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!
Separates are new cool at LFW
Payal Jain gives us nifty wearable options, Tarun dresses the groom’s extended family in dhotis-pearls, while Pankaj and Nidhi serenade mocha, and Samant Chauhan flirts with sci-fi bejewelled shoulders. By Asmita Aggarwal Shouldn’t fashion be wearable, easy, and non-fussy? If you are a believer of separates, Payal Jain has just the collection for you with a Parisian vibe! Think crochet and jute bags with flowers and crinkled skirts—she went for light embellishments, beads, tone-on-tone. If you see the history of Payal over the last 27 years, she has always had her favourites—from Chikankari which she keeps floral to Chanderi and mulmul. The natty lace collars with bell sleeves in pristine white, the indigo dyed denim shorts with coats, front knotted “happy” blouses, and her dexterous cutwork made us think about a relaxed summer. The crochet is done by hand laboriously that she used as a third element to rev up her austere offerings. The showstopper wasn’t former TV star Mandira Bedi or influencer Nitibha Kaul, but Katrauan from Banaras, delightfully airy cotton. The jumpsuits with bows tied to sleeves, came with wicker suitcase bags, triple layered strings of pearls were omnipresent, fabric flower belts, and everyone’s favourite “reader women with glasses” who love books not fleeting trends. Samant Chauhan The boy from Bhagalpur has crafted a unique journey in fashion—he serenaded the Middle East market, made a killing—this year he went all white, with hints of shimmer. He decided not to deviate from his style “long and cinched”. Gowns came with a diaphanous cape, some with one shoulder trail. His play with placement embroidery on the closure of long jackets was interesting as well as pleated gowns with starbursts. Structural detailing in exaggerated uplifted shoulders, tulle skirts worn with bejewelled bodices, he made shoulders his focus—sci fi-heavily embellished. Flapper trims on coats in charcoal black, basket weave, crinkled gowns and swinging fringes in rusts and olives. Asymmetrical flamenco skirts, tiered, peplum bejewelled corsets with riding pants made sure he has something for everyone who wants to look part of the swish set. Pankaj and Nidhi If anyone knows how to stay on the trend wagon, it’s the husband-wife duo Pankaj and Nidhi, who have built a huge business in the last 15 years. If mocha is the Pantone colour of the season, pleated capes were offered with stockings worn over stilettoes— along with appliqué, embossing and placement embroidery, three superheroes. They went for solid colours, didn’t let other hues in, mirror work and princess sleeves, added tassels and fringes, but the innovation was the sheer and polka dots mix as well as tulip dresses in slate grey. Crochet is climbing the fashion firmament like a tall vine, as organza capes accompanied roomy pants. Bejewelled bustiers, cutwork extensively used, shoulders upturned and stiff, in this mix was lithe 90s model Sapna Kumar always fabulous. Tasva: Tarun Tahiliani The dhotis and jackets in tone-on-tone, one never really tires of it, especially in menswear, but what stood out in this show is the older, real model coming of age, he may not conform to society’s standard may be small and stout, but he is reclaiming his right to the catwalk. Mogras on the wrists as well as men in shawls woven Tanchoi and Banarasi, some with the disappearing moustaches, the Patiala salwars, chokers found soulmates in sunglasses. The waistcoats came with functional pockets in mints and blush pinks, as white-haired men above 70 are maybe Tarun’s new customers. Happy to see Kolhapuris and Chef Ranveer Brar in a sherwani, just like the following female model in one too, making it unisex. Live tabla and guitars, dhols, a marriage procession, the largest conglomeration of male models, just like the song played in the background by the former Spice Girl-Geri Halliwell it was literally “Raining men”. Velvet sherwanis, creams met coffee hues, as pleated dupattas with sherwanis and pearls swirling was ideal for the groom’s extended family dressing.
Pondicherry, French, silk velvet printing
Craft-soaked Bandhini to experiments with Chikankari, Naushad Ali adds a European influence to Indian textiles serenading a global buyer. By Asmita Aggarwal His father is a textile merchant, based in Pondicherry, so Naushad Ali grew up surrounded by fabrics from Bengal to Orissa, he would sit on the bundle and watch TV as a young boy. His interest grew to study fine arts, and cleared NIFT Chennai, where he studied textile design. “Auroville had a huge influence on me—specially its multi-cultural approach. The predominant French influence, people from different nationalities co-existing teaches you how the world has no boundaries. When I began my brand, I knew it had to be global,” he adds. He believes there is a lot of misconception around textiles, it is only restricted to Indian wear, but you can channel French elegance with a kurta. “A lot of my friends shut down businesses in Covid, it is an interesting and challenging time, every day I see new brands on Insta, who will survive only time will tell,” says Naushad. Celebrating ten years of his brand, the NEXA spotlight winner, believes his USP is showcasing textiles in a refreshing way, just like the poster on his office wall, “Why should sustainability be boring?” He keeps researching, when he takes up a craft, admits, “when you buy from us, you know its depth, like our Chikankari, we have introduced it with a stronger identity, used in a contemporary way. Just like Bandini and indigo, two of our signatures with a distinct European influence,” he explains. The play is in the motifs rather than the conventional paisley; it is more global in its appeal and demeanour. “We live in one world due to Insta, but I maintain the dignity of the technique I work with, though the result is a cocktail with my interesting ingredients. I fear monotony, each piece must not be repetitive,” he says. His experiments with silk velvet printing, maintaining the consistency of the ink, became his bestseller. “I am a Tamilian, grew up in the South, if you observe Indian women, while shopping at Nalli, they know their saris, quality of gold, and are aware of what they are paying for. Same with Bengal, women value crafts, and culture. After all, fashion is a desirable product, it must 100 pc look good,” he explains. LFW X FDCI 2025 he is focusing on yarn dyed indigo, denims hand woven in Bengal, South Indian checks from Madurai, without abandoning his USP Jamdani. “Now I see a uniformity in dressing, everyone looks the same, but a white shirt can look different depending on the personality of the wearer, and most importantly region-South to North,” he confesses, adding people used to dress for themselves in the past, now that spirit is lost somewhere with social media onslaught. Interestingly, he talks of the rising culture of thrifting, like the jacket he made for his Pondichéry based French client Vincent. His son wore it 10 year later and sent him a picture, the key is trendless clothing, it may lie in your cupboard, but is never obsolete. “We wanted to open with contemporary freestyle dance to establish a connection with the clothing, channeling the spirit of exchange of garments act on the ramp. We all love dressing each other, there is joy in it,” he explains about his presentation. Does one need money to survive in fashion? He has an engaging hypothesis—you can be privileged to inherit dad’s burgeoning business, but have zero design sensibility. “Creativity and commerce must co-exist,” he reiterates, adding, “I like to address the feminine side in menswear, embroidered silk shirts, gender fluid, simple tailoring, spotlight on fits. The future is responsible fashion, that withstands the test of time,” he concludes.
Luck by Design
Somaiya Kala Vidya, is creating a space for artisans from Gujarat working with Bandhani, Ajrakh, block printing to applique, equipping them with skills that combine—marketability with design prowess-craft is just not art. By Asmita Aggarwal You would never expect a chemical engineer from the acclaimed NIT, Trichy to be working in the development sector, but there is a lot more to Nishit Sangomla than just his degree. He won the SBI Youth for India fellowship which took him to the Barefoot College, Rajasthan, established by visionary Bunker Roy in 1972, hoping to empower rural communities. In “Solar Mama”, how to fabricate solar panels, lights and photovoltaic circuits is taught 110 km from Jaipur, Tilonia village. Nishit began working with them, and it changed his life forever. He had found his true calling many years ago. Though he did notice it was dominated by women, as the men had gone to bigger cities to work in mines, never sent money home, forcing them to fend for themselves. Agriculture was not an option—but the region was loaded with crafts—they worked with leather, made durries, everything was laboriously hand-crafted—a gem waiting to be showcased to the world. “They are skilled, but did not know the technical aspects—marketing to supply chain management. After all, erstwhile kings wore crafts that are now museum pieces, all they needed was design direction,” says Nishit. This gave birth to the design lab they set up, to dig deeper into concepts, educate artisans, the seed of the idea came when Nishit met the legendary Judy Frater, an anthropologist from US, who came to Kutch, Gujarat in the 70s, the rest is history.. Judy, lived 30 years here, with artisans, particularly women embroiderers, studied their traditional crafts, Kala Raksha Trust she set up in 1993, to empower artisans. After the 2001 earthquake, she founded the Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya School in Meghpar, Anjar, Gujarat, the first design school for traditional skilled artisans. Bonus: they are setting up a natural dyeing research lab, which anyone can use. When he met Judy in 2016, she mentored Nishit, in 2019 she wanted to go back home, Nishit took over as the vision was clear. Bandhini, Shibori, Batik, weaving, block printing, patchwork to applique—artisans are taught how to modernise and sell. There were many hurdles he faced —in the one-year program, women artisans’ families were not comfortable to send them to a residency (12 women, 12 men trained every year, number varies). Interestingly, the age is dropping for students, earlier it was above 30, now younger artisans are joining, who had given up this generational skill. There are six modules— they can learn from street markets, retail stores, and exhibitions—colour development to trend forecast, experimenting with motifs, each skilled artisan is taught various verticals to enable him to be market ready. “When we take interesting calls like increasing dips in indigo the results are spectacular—innovation is the game,” he smiles, adding they also added violet to Ajrakh giving it a new spin. At LFW X FDCI Somaiya Kala Vidya showcased Ajrakh by Ziad Khatri, Alaicha (Mashru) by Amruta Vankar, ‘Anatomy’ by Mubbasirah Khatri, ‘Mystery’ by Muskan Khatri, ‘Tradition to modern’ by Shakil Ahmed, the school has now been taken over by Somaiya Trust, which is a prestigious educational institution based out of Maharashtra since 1942. Amrita Somaiya, who owns the school, has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Simmons College, Boston, and her husband did Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. Their family originally belongs to Kutch, Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya, was an Indian educationist, who founded educational institutes in Maharashtra, was awarded the Padma Bhushan, Samir his son is carrying forward his legacy. “My father-in-law worked relentlessly after the earthquake to build Kutch, then my husband met Judy, as she was looking for opportunities to continue the craft work,” says Amrita. Amrita’s father is an architect, mother an interior designer, she inherited the love for aesthetics from them, crafts has been her mainstay, thus subsidised education for artisans at Somaiya Kala Vidya. “Real craft is handmade, each artisan who showcased had a personal story in the collection, like Shakeel bhai and the beautiful Batiks, it was contemporary, but soaked in craft,” she adds. An avid lover of textiles, from Ajrakh to Bandhini, hand woven is her go to, she spends time in clusters, and from grassroots understands how to bring awareness to the processes. Juhi Lakhwani, business development officer at Somaiya Kala Vidya, joined this year, but her experience is vast—she won the Naropa Fellowship, which took her to Ladakh. She worked with traditional artisans in carpet weaving, realised handicrafts are losing their identity, and wanted to teach them social entrepreneurship. “The products worked well, but Covid hit, we had to pause. The key was teaching them e-commerce, digital merchandising, it worked in their favour,” Juhi says. At Somaiya she helps them market their products, with design intervention—Soof, Rabari embroideries are much loved along with Batik. Somaiya Kal Vidya has opened another school in Karnataka, Bagalkot; they have a store in Prag Mahal in Bhuj. “The reason why Gen Z does not buy craft is the lack of awareness, they have been brainwashed by Westernisation. Artisans have saris and stoles, and silhouettes need to be taught to serenade a younger clientele,” Juhi adds. When you see artisans like Mubbasirah combine traditional Ajrakh blocks with hand painting, or Amruta’s new developments for Mashru, you know they are set to succeed. Alaicha translates to Mashru in Kutchi, it is associated with the Ahir community, each pattern reflects legacy —they have a new palette, in some ways redefined it. Mubassirah is the first female artisan to step into the male dominated Khatri Ajrakh artisans rejigging it with freehand painting! Craft is business now, not just art. “I began learning from my father six years ago after he returned from SKV, I’m the only woman in three generations from Ajrakhpur to take this up,” says Mubbasirah. Ajrakh means “leave it for a while” in Kutchi, it takes
Clothes with feelings
From serenading poets to artists, Rina Singh’s Eka is a case study of craft upliftment. By Asmita Aggarwal If clothes could have feelings Eka would be a right fit! Rina Singh, who built a brand, brick by brick, over 13 years believes it took years of developing product knowledge and working closely with clusters and weavers that helped her finally launch a brand. Unlike Gen Z who know marketing, but learn about product excellence along the way, their skills are so polished that business turns out to be good! “They do it right out of college, I took several years to have the courage and wherewithal to launch my label,” says Rina, adding, “the world of design has changed unequivocally.” Eka and Eka Core are two different ethos—but same mothership, the latter is ready-to-wear, younger, less moody, uses archival textiles and repurposes, so circular in ethos. Rina overdyes it, uses quilting, makes it trans-seasonal as most are leftover fabrics. Eka is known for its love for hand spun and slow, thus the making process is not instant and takes a year of planning. She took a concerted decision to be on the ramp, after a hiatus, to offer woven wonders from Bhagalpur, Banaras, Kota to Bengal, telling a story in Muslin, lace, inspired by Amer, Jaipur with its imposing mirror mosaics, for LFW this year, but she has interpreted it differently—appliqué to tiny embroidered motifs. The idea was to have movement in clothing, like choreography, how clothes adapt to the body and its wearer; as the DNA of the label remains the same every year, but the inspirations are rooted in craft upliftment. You may have boxy trousers, laces only show shifts in moods, things you can wear from Kutch to Tokyo, as it remains feminine, layered, and translucent—this time it’s silks, gossamer and diaphanous. “Sandeep my husband, is a pillar of support—he manages operations, so I am free to design, it takes a huge load off me, in the last decade, he has been a backbone. But I have learnt marketing needs to be loud, brands must have their own voice, and over the years I have learnt not to be rigid about my product,” she adds. Kurukshetra where she was born to agriculturalists, made a deep impact on her psyche growing up, she valued crafts and the “thinking before doing” process of clothing, where you deliberate rather than buy –it is laborious, time consuming, and expensive, but it is also timeless and hand spun, the beauty is unmatched. “I come from a Rajput family where traditionally women invest in weaves, pearls and Kashida, as well as vintage shawls, they understand aesthetics,” she says. Working with the European markets, especially Japan, Rina believes the real jewel in the crown in India is ready to wear, yet we are focussed on weddings, a money churner. “I know the Indian woman likes to be comfortable, yet classy, so why not give her craft-soaked offerings with hints of colour?” she concludes.
80% feeling, 20% aesthetic sells a garment: Dhruv Kapoor
Dhruv Kapoor brings his PSS (print, surface and silhouette) tastes to the Denim Edit by FDCI, at LFW as he handpaints, laminates, embroiders the versatile fabric. By Asmita Aggarwal He is a regular at Milan Fashion Week, and his 10-year-old brand, was nominated earlier for the International Woolmark Prize, but Dhruv Kapoor is undoubtedly a favourite among the swish set. His hybrid blazers, balloon vests, Indian Devanagari bold type phases for branding, t shirts that announce “I dreamt we spoke again” or “We were lovers in the past life”, he also handcrafts leather, mixes it with crochet to create totes. Kapoor denim sometimes comes with little teddies embroidered sitting quietly probably waiting to be picked up, or his interstellar shirts, cargo jeans, stamped hoodies, the whole perspective is young and almost irreverent. While in Milan he worked with Etro, where the family-owned business of the Italian label Gerolamo Etro introduced the paisley pattern—various forms and hues and their variations, it is the house’s signature design. Maybe from here he found his love for Gilets—though Kapoor does them in his own ways—sometimes in denims with a lot of zippers included for a futuristic feel. His forte remains denim, handcrafted, and if you look closely there is toy flower jackets, hand beaded, 3 D detailing and this also won him the Vogue India Fashion Fund in 2015. The Istituto Marangoni and NIFT Delhi educated designer, says, “Denim has been one of the brand staples since the beginning. We enjoy exploring diverse options that would help us enhance or uplift its appearance or natural properties. Denim seamlessly fits in every season,” he says. If you go through his e-commerce site it has three categories—man, woman and unisex and most photoshoots are done with models wearing oversized glasses— he seems to have a kind of obsession for them! And interestingly the bags are named “Seeker” almost Rs 50,000 seems tough to be sought! Participating at the FDCI Denim Edit, for the FDCIX LFW he has fused multiple formats in diverse configurations — raw, laminated, washed, embroidered, or painted. Interestingly each version performs differently. His aim is always to minimize waste and adopt circular practices. The design process would ideally meld old and discarded with new and innovative. “We annually release an upcycled collection that is built from leftover scrap and discarded items across multiple categories,” he admits. Kapoor signature has been printing, silhouette and surface, over the last decade, he has mastered the approach and perfected the details inside and out. However, it is essential to keep evolving season after season by learning from the previous seasons. “We are always exploring, adopting new technologies and techniques to update our process,” he explains. “What I read and the mix of cultures that I grew up in- always influences our design process. Literature addresses ancient legends or science from the Vedas, even some protopian fantasies. It is always a combination of diverse cultures through a blend of information coming from multiple eras blended to make them more relatable to the current system,” he explains about his love for books. With designers making a foray into the international markets through Paris and Milan fashion weeks, Dhruv believes the latter has been an exciting part of both the brand and his personal journey. He admits one always learns from the environment that surrounds us, Milan boasts a healthy and forward one, especially in the field of fashion, design and lifestyle. “From my understanding- the consumer is the same globally. It is 80% of the feeling and emotion a garment would generate and 20% of the aesthetic. We give in to how it would make us feel over simply how it looks. The only thing that changes is the climate and cultural impact of that region on the consumer choices- which are easy to implement and modify one product into multiple versions. But overall, they are all the same- they want the same things and all they want is to feel good,” he confesses. Denim remains such an enduring staple in every one’s wardrobe, Dhruv attributes this to its versatility that helps you blend two polar worlds of formality and everyday wear. Anything denim would always last long and work round the year. “I personally enjoy all versions of denim, my favourite a total denim looks in a sober enzyme wash,” he adds. There are no weaknesses or challenges but all learnings, in life. “My biggest learning personally and professionally is being patient- especially between two seasons and to let the creative process pass through the creative blocks peacefully, by diverting our attention into fine tuning the process during that time rather than getting frustrated. My strength is my team- their commitment, loyalty, and the countless hours they put into the brand is something I am very grateful for,” he concludes.
Blue blooded fit by Countrymade
Every setback in life kind of teaches us, for Sushant it was his brother’s sudden demise, he used the pain to pay homage to his memory keeping it alive each year. At the FDCI Denim Edit he gives the resilience of denim an interesting twist with hand painted leather. By Asmita Aggarwal It was a happy surprise to be part of the FDCI Denim Edit for Sushant Abrol, Countrymade, and a perfect fit as 50 per cent of his collection for a recent Paris trade show was crafted out of this sturdy material. “Trail Dust” conjures images of a dust cloud you leave behind, while driving on rugged terrain, it seemed to be in sync with what Abrol has been doing for the last five years-a sort of continuation. Thus, the dust cloud is an analogy of the essence of our journey, a bit like how with our travels we bring back memories. Denim for the show has been captured in its rawness, as it exudes resilience, much like the sole of shoes we wear, which get worn out, or our jeans which wrinkle over time, the fabric folds, crumples, these are the effects given by Abrol to show the veracity of time. “We don’t embroider tigers or leopards, or sequin birds, thus crumpling is our embroidery,” he smiles, adding, “lines play a very crucial role in denim—cracked, folds, we have worked with selvage denim, 100 percent cotton, we do not use stretch. Denim is inherently strong, and can play with many techniques, experiment, unlike something like Chanderi which may tear if put under pressure-as it’s delicate.” The label started as an homage to his older brother who passed away in 2019- Squadron Leader Samir Abrol died during a training sortie in a fighter jet crash. Abrol studied from NIFT, Mohali, in 2010, he wanted to join the armed forces passed the entrance for the Service Selection Board (SSB) but was not selected after the group discussion. His brother wanted him to start his own label, he was a class topper, but his life was cut short. The label never forgets him—somewhere Abrol keeps his aura alive. Though he is not showcasing it, he has a line of denim ecru, unwashed, with patchwork, camouflaging, applique, his signature looks along with frayed denim, in tandem with his military inspirations, a signature. The fraying for him depicts the journey of the “aged soldier” coming back from war brimming with experiences—the hues rang from black, indigo, and navy, screen prints of dust particles, splattered, bullion knots stitched unevenly-it was a show that brought out the concept together beautifully. “In menswear structure gives confidence, we add artisanal techniques, to make it interesting, but denim is no longer casual. We have constructed blazers, almost making it semi-formal, you can wear it for an intimate evening out,” he confirms. This season he has Safari suits, vests with leather accents, hand painted leather, which has already been picked up by stores in the Netherlands and Beverly Hills, US. The beauty of a Countrymade show is its music—which is written by Abrol himself, this time inspired by an Irish pub song, titled “Rocky Road to Dublin” by the High Kings. It became an anthem for workers who after a hard day’s work unwind singing about their day. Writing poetry, he has added all his collections names till now, almost ten, (Homecoming, Band of Brothers, No Man’s Land et al) in the song and composed it in the Irish lyrical style. “The idea is to enjoy the moment, also celebrating the perseverance of not giving up, to come up every six months with collections,” he concludes.
Batik has unique monotones: Madhumita
Working with Batik master craftsman Shakil Khatri for the last ten years in Gujarat, to revive the 1000-year-old tradition using vegetable dyes, Madhumita Nath of Ek Katha hopes to serenade a young audience with reimagined crafts. By Asmita Aggarwal She studied textiles at NIFT Mumbai and JJ School of Art, the Mumbai-raised, Nagpur-born Madhumita Nath of the label Ek Katha took time to launch her label. She came from a renowned family of science mavericks, with her grandfather Prof. M. C. Nath, moving from Dhaka to India, setting up the Biochemistry institute, in 1946, Nagpur. Most family members are Ph.Ds, so when she decided to study textiles, it was met with “surprise.” 2016, was the year when she decided she would like to concentrate on Kutch weavers, she sought advice from mentor Kudeep Gadwi, who took her to meet artisans exposing her to lesser-known jewels like Batik from Mundra, Gujarat. The “khakan” is made locally, earlier they used oil of a seed, not paraffin wax to dye, but now only four families are left out of hundreds who have abandoned this process, six in the adjoining village— digital printing killed traditional art. “You can make digitals in Rs 15 to Rs 30 per meter, which ends up in Dadar market, it is quick. Ancient techniques, 1,000 years old, have a subtle layering, the beauty of it has been erased due to bulk digital prints. Batik used vegetable dyes, chemical- free, laborious, painstaking but excellent,” says Madhumita. Master craftsman Shakil Khatri’s family has been batik block printing for six generations, using oil of the pilu tree (Salvadora persica), locally known as kakhan, as a resist. As it is thick and sensitive to heat—the oil can only be used in the morning. Kutch batik left natural dyes shifted to naphthol-based ones, but Shakil sticks to sustainable processes, he makes 12 shades of natural colours from indigo, rust iron, turmeric, pomegranate skin, madder and onion after he was trained at the Kala Raksha, in innovative ways. He gave life to Batik with new designs, artisans in Batik Kutch are Khatris, Kutchi-speaking Muslims. “Khatri didn’t give up block making, his gradations due to the layering is unmatched,” says Nath, who in 2018, made a line for the Sustainable fashion day in Spain with The Circular Project. “I am not a businesswoman, when Covid struck, I shut shop for two years,” she says. Providence gave her an amazing opportunity to learn from an incubator program for women entrepreneurs, NSRCEL, started by the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, in 2023. IIM (Bangalore) has partnered with Goldman Sachs, Capgemini and Maruti also. “I received helpful inputs on the financial aspects of running a business, for six months through the management institute. It was a learning to see where I belong, how to survive when you do slow fashion, meet investors, pitch in front of them,” she adds. Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) membership helped her figure out how small batches of hand-made can be exported to the US and the Middle-East. “I wanted to do something craft-based, but I am not a sustainability warrior,” she admits, as she worked with kala cotton, reducing carbon footprints with hand-made techniques. “I love crafts, bazaars, haats, seeing lots of stuff stacked up, and the beauty of Batik is that it is monotone, unique in so many wonderful ways,” she adds. Generally, she admits, Gujarat is often associated with colourful embroidery. “I did start with Ajrakh, but soon shifted to Batik, Kala cotton is not glamorous, but I know North Indians will be hesitant, but the Japanese will buy it at any price, as they know its value. When you can get a heavily embroidered piece for Rs 10,000 anywhere, why would anyone but pure, natural, plain fabrics? Many don’t realise the artistry,” she confesses. For LFWXFDCI, Nath has combined Batik with fabric cording, using khadi and kala cotton from Bengal, also paying homage to Kota Doria, adding delicate, subtle textures to create flowy shapes. Her love for patchwork, cutwork and quilting used in abundance can be seen, without serenading waist defining silhouettes, yet the line is young in appeal. “I would like to do B2B exports in the future —I know I have to build my capacity first,” she concludes.
CDC winner’s clothes with a conscience
Life took a turn for the better from seeing his grandfather’s dyeing unit polluting, to now only dealing with second hand garments, reconstructing them into new shapes, Ritwik Khanna, 25, of Rkive City is a force to reckon with. By Asmita Aggarwal This generation is something else—they really know what they want to do, and one thing is certain, they want to work for themselves. Thus, talking to the Amritsar-born Ritwik Khanna of Rkive City, only 25, was refreshing. He won the Circular Design Challenge in partnership with the United Nations and Rs 15 lakhs fund at the LFW x FDCI show His grandfather had a textile mill, the dyeing house, he noticed, no one ever really cared about the environment, the water was contaminated due to the chemicals dumped in it. At that time, he was not aware of its toxicity, it was not treated. The business shut down, his parents began weaving cashmere scarves, his earliest memory is of sitting on the shop floor packaging, as there were not enough employees for an SOS order. His mom used to run a children’s boutique, often dressed Ritwik in boys’ and girls’ clothes to show customers how it would look on their kids, his trips to Sadar Bazar to buy material were a lesson. As serendipity would have it —life took a 360 degree turn when he left to study fashion business management at FIT, New York. Though Mayo School, had exposed him to seven different types of uniforms he would change in a day to keep up with the strict regimen —in a way it was universalizing design. “Whatever I had grown up seeing, New York was different. I remember having a conversation with my roomie about fashion, when he suddenly stopped, and started talking to a random stranger on the road about his Supreme t-shirt. He knew the price, which year it was launched, graphics, its entire history. This took me by surprise, it was not my culture,” he laughs. He giggles and reveals his fashion was “USPA chinos”. At FIT everyone looked “cool”, they really dressed the part, and trying to keep up, all Khanna could afford was second-hand designer jeans. “In India we don’t like wearing ‘worn before’ stuff, in America it’s a classic trend. I saw the quality was good and began running a small business,” he shares. He would flip Comme des Garcons, Rick Owens second-hand stuff he would buy for almost nothing, and make a 300 percent profit selling it on eBay. He began rolling in moolah, accidently, he did not need the business degree he was already adept at. But he did come back, without completing his course. Covid hit, and education through a computer did not make sense, spending US $25,000. On his return, he visited second hand clothes collection centres in Panipat and Kandla Gujarat, and wondered what happens to torn, damaged clothes, discarded clothes—they are shipped to India. Panipat is known as the world’s “cast off capital”, tonnes of clothes come from UK, US, and other countries, from the port town of Kandla, Gujarat they are popularly known as “mutilated” clothing. Ritwik was alarmed at the kind of “stink that emerges from the factories”. “Only ten per cent of this is recycled, I decided to work with discarded waste, consumer textile, we were able to use old garments, and create something brand new,” he says. Though he does admit unlike in fashion where you get to choose the finest silks and dupions here you work with limitations, as there is no roll of fabric, or colours or any frills–just your imagination. He is happy in the last 22 months he has managed to make a small impact on the environment. His label questions existing supply chains, he is remanufacturing garments, he sorts out the garments at his factory—white shirts, camouflage, old jeans, then the processes begin—sanitising, reconstructing, it is an end-to-end solution, as a brand. “The hardest thing in garment upcycling is consistency, each piece is different, now two pieces are alike,” he says, adding, he elevates the androgynous ensembles with touches of hand embroidery, patchwork, applique, his power lies in the way he crafts them; they do not seem upcycled– he lets the natural fading persist. His brother, 21, has joined his business, he is the operations manager, a “Genius”, he calls him, both sons now don’t work with family business, and they hope to progress, even though they are bootstrapped. He says one day his dad will be proud of the work he is doing. “I know my North star, I know who I want to be,” he smiles, adding he is not a sustainability activist, and neither is he interested in putting anyone else down, to show what “good work is” but he is certainly in a league of his own. Why Rkive City because he will one day have a city that understands how important upcycling and recycling is, also why RKive as it is archival fashion that he is serenading—perfect moniker!