The soft padding on backpacks that cushion the wearer's spine. A warm and comforting hug from a loved one. A sacred thread tied around a brother's wrist as a symbolic assurance of safety. What has common roots with these presumably arbitrary everyday cultures? With their FW23 collection, the label navigate through forms of Protection, Preservation and Shelter, from a functional, emotional and spiritual view. This philosophical discourse is brought to life by combining old and new worlds; from age-old handcrafted quilting techniques, to technical water and pollen repellent textiles.
“I wanted to approach handmade craft through a functional perspective. The idea of making things by hand is quite inherent in me. Amalgamating this ideology with the purpose of creating something functional comes as a result of exploring various human systems. Imagine a handcrafted water repellent jacket that is quilted entirely on a handloom. This is who we are” adds Saurabh Maurya, co-founder of the label.
Staying true to the promise of seeking a new craft every season, they focused on the cultural crafts of 'Sujani' and 'Sikki' for FW23. The sculptural pieces made out of Sujani are a mix of deadstock polyester and cotton, handwoven on a loom to create quilts without stitching. This functional craft is featured in protective outerwear silhouettes including cape vests, gilets and jackets. Whereas Sikki, a craft made of Moonj grass, is used to show the bridge between comfort and protection. Reminiscing about sharing snacks from Sikki containers with family on cosy winter mornings, this craft is used to create body armor-like pieces.
They firther expanded our collaboration with the all women team in the Himalayas, to delve deeper into knits this season. Hand-knitted pants, argyle vests and diversifying our signature ikats into full sleeves and triple ikats. Symbolism has been glorified as the messenger of protection through intarsia handknits, embroidered knits and paneled trousers. Establishing our recurring concept of ‘uniforms’, they've made co-ord sets from terry fabric, and explored systems of natural dyeing with elements such as Myrobalan, Pomegranate, Madder.
This season, they traversed human systems. What makes us human? The longing for a sense of belonging, the constantsearch for familiarity even in the search for novelty, essentially, finding home... And that's where one finds a sense ofprotection, preservation and shelter.
Date 15-06-2023
