Indian designers go green; revive old craftsmanship

27 Aug '12

5 min read

Going green is the new buzzword everywhere and this buzz is spreading in the Indian fashion industry as well. The designers are switching back to fabrics and methods that cause minimum damage to the environment. In the process, it also has helped in reviving traditional textiles and generating employment for the artisans in the remote areas of the country.

Fibre2fashion interviewed three young designers - Gaurang Shah, Deepika Govind and Agnimitra Paul - who are trying to bring back the glory of nature and traditional craftsmanship by adopting ways that are beneficial for both the environment and humankind. These designers spoke about sustainable fashion designing, the philosophy that drives them towards sustainable fashion designs, designers’ role in the league of giving back to the community and their unique sustainable designing initiatives.

Gaurang Shah

According to him, sustainable fashion is something which does not fade away, can create a rage due to its technical creativity and at the same time help in the revival of old craftsmanship. He says “Traditional clothes are always sustainable because it is related to the culture and tradition of a particular region, like kanjeevaram sarees are an indispensable part of South Indian marriages, whereas phulkaris are a must in Punjabi weddings. The trick lies in adding a new flavour to these fabrics to make them a hot favourite for even the younger generation so that the rituals do not die out.”

Mr. Gaurang has been successful in reviving the age old weaving and embroidery techniques and making them sustainable in the long run by keeping in mind the changing color preferences, choice of fabrics and the aesthetic appeal preferred by the youth. He suggests, “The old things only have to be offered, but with a different presentation in a different platter as per changing times. People would not even realise but ultimately end up following those trends if we give a twist to old weaving techniques.”

“We must always keep in mind the changing fashion trends and mould our creativity likewise to offer something new all the time in the already existing things which would never let the fashion fade away and that way neither we have to give up our priceless traditional methods nor our style and the mantra definitely lies in smartly gelling the two,” he avers.

Mr. Gaurang’s love for the irreplaceable and gorgeous Indian handwoven fabrics is the factor that drove him towards sustainable fashion designing. He states, “At a time when people took to wearing only chiffons, georgettes and nets, I still believed in the timelessness of handwoven stuff and have been successful to bring them back in vogue again and creating a rage for the stylishly crafted handwoven apparels.”

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