Amazon India Fashion Week hosted the grand finale with a modern take on the Banarasi weaves. There were 16 designers showcasing the rich culture and textile heritage of Banaras.
Presented by Amazon India ‘The Banaras Project — Crafts of India’ will aim to bring back the richness and heritage of Banaras. Each of the 16 designers presented three ensembles inspired by the iconic city in tones of blue, yellow, green, red, cream and black and tell their Banaras story using any one of these palettes.
Banaras has always been a source of inspiration for the fashion industry. The adaptability of the threads makes the textile what it is. From Banarasi drapes to opulent brocades and the handloom cotton and silk textiles, Banarasi weaves match up to the modern as well as the traditional fashion sensibilities.
Amazon is also coming up with ‘Crafted in India’ online store on Amazon which will reflect the rich heritage of modern India put together by the expert weavers and artisans from all over the country. “I’ve always struggled with the online presence as I wanted the right platform. Having an online presence is really important. Amazon is as professional as it gets. If you are selling on Amazon you are reaching to the whole world.” says designer Payal Jain.
“We have started looking back to our own textiles. The thing with India is when the west starts to appreciate our textiles and crafts only then we start to value them too. So it’s going in the reverse order.” Designer Aneeth Arora tells us who brings her ‘hand ladies’ to her fashion shows in Delhi each season as a token of gratitude. These women work for her label ‘Pero’. These 20 odd women from across the country do the hand work on the clothes she designs.
The opening show by designer Sanjay Garg of brand Raw Mango gave a glimpse of contemporary innovation around Mashru textile, the finale show, hosted by Amazon India, will explore creativity around weaves from Banaras.
Designer Payal Jain spoke about her love for Indian fabrics, “As Indian designers we should be promoting Indian textiles whether it’s banarasi, kanjivaram, jamdani, ikat, et al. I’ve always worked with the Indian textiles. It’s my agenda to promote them. I weave my textiles, work with crafts and various NGOs and if every designer does the same Indian textiles would be a really big thing globally.
In India we have no value for a cotton shirt because it’s widely available to us. But now people are becoming aware but it’s a long process. It has to be a Government initiative with designers to make a change. It doesn’t necessarily have to be fashion. It can be home furnishings, accessories. The whole mindset of the generation needs to be changed. FDCI or the designers can’t do it alone.”
Designer duo Gauri and Nainika Karan shared, “It was great that Amazon approached us to be a part of the finale. We’ve never actually used traditional Indian handwoven textiles and for us to use these fabrics was very interesting. We’ve designed outfits in our own western silhouettes and nothing Indian. There are gowns in the Banarasi fabric which look beautiful.
There is organza cut work which went well with our styles. If it hadn’t been for the finale then we might have never worked with the fabric. It opened a door for us which is interesting. The fact India has such rich culture and heritage with artisans creating such fabrics so this is a great initiative.”Read more at:cocktail dresses uk | cheap prom dresses