Day Two of Lakme Fashion Week’s Winter-Festive 2015 was Indian Handloom and Textiles Day and saw Ritu Kumar, India’s most well-known textile revivalist, exhibiting her “Varanasi Weaves” collection, while Anita Dongre stunned with her Grassroot collection. The legendary Kumar’s initiative to honour Benarasi weavers was supported by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India to revive the handloom weaving art form in Varanasi.
Ritu Kumar:
Kumar brought back the glory of classic motifs like Badami, Kairi, Shikargah and floral bootis in her designs in luxurious lehengas and saris, kurtas and gowns. From white-on-white hand-cut Jamdani Benarasi work with gold highlights on sheer and opaque weaves, to Benarasi weaves in peacock hues and soft pastels, to the saris paired with corsets and long-sleeved velvet cholis and halters, it was a heady display of the endless wonders of Indian textiles with Kumar’s ingenious creative form at its best, alongside 50 master craftsmen who actualized her designs. The models wore their hair in side French braids, and wore Kashmiri caps over that, walking down in garments that looked like revivalist Indian art in motion, adding a crispness to the otherwise all-Indian attire.
The front row had exemplary designers Rohit Bal and Wendell Rodricks applauding her work as olde-world Bollywood tracks — think Saiyyan Dil Mein Aana and Shaam Dhale Tum Seeti Bajana Chhod Do — added to the revival of the weaves from the ghats of Benares by the Ganges. “The aim of the show is to bring the fabulous tradition of gold and silver weaving in Benares back into the mainstream flow of fashion. The old holy city is not only the most ancient of all cities, the weaves of Benares are the only surviving textiles in the world where the skills of the master weavers create handlooms, which are the true statement of the bespoke garment. These weaves and textiles are the most haute couture of all with a strong aesthetic statement of “Make in India”. Benaras weaves are almost like a monument worth preserving, like none other in the world,” said Kumar, a Padma Shri awardee, of her exquisite line. Her collection was a bridge between what is available now in Varanasi and what it could move into by going back to its original, authentic and legendary repertoire. More importantly, its primary focus was on not losing the legitimate legacy of the handloom that has been invaded by the mechanized mass-produced products in the fashion business.
Bollywood star Aditi Rao Hydari wore a pink brocade sari, choli and a gold churidar as she walked as Kumar’s showstopper, but it was the master weavers of Benaras, who took a bow with Kumar on the ramp that got a standing ovation at the show, in addition to the stellar collection.
Anita Dongre:
The designer showcased her new line, Grassroot with a breathtaking show that opened with models walking out in pristine white crop tops paired with samurai pants — contemporary chic, quintessentially Dongre’s forte.
Visuals of an abandoned, enchanted forest on the giant screen behind emphasized her belief in slow living and sustainability, especially when it comes to the arts and crafts of India. Dongre’s Grassroot line was in earthy hues such as rust and indigo, stark black and white ensembles in easy fabrics like crushed cotton, khadi and linens and Bhagalpur silks with Ahir embroidery from Gujarat, ikat from Karnataka and Hyderabad, Gotta Patti from Rajasthan, Benarasi weaves, Warli and hand-block prints that added to the appealing silhouettes of the clothes in varied Indian and Western styles. The line had it all — tunics, summer frocks, jackets, gowns, shift dresses, skirts, slit-sleeve capes, ponchos, kurtas, boleros, maxis and sharp suits — all handmade and hand-dyed and worked on by artisans from the various states of India.
The Grassroot line is Dongre’s tribute to the rich history of India’s ancient and dying crafts. It’s an attempt to make Indian villages self-sustainable to minimize the migratory patterns to bigger cities and she has collaborated with a network of NGOs to revive and sustain the dying crafts and weaving traditions of India and to empower artisans further with fair wages and better livelihoods. Her brand philosophy of Revive. Sustain. Empower. resonated in the line she exhibited on Thursday night in Mumbai. A Grassroot store is open on Linking Road in Bandra, Mumbai, and another is set to open in the first week of September on Altamount Road, in conjunction with fashion connoisseur Sangita Kathiwada of the eclectic Melange store.
Shabana Azmi looked red haute in an ensemble that she’d put together herself after Dongre sent her a black jacket from her line. “I have come straight from Khandala and this red dupatta I’m wearing is actually a Rs250 sari I bought off the street in Khandala. Doesn’t it look great?” said Azmi proudly of her last-minute styling prowess.
Dongre walked the ramp with 26 master craftswomen from Gujarat she’d invited, to a standing ovation. Trust Dongre to go with not one, but 26 showstoppers — all of them brilliantly talented ladies, not to mention Dongre herself.
— Rubina A. Khan is a Mumbai-based writer.
