INDUS CREED

In a world where predictability is the ultimate casualty, and trend-less fashion is the norm, here are some ideas that provoke preferences that may prevail.

Difficult times don’t call for extravagant couture. Instead, it summons a design sensibility that is rooted, sustainable and also calm. 2021, (many are calling it the 202won) is a year that holds the promise of leading us out of the dark tunnel of a pandemic. Despite prevailing conditions, the vaccine does herald a promise of normalcy but not without altering perspectives and preferences. In such tough times, just like during the melt down of the 30s, what will prevail in industrious America (and I think the rest of the world as well) is diffusion and sustainable fashion—Slow, steady design, hand-made by local artisans that generates employment, and is linked to the earth and easy on bottomlines. Leading couture houses in Paris and Milan are already looking inwards. Dior has introduced a rounded silhouette, which I feel is their way of taking the edge off from life. Dolce & Gabanna are talking prints from the eclectic 90s and Balmain is bringing in vegetable fibres!

Indus Creed

But what truly gladdens my heart is the fact that even in such a scenario Indian crafts and its craftsmen will reign supreme. That India’s treasure of textures, embroideries and textiles will be the real hero to take international couture out of these troubled times. Not just because we are brilliant, but also because we represent an aesthetic that is bespoke, hand-made, natural and connected to the soil. For the last 15 years, I have worked with over 260 American brands and many of the haute couture houses based in Europe. Among the many worldwide clients we are privileged to work with are Giorgio Armani, Etro, Valentino, Ralph Lauren, Marchesa, Oscar De La Renta, Prabal Gusrung, J. Mendel, Creatures of the

Wind, Monique Lhuillier, Reem, Anna Sui, Adam Selman, Jonathan Simkhai, Jill Stuart. Inaddition to this, I have also created clothes for Broadway and dressed legends like Beyonce. My designs for Micheal Jackson’s ill fated Thriller tour, which never happened, are now archived at the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Indian craftsmen are the backbone of global fashion. In 2018, Valentino asked me to create a prototype of a dress using the Interasia knitting technique in India. I was able to get my kaarigars to master this technique and create it by hand. That winter the dress got incorporated into his couture collection. For yet another American designer, I created a dress sample that was very boho and applied Indian textural embroidery in a unique manner. That dress eventually found its way to Michelle Obama’s wardrobe. Our genius in design ingenuity is inimitable and our understanding of fit and form dates back to the era of the Maharajas. However, our contribution remains silent because most it goes unrepresented, which is what I would like—to present the great Indian design story before the world.

Although talking about trends in a post Covid world does seem anachronistic, but here are some thoughts on what may hold sway in fashion for this year.

Affordable design

Ostentatious designs are out of the window. Any show of wealth and opulence will be interpreted as insensitive in these times; tone-on-tone textures adapted for a feeling of responsible luxe.

Slow fashion

Hand made with love, woven by hands, crafted by master artisans—artisanal luxury will replace digital, machine and computer-generated design.

Employment-generating design

People will matter; craftsmen with talent even more so. Globally we will adapt to means of design that empowers people. So mill textiles will be supplemented with hand woven. Indian embroideries will be the crowning glory and more and more traditional techniques will evolve to modern sensibilities. The world is already using our hand-cut sequins, our mastery over textural embroidery, the tradition of tone-on-tone, beading, which the craftsmen from Avadh are famous for as well as cut work that is an evolved version as practiced and perfected in India. I can’t recall the number of times I have traced animal prints with sequins and thread for Italian ateliers. Or how often I have got Indian beaders to cover a sheath dress with their tonal beads or geometric designs.

Sustainable textiles

Cruelty-free silk, organic cotton, natural chiffons, vegetable dyes and fibres will finally find an expanding legion of support. Consumers will look to wear fashion that is conscious.

Calming influences

Calm colours, tonal embroideries, understated prints are primed to be popular. Having stared death in the face, survivors of the pandemic will relate to a more meditative, reflective look.