Gaurang Shah’s battle to preserve textile heritage
The designer spoke to tabloid! ahead of presenting his latest collection, Shringar, in Dubai today
The last few years has seen a resurgence in the Indian handloom industry and Indian designer Gaurang Shah was a forerunner of the movement along with other established names from the fashion design industry such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Manish Malhotra and Ritu Kumar. The Indian government is also now taking on the initiative to preserve indigenous art.
Shah, who counts celebrities such as Bollywood actresses Vidya Balan and Kirron Kher as ardent admirers, brings his latest collection, Shringar, at Taj Dubai, today. Before the exhibition, the designer will hold a fashion show with long-time collaborator Mira Sagar of Vaya where Balan was supposed to be the showstopper. However, on Friday Balan wrote on her Facebook page that she regretted she “will not be able to attend Gaurang’s events in Dubai and Hyderabad as I am down with dengue”.
Ahead of the show, Shah, who has taken khadi and other traditional weaves to the ramps of international fashion weeks, talked to
tabloid! about how he was lured by the “beauty of Indian textiles” at an early age and where it is now.
“Since the age of eight, [Indian textiles] became the first love of my life,” said Shah. “My fondness and admiration for the sari began [while] watching my mother wear exquisite absolute classics. My love for the six yards [of the sari] grew even further when I began visiting my father’s textile shop after my school as I found the sari quite mystic, with women draping them in different ways. I found that this is the only fashion piece which can capture the personality of a woman in a glorious fashion”.
Excerpts from the interview follow.
Shringar in English means adornment. What went into the creation of this collection?
Shringar is inspired by roots of Indian culture, it reflects the beauty and grace of a woman, [and is] perfectly designed to enhance her beauty that lies within using the jamdani weaving technique. This ensemble is a gamut of appealing colours, an amalgamation of diverse weaves and textile art of India, which befits the festivities. The canvas is a congregation of decadent lehngas, anarkalis, ghararas, kurtas, ijars and classic saris. Over a year went into creating detailed textile art, colours and textures that will make the woman [the] centre of fashion.
Tell us why you took up the weavers’ initiative and the challenges you faced initially, both
within the industry and with the workers.
What was lacking is the touch of modernity to Indian textiles, especially the sari. I strongly believed if we could bring new twists to sari using different colours, textures and borders it would bring back the love for the sari among fashionistas. Over the years women shifted to nets, georgettes and powerlooms. But I realised that if they were given options in handlooms they would embrace it.
I began my quest with a few weavers in Andhra Pradesh. It took me years to convince the weavers to try new things, to experiment and that it was the only way ahead to save handlooms. Today, I work with more than 700 weavers who support me with every creative vision that I have.
In 2012, I showcased my collection at Lakme Fashion Week, but it took me three years of continuous attempts to get through to the fashion week. They did not understand weaves and [their] subtle elegance. But they were taken aback when I showcased kanjeevarams on the ramp [because] no designer had done that. That season I went on to win the best designer award at the fashion week. It was a huge milestone for Indian handlooms on the fashion runway and to me as a designer. Now that it’s been a few years since you’ve been involved with the initiative, give us an estimate as to how much it has helped the weavers and helped growth in the Indian fashion industry. Also, you’ve earlier mentioned that your designs “challenge the weaver”. Tell us how and why. In 2010, I initiated the Jamdani
“If I give women variety, no matter what their origin or geographical placement, they will embrace it. GAURANG SHAH Designer
Weaves Wave with nature-inspired designs from different regions of India. Besides making significant economic impact in the villages of Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Bengal, what brings immense satisfaction to me is that the new generations of many weaving families, who were once very disillusioned by the hardships and lack of money, began to find great promise in the weaving business. They began to embrace the art with much more passion as it brought rich economic returns to them and to their family. I am glad my single-minded vision to make Indian weaves popular has paid rich dividends.
Master weavers from Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kolkata, Chennai, who collaborate with [the label] Gaurang say it motivates them and raises their creative bar each time I meets them with an intriguing design, texture or pattern. They feel I made them believe that handicraft will never fade as long as they can keep pace with the times without losing the essence of our culture and tradition, which is unparalleled world over.”
You’ve presented your collections at international fashion shows. How are indigenous Indian designs, textiles and weaves viewed internationally?
I strongly believe if I give women variety, no matter what their origin or geographical placement — in colours, motifs, techniques — they will embrace it. This has been the foundation of my creativity.
At the Berlin Fashion Week [in 2012] I showcased an eco-friendly collection of saris and off-shouldered dresses in khadi and cottons jamdani weaves in international silhouettes such as dresses, jumpsuits, kaftans, skirts and ponchos. For the Berlin Lavera Eco show we used fine khadi of 80 to 100 counts to make the khadi fabric malleable.
We presented a unique collection of vibrant floral blooms, birds, butterflies and foliage themes. Believe me, none of those were prints. Each pattern we created was meticulously woven, in a combination of colours. The fashion audience at the show were certainly in awe with Indian textiles as we presented a perfect balance of adaptable silhouettes.
They loved the offshouldered flowy dresses with anarkali cuts, layered tunics and short tops teamed up with dhoti-style pants. The khadi jumpsuit with floral patterns got special admiration.
You’ve managed to keep your collections intrinsically Indian, although with your last collection, Calico, we saw you take on some western inspiration, but, again your gowns are made of saris. Is that a conscious effort to keep your designs as Indian as possible? At the same time, how would you describe fusion fashion?
I am inspired by the immense creative possibilities the rich textiles and weaves of India offer to designers like me who think beyond conventions. Our country has so much to offer then why look outside as we haven’t even fathomed the depth of our traditional heritage textile and fashion culture. Indian textile design is my core strength and I love to explore its creative boundaries constantly. Though I do experiment in terms of silhouettes, colours and textures to make my clothes contemporary, the soul will always be Indian.
We also noticed pregnant women — Kareena Kapoor Khan, Carol Gracias — and barefooted women on the ramp at your shows. How would you describe the modern Indian woman and her taste in fashion?
The modern Indian woman is very comfortable in her skin. She does not shy away if she’s pregnant or barefooted and why should she be? It is a natural thing, and every phase of womanhood should be celebrated and that’s what I aim to do with my handwoven textile designs.
What is it that’s most important to you in your designs: glamour, wearability, comfort, durability or something else? And why.
It is the sentiment and the feeling that a textile evokes in the wearer’s mind that drives my design inspirations. For instance, I would love to create a sari that a mother can hand down to her daughter, a dupatta that a young daughter will play with and remind her of her mother’s wedding picture. For me, designs have to be inventive and possess timeless character. I also strongly believe every creation that comes from my creative stable has to be glamorous, wearable and add body comfort.
Where or what or whom do you take inspiration from?
My design inspirations are drawn from nature, history, heritage and tales from tiny Indian villages. The Taj Mahal, temple architecture, Panchatantra stories ... Take for instance my collection Samyukta, it was a collection inspired from the epic and dramatic love story of the 12th-century king Prithviraj Chauhan. The Calico collection gowns followed the silhouettes of the Belle Epoch period and Kalpavriksha, the wish-fulfilling divine tree in Hindu mythology was the inspiration.