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The India of the eighties
finds her woman earthy, vibrant and colourful. The void that
existed in the Indian fashion scene has now been filled with the most
colourful traditions which were always a part of India but had got
lost under the onslaught of polyesters and chiffons from the east.
The seventies were faced
with a vacuum. The youth, harbingers of fashion, especially the
college students suddenly found that they had to look to the west for
inspiration as the Indian market had nothing to offer them. Fashion
was not a highly developed industry in India as it was in Europe. We
had to depend on our tailors to give us something interesting to
wear. Most tailors being unimaginative could not give us what we
were looking for – something different, something exciting. The
styles which were in fashion before independence were still going
strong. There were little variations here and there but the basic
style remained the same. Staid salwar kameezes or kutas with
churidars and the saree of course which never goes out of fashion,
dominated the scene.
Fed up with these
unimaginative styles and eager to make the best of her new-hound
liberation the Indian woman went back to her roots, to the villages
and brought back with her a range of ideas which could be
experimented with and materialized into beautiful traditional
garments. The magic, she and the rest of the country discovered, lay
in the fabrics and colours.
The country belles with
their free and uninhibited lifestyle inspired their counterparts in
the city. The heavy mirror-work ghagras (an ankle length
gathered skirt made of more than six yards of cloth) with khanijri
(backless longish blouse with half sleeves tied at the back with
strings) and odhni (long scarf) of vivid colours had for
centuries added life to the barren landscape of Gujarat and
Rajasthan, have now found a new meaning in the cities. The Kantha
work from Bengal, ikat from Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, chickankari
from Lucknow, old embroidery like zarodozi and of course the khadi
fabric, revived by Mahatma Gandhi during the days of pre-independence
and worn only by the patriots and freedom fighters, have suddenly
found a new lease of life.
Jaya Jaitley, who has
been closely associated with this revival scene for 11 years, recalls
the early days. She was then working for Gujarat was undergoing a
drought. Instead of giving the villagers alternate means of
employment the government decided to buy the quilts and garments they
had once made but had subsequently stopped due to the lack of a
market. These were sold in Delhi. Most of the pieces were old and
worn out but the response was promising. Jaya then went to the
villages to locate these craftsmen, to place orders and help revive
the dying crafts of the state. Jaya recalls how when she was touring
the villages she saw a woman wearing a bandhini odhni, she ran
after the woman to find out who made these odhnis. Today
these odhnis are a rage.
Soon the other states
caught on to the idea. The purpose was to revive the ancient skills
and create an interest in the Indian culture.
This effort culminated in
the Visvakarma festival in 1982 which was an attempt to discover
whether our textile heritage was still alive. To find the weavers
and printers who had once upon a time been an integral part of the
village economy. Visvakarma was an experiment in design development
throughout the country. Visvakarma II in 1985 saw the first sample
of a tanchoi fabric (handspun in Benaras) emerge with 80
clearly different design plots on the same fabric. A little known
jamdani from Andhra Pradesh called upada jamdani was
revived after a number of years with highly stylized patterns of
birds and water vessels.
Another interesting thing
was a zari warp with silk ikat weft on a 72 inches loom which had not
been attempted before. This was later converted into sarees. The
weaver producers in Puttapaka village in Andhra Pradesh had refused
to accept its viability. But once the spread was ready they started
interpreting cotton design with zari warp.
For the first time these
fabrics were used not only to make sarees but also to make garments.
India is today showing the world its rich traditions. The western
world can now see what the human hand can do to fabrics. Each weave
is different from the other and hence every garment made of hand
woven fabric is unique. This is where the beauty lies.
The modernity of the
fabrics is dependant upon the way they are used. While the weavers
are experimenting with designs the fashion designers are busy
experimenting with styles. The regional styles are being revived
now. The kurtas which were out in only one style can now be seen in
a number of styles. The kalidar kurtas, angarkhas, chuga style, abas
and the jama style. The blend of hand woven fabric and traditional
styles has produced a most exciting range of garments for the Indian
woman’s wardrobe.
Not only fabrics but also
embroidery like chikankari, zardozi and kantha work is being
experimented upon. The zardozi work that was earlier being done only
with gold or silver threads on silk is now being embroidered on
cotton, with colourful threads. A kurta of a pastel shade comes
alive with zardozi work on it or an ordinary kalidar kurta with
kantha work looks very eye-catching. Embroidered salwars which were
worn by the children in Gujarat are now being worn by adults. When
worn with a well cut kurta it looks very elegant. The scope is
unlimited.
Ghaghras are back in
fashion with an equally exciting range. It is no more just mirror
work. You can have mulmul ghaghras with leheria or bandhini work or
cotton chintz for casual wear. For evening wear you have a wide
variety of silks – bhagalpuri, moga pure silk with zardozi
(zardozi work is also being done on chiffon). Raw silk patola work
ghagras can be worn with blouses in pastel shades and bright odhnis
to give the dress a striking look. The mix and match is endless.
There has been very little change in the saree. It is complete in
itself and always had a lot of variety. The saree blouses are more
interesting now.
Fashion designers all
over the country are busy trying out the different permutations and
combinations in styles, colours and fabrics. The boutiques are doing
a commendable job in marketing these products and the women are more
ready to try out new fashions today than they were a decade ago. The
idea behind reviving the regional crafts was to keep these crafts
alive and provide employment to the craftsmen. Both these purposes
are being served to a certain extent by the boutiques and a trend has
been set in fashion. Some of the boutiques are producing authentic
stuff and have employed craftsmen from the villages. The other
outlets are the government emporias which sell authentic material and
at very reasonable prices. The boutiques on the other hand are much
more expensive but classy and the range is wider.  |
Fashion today is a
flourishing industry in India. Entrepreneurs and businessmen alike
have realized its potential. Experiments are on and one can look
forward to a still more exciting range of clothes in one’s
wardrobe.
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