Monsoon 09 Textile Details

Many people have told me that my website should have a zoom facility so that they can see the texture of the fabric and some of the garment details. I was in such a hurry to get a website done within a certain budget that I didn't look into providing some of the options that you often see on websites that have online shopping (which is a pity because the photos don't always do justice to a garment made from fabric with so much depth). It's probably going to be a while before I get the website re-vamped again (it's a painful amount of micro-managing every time) and I know a home photography job isn't the best way to show the textile details, but here are some photos of the fabrics from the latest Monsoon Collection

Silk ikat woven in Andhra Pradesh for "Black Orchid".
Mud resist block printing done on tussar-cotton fabric in Kaladera, Rajasthan for "Cinched Kimono".

Soft cotton twill handwoven in Andhra Pradesh for "Comfort Skirt"

Jamdaani (the black motifs done by adding an extra weft by hand) on khadi cotton, handwoven in Andhra Pradesh for "Lady Bird"

Handwoven cotton with coloured ribs from Andhra Pradesh, for "Snapdragon".
Some of these photos have two fabrics to show other colour options in the same style.

Structured Creative Thinking

Last year when I opened my store, many people felt the sizes in my collection ran too small, and that most of my clothes were sleeveless (not a great thing in a conservative city like Chennai). It may be true that while starting out many designers (including myself) are less willing to pay attention to environment as they are to their creative visions. However in my case I tend to tune out all notions of practicality while brainstorming. Going forward, I have to be conscious of my audience while putting together a collection.

During my design process, I tend to look at each style in isolation rather than the entire set as a collection. The brainstorming sessions are usually done with some good music playing in the room (Femi Kuti is my recent favourite) and it’s also important to have some snacks handy (anything salty and crunchy). Then, I begin to go through inspiring pictures that I collect throughout the year. As I go through these (pictures of clothes, furniture, architecture, colour combinations, plants) I usually think of a theme and then I begin sketching while keeping that theme in mind. I don’t like being tied down too strictly to a theme, so I never choose anything too literal; this past summer’s theme was fruit and flowers of summer, and this monsoon collection was inspired by ancient maritime trade. Since I like to work with a variety of fabrics in each collection, I do try to stick to a colour story that works for the mood of that collection. These may sound like clearly defined guidelines that I work with, but I find it easy to stick to a colour story without that hindering my creativity (my suppliers and their ability to match colour shades is another matter).

The design process is followed by editing (“would I really wear that?”, “that looks interesting, but it is classy?”) and then re-designing for the styles that were scratched out, followed by more editing until I have a collection. Subject to fabric availability, some styles have to be changed at the last minute, but that is an issue more related to my fabric supply and the textile industry at large rather than the editing of the collection. Now to this entire design process, I need to add another structured guideline. The business side of my brain has been urging me to adopt some structure to my process, and now my task is to ease my creative side into the process.

The structure: I would like to have certain criteria that I must fulfill with styles in every collection. The criteria relate to my customer base and their tastes; each collection must have at least one sleeved style for work and evening wear, at least one style that is flattering for larger sizes, and at least one sleeved tunic. That doesn’t sound too tough when you think of the criteria themselves, but when you are down to 2 fabrics you haven’t assigned to any style as yet, and your creative brain is told you can only design a tunic or a sleeved garment for a plus size with these fabrics, it can get hard.

The good side is that working with these criteria, aside from the good business sense, gets me started on the editing and the streamlining while I'm still in the sketching phase. This past Monsoon collection I have made an effort to design more sleeved garments and I think they appealed to more people as a result. I haven’t overcome the difficulty to design with guidelines though- I mean, if a sleeved tunic doesn’t sell then clearly it means that I didn’t succeed in designing a sleeved tunic that is a stylish piece as well. I’m trying though, and hopefully with time I’ll be able to fulfil my criteria without playing it too safe.

Until then, I have this very expensive and gorgeous Varanasi silk fabric with zari jamdani that I must make into a sleeved evening garment and time is ticking!

Research and Documentation

A friend of mine once told me that Indians haven’t done a good job of documenting our history and our knowledge. She was referring in particular to the field of traditional medicine and healing techniques. In the last few weeks, while I’ve been gathering research material for a section on textile crafts that I plan to have in the new Brass Tacks website (that’s right- coming up very soon), I realized that even in the area of textiles where so much has been written, it is still hard to find books that explain the crafts in a language that is easy to comprehend. Many of the essays are detailed analyses related to economics and the textile sector, and many of the coffee table books are more for visual appeal with just a paragraph of information on the origin of the craft or details of the technique.

There is one visual guide on world textiles by John Gillow that provides, albeit only for famous or popular textiles, clear explanations on craft techniques from different parts of the world. Since the book is a visual guide however, it does not go into the details of different designs or variations within a craft, and it does not provide much insight into the origin of the crafts either. For example, I am not sure why the world famous Varanasi sarees that use an extra weft technique in gold and silver are referred to by the Bengali word for extra weft: Jamdani. The Craft Revival Trust, as I’ve mentioned before, has documented many crafts and classified them in a way that makes them easy to find on their website, however a lot of those descriptions seem as if they are meant for people who already know the basics (or are some basics like the origin of Varanasi Jamdani omitted due to lack of information)?

This post was first motivated by a piece I found on the Craft Revival Trust website, and then more recently while writing information on textile crafts for the Brass Tacks website I became more appreciative of this clear and concise piece on the loom. Written by a textile designer, this definition-essay is a simple but thorough explanation of the way a handloom works. For many readers the details on the intricacies of the loom might be a little too much, but if you are interested in studying the basics of fabric construction, then this is it: easy to read, easy to comprehend, and easily accessible - Ayeshe Sadr’s Demystifying the Loom.