t a time when the populace is buried in a sea of chiffon, georgette and bling, it's back to roots for city-based designers who are now working with AP weaves and motifs
The runways at various Fashion Weeks across the country may be teeming with models parading couture in fabrics like chiffon and georgette, but cut to mana city and the scene is a little different. Local designers are embracing all things Andhra with a vengeance!
Couture that comes with a Hyderabad label is often born straight out of the local weavers' loom and city designers confess that they'd never look beyond their backyard for both inspiration and raw material because our state has a wealth of weaves, prints and traditional techniques that's ready for national, if not global, attention.
Andhra weaves are being celebrated and how! Sample this: City designer Shravan's latest collection, aptly called 'an Ode to the Weaves and Weavers of AP' features the entire gamut of weaves from Andhra Pradesh. Shashikant Naidu recently created waves at the Lakme Fashion Week with his khadi and kalamkari outfits that celebrated the local yarn and craft. Asmita Marwa dresses up people from all over the country in bright, happy, soda-pop versions of fabrics, weaves and prints that are native to AP. Ganesh Nallari has been working extensively on the ikkats of the region, giving it a new twist each time. In a fashion market where nothing sells better than bridal couture — laden with heavy zardozi, velvets and brocade —Hyderabad's designers have chosen to showcase and revive the rich tradition of hand-woven fabric and motifs of the state.
Threading it together
Andhra Pradesh has a huge treasure trove of traditional handloom, which is exquisite and unique, yet grossly under-explored. In a bid to stand out from the fashion elite and revive the arts, designers have taken to dipping into the motifs and handlooms of the state.
Having recently showcased at the LFW, designer Shashikant Naidu is a self-confessed lover of everything AP when it comes to fashion. "This year at the Fashion Week, I showcased in the category of Indian designers promoting Indian textile. My line extensively used khadi, ikkat and kalamkari. People are generally of the view that khadi is boring. But my job as a designer was to take it to another level and make it commercially viable for the buyer. And that's what I did by fusing khadi and kalamkari, while embellishing it with jewelry used by the Lambada tribe of Andhra Pradesh," says Naidu. Making a name for herself by extensively using kalamkari in her work, designer Asmita Marwa feels a huge sense of pride in showcasing the rich weaving heritage of the state in her ensembles. "I owe my popularity to kalamkari. It was my line at the Fashion Week, where I showcased this ancient fabric art, that got me recognition. People were of the view that the hand-printed cotton textile is blah, because traditionally the colors used were dull and subdued, like beige and browns. But I gave it a modern and contemporary twist by using hues like indigo and green and that's when the perception changed. I used the simple motif of Shiva and Parvati on a dress and it became fashionable," says the designer. Designer Ganesh Nallari too, uses the ikkat design in a contemporary way on his clothes. "I've used the Pochampalli ikkat, but in bold geometric designs. As a designer, my job is to make the ikkat print look different every time I use it. It's a very unique motif and the image is distorted. So, there is a lot one can do with it," explains Nallari.
Meanwhile, Asmita too is working on the ikkat motif. "I've taken the contemporary path with the traditional fabric and motifs and used them on jackets and dresses to give it a twist," explains the designer.
Back to the arts
The revival of the state handloom has seen a resurgence of sorts among weavers and dyers who were slowly giving up the craft to try other means of livelihood. "There was a time when the entire family of weavers and artistes would work together. But over the years, they began to look for other means of livelihood. thanks to the ressurection of prints like the kalamkari however, artistes are now coming back to the fold and reviving the art," says Shashikant. Shravan too voices a similar opinion, saying, "Because of the fashion industry, village artisans now have a livelihood. For instance, I've used weaves like the Guntur checks and Puttapaka where artisans originally earn `400 to `500 per weave. Once converted to couture, the prices rise significantly and boosts their market value."
Marketing mantra
"The market for AP handloom is growing. People have now become aware of the beauty of traditional handloom and are flocking to own a piece," says designer Shravan. Asmita is of the view that celebrity endorsement has seen a new-found love among fashionistas for handloom. "Strong and independent women like Amala Akkineni and Adhuna Akhtar wear my outfits and that in turn has helped in making the weaves and motifs of AP popular," confesses Asmita. "Today, I have people from all over the country coming to my studio to 'own a piece of AP' and that makes me extremely proud," she adds. The designers confess that the client-base is growing not just nationally, but internationally as well. "There are a lot of NRIs who love AP weaves and swear by them," says Naidu. The love for AP handloom is not restricted to the city alone. Delhi-based designer Madhu Jain, whose clientele boasts of names like Maneka Gandhi, visits the state to get work done by local artisans. Known in the fashion world for her contribution in revival of Indian techniques and weaves like kalamkari, kantha, ikkat, among others, Jain has been working with weavers of AP for over two decades now. The designer who travelled to the interiors of remote villages in AP recently to scout for new talent among the local craftsmen and weavers, was quoted as saying, "There are very few weavers left in the country. Their wages are less and there are too many middlemen involved. So they are increasingly giving up on their traditional livelihood of weaving and moving on to other lucrative earning options."
But with the younger lot of designers patronizing local weaves, the future is surely shifting from bleak to 'happily ever after'.
Must-have weaves in your wardrobe this season
-Puttapaka
-Guntur Checks
-Venkatagiri
-Patturi
-Gadwal
-Dharmavaram
-Madhavaram
-Narayan Peth
Designer Shravan says, "I've been in love with AP handlooms since I was a teen and the love story continues. My latest line is an ode to the weaves from the region." People are often of the view that handloom is 'flat', and as a result the use of handloom yarns has declined over the years with chiffon and georgette gaining precedence. But Shravan begs to differ. "truth is that the handloom from the state is bright and colorful. Where else can you find colors like the copper suphate blue of the Mangalgiri? Nowhere. I've used a combination of various weaves like Mangalgiri, Pochampalli, Venkatgiri, etc., to make gowns and resort-wear, apart from saris," he says, adding that he plans to take local weaves to fashion weeks across the globe.
