Young designers at IRW help revive rich textile heritage of India

The group of young designers at ‘India Runway Week 2016’ held at the Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi brought textiles like Ikkats, Block prints, Kantha prints, Madhubani and organic cotton to the ramp, showcasing them in the Indian, Western and casual wear.

In the current melange of high-street labels and fast fashion, the youngest fashion trade event witnessed the true essence of Indian textiles.

In the past few months, where all have seen a number of veteran designers showcasing “Make in India” or “textiles of India,” Season 6 of this fashion extravaganza had young designers exhibiting regional textiles.

Designers Prachi and Saloni used double Ikkat, Fine Silk and Chanderi, which had been woven in Gujarat in their collection. Designer Sailesh Singhania’s collection focused on the use of Ikkats, Kanjeevarams and Banarsi Organza’s. Sudhanshi Garg showcased textiles in the easiest possible form, keeping the current trends in mind. She used Chanderi, Murshidabad silk sourced from West Bengal and Tussar silk presenting shorts and tops.

Yosshita and Neha modified Kalamkari and had flower motifs all over. They used Khadi, linen as add on. Daksh by Lalita, Amit and Sandeep, through their collection Reja Nu tried to revive the traditional hand spun cotton yarn. Reja is directly processed from raw cotton. Mimathyma by Mamtaa Gupta showcased block prints with crochet. Her collection was all about crochet, Indian fabrics and block prints.

Merasal by Nanditha Ramesh showcased silk saris weaved by the artisans near Coimbatore. The saris were a true reflection of the culture of that region. Bohurupi by AbhishekRoy focuses on sustainability as all the colors used in the collection are naturally extracted from vegetables and flowers.
Banka Silk by Udayan, Rashmi and Devleena again presented the work of artisans of India. The collection was a mix of silk and cotton. Priyanka Munot’s collection was based on the culture of the villages of India, vibrant colors, mirror work, kadhai, phulkari and gotta patti. The collection had kedia tops and dhoti pants.

In the grand finale, Agnimitra Paul’s collection was a true tribute to the Indian weavers as it focused on madhubani, which is now almost negligible in India. Madhubani art and textiles need a serious revival and her collection showed how beautiful and enchanting India’s history and culture is.

The three-day show saw all these designers paying tribute to textiles through their collections.