East Is East
Soumodeep Dutta Label
Soumodeep Dutta, 30, debuted with the Young Fashion Awards segment in Lakme Fashion Week Spring Summer 2017. As a Bengali growing up in Dhanbad, the designer was not only inspired by traditional Bengali weaves and fabrics, but also of that of the neighbouring state, Odisha.
His most recent collection Aalo, meaning light, merges techniques and weaves from both states. The sambalpuri ikat of Orissa and fine handloom silks from Bengal as well as embroidery and Kantha from Bengal are the three forms of crafts seen on his clothing. The silk woven in Nadia is unique and woven specifically for his label. Fine silk by cotton or silk by silk weaves that are lightweight and feature between 100 to 120 counts, give the material a soft diaphanous organza like look. “But unlike organza, this material is handwoven and is not stiff,” says Dutta who is a graduate of National Institute Of Fashion Technology, Delhi. The colour palette is predominantly dark, with black red and grey dominating the scheme.
The silhouettes and motifs send out a spiritual message and are inspired by Buddhism. So there are a lot of unstitched drapes and toga-like dresses. “The garments are inspired from the age-old traditions of wearing a piece of cloth like antariya or uttariya or a sari. Most garments are draped with a single piece of cloth,” he says. The four leaf ikat motif on capes and jackets has been embroidered over with fine kantha techniques to look like a lotus. PRICE Rs 8,000 onwards EMAIL soumodeepduttadesigns@gmail.com / sduttanift@gmail.com