Gingham style has emerged as the hot trend for Spring/Summer 2015 from international runways where designers like Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors used it in shirts and baby doll dresses. Back home, we have designers working with the pattern inikat and chanderi
From Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors of the world to our desi designers who are known for their non-conventional outlook, every one seems to be in awe of gingham. Gingham is a woven-linen or cotton cloth which originally had bright coloured stripes but today we know gingham for its check or plaid pattern. The gridlock pattern has been a fashion staple and we have had international icons flaunting it from as early as the 1960s.
It is believed that the fabric was manufactured in Dutch-colonised Malaysia and Indonesia and also in India. It was exported to Europe in the 17th century and later to the USA. Gingham is derived from the Malaysian word genggang meaning ‘striped’ and adopted by the Dutch. In India, gingham is the print derived from gumchha. It is believed in Japan that the gingham pattern has spiritual symbolism. The fabric was used to wrap around statues when a child had died.
The international runways showcasing the Spring/Summer trends for 2015 have been blooming with gingham prints. If one scans through the ramp shots of the New York fashion week last year one would be amazed by how interestingly the pattern has been used in oversized shirt dresses with a front slit, the baby doll dresses infused with bold splashes of pink and canary yellow and short tunic dresses by designers like Joseph Altuzarra, Diane Von Fustenberg and Michael Kors. Back home, we have designers like Aneeth Arora, who has been using gingham generously in her collections.
The designer shares, “I have been using gingham since my first collection. When I was studying costume, I got an understanding of its use in ancient Indian textiles for lining silhouettes or patchwork. What got me intrigued was how ginghams was used in the earlier times. I got to know while weaving, check is the easiest thing to make. It’s a crisp work of warp and weft.
That was the first pattern that the textile makers achieved. People have been using check in their clothing in different forms, be it as lining or Scottish checks. My challenge is to get the pattern in different traditional textiles like in chanderi orikat. I have got people from different parts of the world to interpret gingham in their own way. I have experimented with gingham in wool and pashmina,” says Aneeth.
Nachiket Barve’s collection boasts of gingham pattern and he agrees that it will be the ruling print for the spring this year. But all these designers are adding their own twist to it to present the check in a new avatar and in a different silhouette.
Gingham has progressed from being part of those cute, picnic frocks to smart shirt dresses and tailored suits. Even for accessories, gingham checks are really cool. leather hats in gingham have been quite a hit. Even it is a small patch in garment, it draws attention and merges well with whatever you are put on.
“There’s a lot one can do with this basic pattern. This spring season, you can go gingham of various sizes and colours. We have worked with neon green and white check superimposed with fuschia and off white check. The white can be uniform throughout while the checks can keep changing,” says Arora.
Tartans have been central to Swapnil Shinde’s creations. “It’s classic and never goes out of fashion. Gingham and tartans have been huge internationally also. When I introduced tartans in my collection in 2009, a lot of designers started following me,” says Shinde. But here is a word of caution. “One must not over do it or over play it.”
Shinde informs that he has been getting orders for gingham skirts. “Instead of tweaks or hardcore menswear fabric, I prefer digitally printing them on chiffons, georgettes for more fluidity. I am interplaying with gingham collars and leather jackets,” he says.
(inputs Karan Bhardwaj)