Sustainability is the byword for designer Amit Aggarwal, says Saimi Sattar
His mother still has the sketches of outfits that he drew as a six-year-old. And that is despite the fact that designer Amit Aggarwal was surrounded by a housefull which consisted primarily of scientists and mathematicians who did not have anything to remotely do with design or fashion. “My father was a workaholic so I hardly saw him when I was growing up. There were always sketches lying around the house. My mother wanted me to be a doctor and my father wanted me to be an engineer. My brother is a Ph.D in sound electronics. I was always mesmerised by maths and science and topped the subjects in my boards. But my heart was in fashion. Being an 80s child, my parents felt that this discipline would need a lot of money and had no guarantee of success.”
But childhood influences do not die an easy death. So mathematical patterns and biological forms take precedence and find a resonance in his collections. Showcasing for the first time in the India Couture Week in New Delhi, the designer’s collection, Crystalis (deriving inspiration from crystals and chrysalis), looks at biological forms and understands the mathematics behind them. “We were looking at how they can become an inspiration for us. Bio-mimicry is an important aspect of what we do. This time around we were looking at two biological formations. One was how a crystal is formed in a very mathematical and organic way when a certain number of molecules comes together and forms a pattern. This happens a million times before it gives the crystal its shape and shine. At the same time I looked at the formation which was more analytical and mathematical. The second thing we looked at was the formation of a chrysalis, which is the cocoon before a butterfly is formed. This too is an organic development because the thread keeps revolving around the pupa to form a cocoon,” says Aggarwal, breaking down the seemingly complicated process with ease. His collection has the same gossamer feel or translucence as a chrysalis which is enhanced further by the collaboration with Tanira Sethi’s cashmere laces woven in France.
Aggarwal has taken two diametrically important aspects of Indian silhouette construction and fused them. “The sari is a very organically draped outfit while the lehenga, the Indian skirt, is a constructed outfit. The two have been morphed together to create a new language. So there is a sari with a lot of construction which is combined with lehenga —something which a lot of designers have explored. But what makes ours different is that we have radically changed the feel of what the dupatta looks like.”
Aggarwal is cutting edge in the use of materials. It is impossible not to talk about his preoccupation or affinity to plastics which makes him one of the foremost designers in the country whose work echoes the message of sustainability. He says, “My understanding is that we live in a modern day and age where we are always on the brink of advancement and assign technology a key role in our future. The understanding of our culture or where we come from and modernity are two important aspects of survival and future growth. So a lot of products in our clothes use traditional embroidery but we have changed the material where it resonates with the by-product of industry or certain leftovers.” He points out that PVC pollutes the environment when it is dumped. “As a couture material, it actually elongates the life of the product unlike say a plastic bag which is detrimental to the environment because it is used once and dumped. So when one is using recycled PVC in a couture garment, it would not be thrown away after a single use.”
What of comfort and wearabilityIJ Pat comes the reply from Aggarwal, “The same question can be asked of any couture brand in the country which has layers and layers of nakshi, dabka or sequins which are made of metals and plastic. It is layers of plastic that you are wearing!” He also points out that as a designer he understands how to craft a garment. “It is also about understanding the body. There are body parts which need to breathe and have to be comfortable and at the same time there can be others which can do with structuring. The job of a designer is to understand the comfort factor,” he says.
The bigger challenge is reinterpreting traditional craftsmanship. “The big battle is understanding craftsmanship in a modern way. The challenge is to train a skilled craftsmen to actually unshackle their traditional ideas and explore the new age material in their traditional workmanship. I use polymer sheets with traditional embroidery which is contemporised with new age materials. This completely changes the parlance and the language which is very important to bring about in the collection,” he says. But in his mission, Aggarwal has been lucky to have a consistent team. And he acknowledges them as much. “Every season we try and use materials in a very radical and different way and this has been an interesting learning experience for the team.”
The designer has managed to grab quite a few eyeballs at home and abroad. He reasons his acceptability: “When I started out, workmanship for an international clientele was zardozi, dabka or nakshi but there has been a paradigm shift in the last two years. Now, the emphasis has shifted to silhouettes, draping and moulding on body. This, in fact, is a far more painstaking process than having six yards of embroidery,” says the designer who grew up in Mumbai but calls Delhi home now.
Aggarwal decided to take admission in the National Institute of Fashion Technology, prodded by a cousin who was already studying there. “I instantly fell in love with the city. I was raised in a match box in Mumbai. The minute I came here and started finding my ground, I was happy with the space I could live in. I loved the whole idea of a terrace garden, trees and parks,” he says. Interestingly, while growing up Aggarwal was into Disney characters and loved Chip n’ Dale. “I didn’t think that squirrels could be a part of my daily life,” he tells us.
Ask him about his favourite hangouts in the city and he will tell you that he prefers to stay at home, listening to music and watching sci fi movies. “I often work till 2 am. Then I spend time with my two dogs.” But Mumbai, he feels, has a better work culture. “In Mumbai, it is honest and clean. If something cannot happen, Mumbaikars will let you know well in advance. Moreover, overall there is more respect towards human life and mankind in Mumbai,” he confides.
Besides shifting cities, he has explored the world and imbibed life lessons from different places. “Travel widens your horizon as you can detach yourself and learn to appreciate other cultures.” He was 19 when he stayed with a Japanese family for 15 days. “I could see things differently. So now, when I design clothes, I look at my work from the perspective of someone who is a world traveller and focus on a range that is timeless and beyond borders. I understand that 30 years down the line my clothes could be handed down to a daughter or grand-daughter. My clothes, therefore, should answer to the basic question, ‘where on earth can I not wear itIJ’ They may probably end up going to the moon or Mars, where they will find perfect resonance with the structuring,” he says.
He has also worked with couturiers Seredin and Vasiliev in Russia where he learnt not to let go of anything half done. Back home Aggarwal also apprenticed with Tarun Tahiliani where he imbibed the lesson of having a vision. “He was never perplexed, irritable or confused. He was always laughing and joking. The process of making clothes was so ingrained in the system that it really did not offset him ever,” he says.
But if you ask Aggarwal whether he has made the lesson a part of his system, he laughs. “Had you called me 20 minutes before, you would have found me a different person who had the pressure of the show.” But then he has understood that the pressure and confusion would always be there because the trade does not have a formula. For this, he gets on board people unconnected to the fashion world and gets their opinions. “There is an architect or a computer programmer who sees so much math in my designs that he goes bonkers calculating how the pattern travels from one end to become larger. Any creation needs to be looked at from different angles as beauty is undefinable.”
Aggarwal says that there has been a paradigm shift in what women wear, an understanding that has changed the grammar of bridal outfits. It is no longer overpowering. “The new generation understands that Rihanna or Kylie Klaus wear something outrageous to make a statement on social media. Young girls understand what needs to be worn at a wedding and within the solemnity of the occasion are experimenting with silhouettes, colours and even jewellery,” he says.
Aggarwal defines his women clients as “strong, independent, individualistic and self-made persons. A woman might or might not come from money. She knows her choices and her own standing as a person. She doesn’t want to always make choices out of pressure. Even if it is her wedding, she would not detach the outfit from who she is as a person. And 20 years down the line she can look at the same imagery and say that it was my wedding and I had a blast. I understand the beauty of fallibility. I make clothes that would make someone feel beautiful. That has probably added to my learning and made me a mature designer.”
It is women who have taught him to sweep across the colour palette, going for bolder choices. Aggarwal is still the student of his surroundings. As he was at age six.