Young Turks, who will grace the lakme Fashion Week, believe in quality products without ripping off the customer, says Chahak Mittal
The grammar of fashion is centered around cuts and sillhouettes but it is in the interplay of the additional and accessories that the newer designers are extending their vocabulary to.
And this will be displayed in its full splendour by The lakme Fashion Week’s 26th batch of Gen Next designers who are all on course to take flight from August 22 to 26.
Designers Kanika Sachdev and Neelanjan Ghosh (Jajaabor), Shweta Gupta (SWGT), Anurag Gupta (Anurag Gupta), Ajay Kumar Singh (AUR), and Yadvi Agarwal (Yavi) gather up to talk about how trends and styles have been changing in India as the country is increasingly opening its doors to global fashion styles to bring it into daily consciousness.
Stand-out moves
The young designers believe in different requirements to bring the “extraordinary” to the mainstream. Kanika emphasises on playing on the strength of the brand and says, “We believe every one of them has something ‘extraordinary’ in what they do. Some play with silhouettes, some with embroidery and surface ornamentation and some with prints.” She points out that balancing things in the right measure and coming up with constant innovations are the key ingredients.
Shweta, for instance, works with ancient hand-weaving techniques and says, “We are trying to incorporate the age-old techniques of hand-weaving from small clusters to the marketplace in an evolved avatar which appeals to the current consumer as they feel a connect.”
For Yadvi, it is “imagination and honesty,” that is the key. Ajay believes in taking risks and feels that opportunities like fashion weeks can take a designer to dizzying heights.
Anurag is all for good old-fashioned hard-work. “I think I am never satisfied with my work which forces me to push myself more,” he says.
Innovations galore
While designers agree that India is increasingly heading towards accepting new and global fashion trends, Singh thinks that there is still room for the Indian fabrics to improve. “Indian fabrics have innovated, still a lot of progress is needed in this space,” says Singh.
Anurag believes that “People are realizing the value of traditional textiles and the people working behind it.”
The two designers believe that Indian fabrics were working out for the Indian consumers while Shweta finds innovation in the way the consumers were keeping themselves abreast of the trends in the market. She says, “With increased accessibility to information, the consumer is more aware and conscious of the trends. At the same time, they are more oriented towards an amalgamation of indigenous techniques and modern styles.”
Sachdev, on the other hand, is all for progress and development in the sphere. She says, “The world of fashion, especially in India, is now exposed to a wide variety of new techniques and presentation. There’s a lot of awareness among young designers about reviving the traditional Indian fabrics and at the same time there is a whole new approach in treating them with both traditional craftsmanship and modern techniques so that they are better suited to global platform. This has been like a breath of fresh air and it seems to bring the concept of ‘Indian Modern’ alive,” she added.
On the other hand, Yadvi believes that the new innovation is in the people’s fearless mindset, which gets reflected in their designs as well.
Global Indian
Designers are working towards blending Indian and western trends while keeping in mind the Indian fashion aesthetics and styles. Yadvi Agarwal says, “A bit of tweaking of colour and silhouettes is all that is needed to blend the Indian and the western.”
While designers mix and match the silhouettes, try different colour and fabrics to blend different styles, Anurag believes in the pre-existing traditional Indian designs and follows them tirelessly. He says, “Indian garments have their own beauty just like western wear. I never mix up both of them but I love our traditional techniques and hence, add them in my collection.”
Understanding the complexities and differences of Indian body types, Shweta follows a very structured approach towards her designing. She says, “I work on my patterns and shapes extensively as I have realised that the Indian body is uniquely diverse and different from not only the western body, but also from th bodies within its geographical boundaries.” She follows a combination of strong patterns and revived handloom and hand-made techniques to achieve the desired result. She also uses what can be described as a fabric-friendly approach. She says, “We weave our own fabric, which is pattern-engineered at the weaving stage for certain outfits, which results in production and design efficiencies with lesser fabric waste.”
Kanika and Neelanjan’s approach to fashion is reflected in the name of their label ‘Jajaabor’ as well. She says, “We pursue a nomadic philosophy of not being bound by any philosophical, cultural or fashion borders specific to a certain country. We don’t understand terms like “Indian”, “Western”, “Indo-Western”, “Fusion” or “Ethnic”. Fashion, like music, should have no language. It should be global.” They believe in a design philosophy that gathers inspiration from their travels and create timeless, classic and relaxed apparels, in an effort to initiate a free flowing cultural exchange of textiles, techniques and silhouettes to create “global” fashion.
While Kanika feels fortunate to be exposed to a “treasure trove of textiles and craftsmanship” which is available in the country as a ready manual, Ajay is appreciative of the changes in the Indian fashion industry. He said, “Indian fashion is in a transitional phase where the buyer is aware of what they wear, so it (the blend) is already happening.”
What we lack...
Even though India has been openly welcoming global fashion and bringing about a change in their daily attire and fashion consciousness, what is lackingIJ The designers do not agree about the demands and requirements of the fashion industry.
Appreciating the rich Indian heritage and diversity, Anurag believes in the completeness of what Indian fashion has to offer and says that nothing more is needed.
“Our heritage textiles and embellishments are vast and have a huge history connected to our clothing, be it weaving, or embroidery. Yet, we follow international trends for our inspiration, which is not necessary,” he added.
Shweta believes that Indian fashion is work-in-progress. She says, “Indian fashion market is evolving every day and platforms like Gen Next lakme Fashion Week bring out unique talents from the corners of this diverse land.”
However Kanika was quick to point out a lacunae in the system as there is a lack of proper fashion journalism in the country, “It is still considered a piece of entertainment for most people.”
While technology is at a high in the country with Indian business scaling new heights at global level, Ajay feels the need for some fashion initiatives. He said, “There is a lack of support for new innovative business in the fashion space.”
Struggles of launching a new label
Should I start my own brand or join an existing established oneIJ But what if I don’t get as much recognition as I wantIJ What would happen if I invest my time and money into something that eventually doesn’t work outIJ The anxieties related to fashion are many and also very specific to the industry.
While Anurag agrees that it is an uneasy struggle, Shweta, who came up with the idea of launching her label two years ago, believes that had it not been for lFW, she wouldn’t have had been able to conceive of the idea of SWGT which she intends, to make into a mindful brand.
While Yadvi and Kanika didn’t face as much struggles, they say the challenges are multifold after the launch. The hardship that goes into “preparing”, “getting the garments ready in time,” “creating a strong design philosophy,” “communicating what the brand stands for” is the real uphill climb.
Pricing your work
One often wonders how the designers price their products as there are other equally wonderful creators in the market. Most of them agree that pricing is not as important as the quality and standards of the product.
Kanika on the other hand says, “Designers don’t wish to be known in the industry as sophisticated con men. As a brand, we believe that in the present day scenario, consumers are more aware and exposed to the world of fashion because the electronic and social media is now deeply involved in it. Our consumers believe in thoughtful acquisitions at a right price which they would cherish for life. We, as individual and consumers too believe in creating the product and pricing it right so as to make it worth of every penny,” she adds.