Fabrics go local DOWNLOAD PDF

The fabric story at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2018 was varied and innovative with designers pushing their creative limits and ensuring that besides the designs for their own collections, the fabrics too made an impact, reports Meher Castelino

The importance and rise of local fabrics in the country have provided an impetus to different regions, bringing the beauty of their various weaves to the forefront. The New Age fabrics and the texturing along with fabric dyeing and weaving have added an innovative direction to the textiles.

All this dominated Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2018. In addition, the crafts that were used to enhance the beauty of the garments complemented the collections and ensured that each piece had a distinct identity. Among others, the Northeast, which is rich in textile heritage and crafts, caught the fancy of fashion followers as the fabrics were turned into contemporary styles to suit global markets.

The highlights

On the Northeast front, Daniel Syiem promoted the ryndia fabric of Meghalaya, while Sonam Dubal worked on the gamcha of Assam, his home state. Manipur’s Richana Khumanthem emphasised the Wankhei Phee handloom textiles. Karma Sonam gave fabric made from 100 per cent nettle importance, while Aratrik Dev Varman gave the riahs from Tripura more prominence. Jenjum Gadi worked with fabrics woven with the loinloom method from Nagaland with some fascinating fashion angles.