Designers call for increased focus on Indian textiles

At a time when chiffon, georgette and tulle fabrics are a part of almost every wardrobe, ace designers such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Neeru Kumar want the fashion world to focus more on use of Indian textiles in order to preserve our heritage.

“Today, an Indian designer who chooses not to address Indian textiles, is a lost identity. Our foremost strength is our textiles, if you move away from it you have nothing to offer,” Mr Sabyasachi told PTI.

The Kolkata-based designer, who dabbles in natural fabrics like cotton, silk and khadi, is trying to revive the use of Jamdani muslin and preserve hand-block printing.

“We are working hard to revive the Jamdani muslin and Patan Patola, the rarest forms of textile in the country. We are also trying to preserve hand block-printing from Bengal,” said Mr Sabyasachi.

Another ace designer Ritu Kumar believes that Indian fabrics are the richest of all and they inspire her the most to create new designs.

“I have been associated with Indian textiles for a long time now, they are the richest and aesthetically strong. I am more inspired by our indigenous traditions than anything else. Indian cuts and silhouettes look good on our own fabrics,” said Ms Kumar.

The veteran designer is working on a Kanjeevaram revival project, pieces from which have been used in her new collection as shown at the ongoing Wills India Fashion Week.

Neeru Kumar, known as the textile guru, is apprehensive that weavers are becoming a rare commodity these days and Indians are losing out on an important asset. “Hand-weavers are now becoming rarer than they used to be in the days when I started. The situation will soon become like Japan where a hand-weaver is a studio artist, unlike in India where weaving is done in production. We shouldn't lose out on our asset,” said Ma Kumar, who has spent about 30 years in the industry working with Indian fabrics only.

The designer, whose client list includes Sonia Gandhi, Shabana Azmi and Hema Malini, thinks the solution to the problem lies in making the youth familiar with our native textiles.

“We have to make the younger generation aware of our past and heritage, so that they are able to carry it forward.”

Designer Pali from the Mona-Pali duo said India has much to offer in terms of woven fabrics and one doesn't need to look beyond the borders for either raw materials or inspiration.

“One's lifetime is not enough to explore all that India has to offer. Our handloom weaving is very rich and extremely popular all over the world,” she added.

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