 "EXCLUSIVE! Lakme Fashion Week 2024 | Gaurang Shah on revival of weaves: 'We have so much khazana with us'")
Fashion designer Gaurang Shah has always believed in the art and culture of India. On the second day of Lakme Fashion Week, his spring festive collection, Gulaal, the versatile colour, which stands for purity, sincerity, and peace garnered praises from fashion lovers and audiences at the at the mega event. His collection revolved around the gorgeous hues of pink in the forefront. A lover of intense colours, Gaurang’s designs aimed at the purity, peace and sincerity of the Spring season of Phagun. There was a marked touch of luxurious decadence, as the beautiful weaves of India, which the country is renowned for, glided down the runway on elegantly styled models. This designer known for his simplicity roams around barefoot at the Lakme Fashion Week .
The tradition of Jamdani and the intriguing jacquard and dobby weaves were a vision of elegance. These timeless weaves were created in hand charkha khadi, fine cotton, silk matka and wonderous natural silks.
From the luxurious saris, Gaurang moved his creative skills to the lehengas, cholis, dupattas trio that have been the much-loved ensembles by women for formal, as well as bridal festivities. Giving the lehengas an individualistic flavour, Gaurang revived the forgotten techniques of embroidery like Mochi, Parsi Gara, Petite Point, Kasuti, Phulkari, Kutch and Kashmiri.
Gaurang’s designs took the audience on a journey of not only colours, weaves, elegance, craft and beauty, but also presented the return of glorious days of yesteryears when luxury was opulent but rare. The ‘Gulal’ collection by Gaurang Shah was all about a visual medley of weaves presented in a contemporary style.
In an EXCLUSIVE interview with Firstpost’s Lachmi Deb Roy, the talented designer opened up about the revival of weaves in his desi designs and how it can inspire the upcoming generations in the journey of revival.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
Every year your show is amazing, but I just want to know how do you manage the mixing of weaves? What is the process that goes behind putting together the collection?
That’s what I’m known for. See, what happens is, things are in front of me- all the weaves. The dupatta has been made, the border has been made, the sari has been made, the fabric has been made. All I need to do is sit down and think and see how textiles and colours can match, and then we put them together and the collection looks good on runway only when it is a well thought display.
And you are one of those pioneers of revival of weaves. What do you have to say about this generation to inspire them to continue this journey of revival of weaves?
I would say one thing only, why copy the west when we have so much khazana (treasure) with us? In India in every few kilometers, if you go you will find different textiles, different textures, different techniques, different colours, different stories. We have so much to offer and people still go to the west and copy their clothing, their colours, their textures, their embroideries, use power loom materials, use machine-made materials when we have so much here. Why to do it?
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