Sonam Dubal displayed a special collection with Bengal weavers to communicate the concept of craft preservation and recycling of textiles to the masses. By Divya Kaushik
At a time when there are exhibitions at every nook and corner in the city, this one is drawing crowd for its distinct display. Bags from Shantiniketan, kurtas and scarves with language prints inspired from Rabindra Sangeet and jewellery made from seeds. ladies flock around collections arranged at some distance in a huge room at Alliance Francaise. They talk in subdued tone but the surprise is easily visible on the faces. It is not often that they come across jewellery not made with beads and precious stones but the look-alikes, made from tree bark and other drops from the plants commonly found in Bengal. Greeting guests and making them aware of the elaborate kantha work on the silk stoles, saris and kurtas is fashion designer Sonam Dubal. We have known the designer to be working towards craft and textile revival since last more than 10 years, almost the time he made his foray into the fashion industry with his label Sanskar — an ideal title to define his design philosophy. An important part of his journey so far has been his association with Sasha, the organisation working towards developing craft communities so that their skill and creativity find expression and recognition. This exhibition is the result of the bond that he shares with the craftspersons from Sasha. “It has been 10 years that I have been working with the craftspersons there. I enjoy working with them and there is not much to make them learn. May be a little about the cut and design. For many of my collections showcased at the fashion weeks I have worked with them. This time we thought of coming up with a special line and hold an exhibition that introduces masses to the brilliant work that these craftspersons do. They use vegetable dyes, dhokra art, seeds and beans for their clothes and jewellery. We have worked on a winter line, so in the exhibition you will find lots of raw silk. There is a variety of kantha work, colours and patterns you will notice are completely different than what you usually find,” informs the designer.
Sonam says that apart from kantha, Bengal is known for its fabrics and textiles. “There is jamdaani, taant and so much of other craft and fabrics to be brought to light. When I started most of the designers were working towards a collection for the bridal market but over time the awareness and change have been there. Most of the young designers are working towards crafts revival in many regions of India and they realise that this is the treasure that we have. They are coming up with interesting ways to introduce people of that treasure,” says Sonam
Talking about the craftspersons e he has been working with he says that skills come to them as family legacy. But they only know about the traditional art, they need to be informed about the contemporary demands. They are also working with many export houses. “Some of them have very good aesthetic sense. You can take a look around the collection and notice that there are such unusual colour combinations and prints differ so widely. There are not only block prints but also leaf prints that look wonderful and are done with the help of a single leaf. They make their own colours sometimes from the marigold leaves, indigo, onion skin. Similarly, jewellery is made by things as simple as pumpkin and lauki (bottlegourd) seeds,” says the designer. Apart from saris, kurtas, scarves, jewellery, there are patchwork jackets and even some part of Sonam’s resort line collection.
As Sonam realises that documentation of crafts is as important as its revival he is soon planning to write a book and “I might also take inspiration from the tribal dhokra art, done in metal, for my collection.”