Haute Handloom, Khadi Couture: How Fashion Industry Is Giving Edgy Twist To Age-old Traditions

It was a common sight outside most metropolitan malls—the swish set emerging with dozens of bags dangling from their wrists. Their attire and their shopping haul proclaimed the recognisable logos of international brands that sell the same dresses and shirts across the world, whether in Mumbai or Madrid, fresh out of factories in Bangladesh or Vietnam. This hamster wheel of fast fashion and international supply chains, however, has come to a jarring halt after the pandemic. Now, with the prime minister’s call to be “vocal for local”, the fashion industry has taken a renewed interest in Indian handloom, often giving an edgy twist to age-old traditions.

Paromita Banerjee, a designer from Calcutta, says, “My label only works with hand-made weaves as the base fabric for all our collections. But instead of doing a traditional backdrop, we contemporise the weaves and make them globally relevant. For example, we use the Bengali jamdani in almost all our collections. It originates from Dhaka and is one of the oldest-known weaves in India. But instead of using the jamdani in the traditional way, we use a contemporary version. We keep the context of the craft, but change the concept.”

The kaleidoscopic colours and intricate patterns of Indian weaves have enormous appeal, but might come across as jarring or over the top for someone attuned to Western sensibilities. So, designers try to tone down traditional patterns or rework the colour combinations for a more global appeal. Paromita melds the riotous patterns of Indian handloom with Japanese minimalist aesthetics in her designs.

Designer Rina Singh uses plenty of Banarasi weaves in her collections. Her current favourites, though, are ikat and jamdani. “I like experimenting with traditional textiles,” she says. “I alter them to play with silhouettes that can be worn with equal ease in the streets of Paris as well as Hyderabad. I also change motifs so that they appeal to a global audience. I make my own patterns and turn them into block prints.”

Black-and-orange Jamdani dress by Paromita

At the Lakme Fashion Week 2020, she worked on the ikat weave in collaboration with the Telangana State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society to showcase the handloom clusters of Narayanpet, Mahadevpura and Pochampally. The collaboration presented traditional textiles from Telangana in a new light.

She used a slow production workflow for the embroidery, manufacturing and finishing of the garments at her studio factory in Gurgaon to minimise waste.

The fascination for the local, however, is not just a transient trend. There have been designers who have always championed Indian weaves. Ritu Kumar is a notable example—she has incorporated block printing in her designs for years. “When I started, I was lost in a desert,” she says about her engagement with indigenous weaves. “Many of us travelled across the country and came back with these fabulous textiles. The government encouraged it. I am happy that our generation and even the present generation understands and appreciates the beauty of our traditional weaves.”

About 95 per cent of hand-woven fabric in the world comes from India. The unique legacies, nurtured over generations, cannot be replicated with machines. This distinctiveness inspires Indian designers to work with traditional weaves. Besides, in an industry of quick fixes and turnarounds, a painstaking design made with one’s hands for months or even years is sheer luxury. “With machines fast replacing the human hand, Indian weaves are becoming even more valuable. They deserve the tag of handmade luxury,” says Paromita.

It would be inaccurate to see traditional weavers as a monolith. There is a mind-boggling diversity, with different regions making unique contributions. Although the richness is under threat from the homogenising forces of globalisation, the weaves’ use in haute couture ensures they stand their ground among the countless fashion choices consumers have access to.

Designer duo Abraham and Thakore incorporates this rich diversity of weaves in their collections. “We use ikat from Telangana, Maheshwar and Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh, jamdani from Bengal, tussar silk from Bihar and bandhani from Kutch for our collection,” they say.

Mangalgiri check tunic by Paromita

With the spotlight on migrant labourers during the lockdown, there is also the realisation that many weavers have had to leave their traditional professions and take up odd jobs in cities. Designer Karishma Sahani Khan says, “It is important to allow people to work in their hometowns so that the fashion industry can promote entrepreneurship across the country and encourage people to take up the profession in places where weaving is languishing.”

According to the Fourth All India Handloom Census 2019-2020, 35 lakh households work in the handloom industry. Most of them live in rural areas. Roughly half of them engage in it full-time. About 70 per cent of them work independently, while others are associated with a master weaver, state handloom boards, Khadi & Village Industries Commission or cooperative societies. Despite the rich tradition, handloom workers have meagre incomes. More than 67 per cent earn less than Rs 5,000 a month and about 26 per cent earn between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000.

In this bleak scenario, the fashion world adopting indigenous weaves on a large scale could provide a much-needed thrust to the industry. Haute couture, one hopes, will tightly embrace khadi and make its bristly fibres stand out on lettuce hems and yokes.