Diksha.

The beauty of the lines and textures are reflected and recreated in her design studio with each piece hand crafted.

Eco Printing is a form of natural dyeing on textiles, It involves extracting the beauty of plants and imprinting them onto wearable fabrics. The material is first soaked in alum mordant to help affix the dye and then leaves are laid out on half of the fabric, and the other half is folded and rolled very tightly onto a piece of log or pipe. Then the bundle is steamed and the fabric is left to set overnight.