Copyright 2017-’18 Student Publication meant for private circulation only. All rights reserved. P. G Diploma, Integrated Textile and Apparel Design, 2015-2018,Kerala State Institute Of Design, Kerala India. No part of the document must be reproduced in any form in any means without permission from publisher, Madhuri and Kerala State Institute Of Design. All Illustrations and phototgraphs are copyright,2017-18 by respective organisation or individual. Edited and Designed by Name - Madhuri Menon E mail - madhurimenon@ymail.com Processed at Kerala State Institute of Design, Kerala, India www.ksid.ac.in
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PROJECT BRIEF To Develop a Collection of Saris and fabrics for ‘Spring Summer 18’. Also to introduce new methods of Dyeing to the dyers to improve the fastness of the fabrics.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Kerala State Institute of Design, Kollam for giving me an opportunity to work in the industry and understand it on a better level. I would also like to thank Kharakapas, Gurgaon and Mrs. Shilpi Yadav, the Company Head for providing a platform to explore my skills and for giving a chance to work with a wonderful upcoming brand. The Kharakapas team has supported and co-operated throughout the project specially Arushi, Bhim Sir, Anitha,Ramu, Masterji and Dyeing Master. Mr. P.T.Girish, the faculty guide of the project has been the supporting hand and their valuable suggestions have helped in the successful completion of the project. I would also like to thank friends and family for their encouragement and support throughout the journey.
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CONTENTS CULTURE, TRADITION AND HER PEOPLE DEFINES INDIA KHARAKAPAS
FLORAL PRINTS
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PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
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CLIENT’S BRIEF
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CONCEPTUALISATION
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DYEING UNIT COTTON
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BRAIN STORMING
COSTING AND FEEDBACK
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PROBLEM STATEMENT
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PROBLEMS IN DYEING
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SARI- INITIAL RESEARCH MARKET RESEARCH
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CONCLUSION
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REFERENCES
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CULTURE, TRADITION AND HER PEOPLE DEFINES INDIA A Nation’s Culture resides in the hearts and the soul of its people. What define people are the places they belong to, the costumes, their crafts and their love towards nature that gives them their identity. Even though agriculture forms the major economy of India, the rich Textile tradition of India also contributes to the economy. Each and every region of India contributes in creating a myriad of textile tradition. Textile Industry in India generates huge employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled laborers in textiles. Also India has a rich tradition of silk and cotton weaving, embroideries, dyeing and printing. This makes India stand out in the world. Saying all this, an inevitable fact comes into the scene, the crafts and the textile traditions of India are dying, vanishing!!! As the citizens of India, many people, institutions, NGO’s and a few brands are working towards the revival of these traditions. Also these crafts and traditions had contributed a lot to sustainability, sustainable living.
Sustainability is a term that now echoes around the world. Years of Human ignorance has diminished our resources, leaving a little for the future generations to come. Now many people are putting an effort to treat their planet in a better different way. As the traditions have taught that nature forms an essential part of every life, many Indian designers and brands are working towards eco fashion, to lead a greener life, to make a huge difference for the future generations. KharaKapas located in Gurgaon, India is such a brand which produces Eco fashion.
“CLOTHES WITH A SOUL”
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Kharakapas was started in February 2015 by Mrs. Shilpi Yadav. Kharakapas which means “pure cotton” in Hindi, is an upcoming high fashion brand which creates simple and organic women’s wear clothing. ‘Organic’ means each design on offer is handpicked and hand stitched carefully to make the women wearing it look and feel wonderful. Also each Kharakapas wear is an amalgamation of efforts put down by many creative people, starting from the designer who designs each garment, the weaver who makes the beautiful fabric, the dyer who colors the fabric, the tailor who converts the wonderful fabric into a pretty dress, the embroiderers who finishes the garment with their hand stitches and the clients without whom the story would be incomplete. Kharakapas hope to inspire and excite creativity in other people as well. Inspired by India’s rich heritage, Kharakapas signifies purity in all its manifestations. Purity is something that Kharakapas strives for, throughout their designs, in the fabrics they use and the way they want to conduct themselves as an ethical business celebrating India’s variety in techniques and traditions.
Kharakapas promotes Fair Trade bringing in greater equity in trading partnerships through dialogues, transparency and respect for those they work with. They try to build a long term relationship based on trust and mutual respect. They respect the immense value and skill of the craftsmen they work with, without which Kharakapas was not possible. The design philosophy revolves around the idea of minimalism, clean cuts and relaxed silhouettes, in pure fabrics, earthy tones and simple Indian motifs for prints. The designs are free flowing, soft to touch and have been crafted in pure cotton. The idea is to appeal to the Bohemian spirit regardless of age, size, gender and religion. Kharakapas aims at going back to traditional Indian roots, and adding contemporary twist to it. The brand takes inspiration from traditional saris and summer kurtis from various regions and aims to create something more practical, comfortable, and stylish. The result is Ultra-wearable silhouettes; think breezy maxis, kurta dresses, and cascading skirts. Kharakapas is the way of life for a woman who looks for comfortable and elegant clothing. The garments are classic, timeless and completely utilitarian. Kharakapas works towards Ethical or Eco fashion. Ethical not only means creating eco friendly products but also providing people with a sustainable livelihood. They practice fair trade, believe in a mutual transparent relationship with the vendors and artisans. They also support local crafts and artisans through their products.
“INDIAN CLOTHING WITH A CONTEMPORARY TWIST�
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The Studio
Ethical or Sustainable or Eco fashion, an approach of design, manufacturing, distributing, selling, consuming and disposing of fashion products which maximizes the benefits to people and communities while minimizing the impact on environment. Ethical fashion encourages slower production schedules, fair wages, lower carbon footprints, and ideally zero waste. Ethical fashion is a new approach which deals with sustainable livelihood creation, minimizing the environmental impact of fashion supply chain, while providing a good product with quality and transparent information and also would benefit the communities involved in making[1]. This also means buying clothes, using it, reusing it and using it again, stepping away from the culture of celebrating the disposables. In a country like India, sustainable fashion is also associated with preserving the textile heritage of India. It is, ensuring fair wages and fair practices and benefits even to the last member of the supply chain. Recycling and up cycling also comes under the umbrella of Sustainable fashion. The eco fashion should not be mere transparency in the supply chain, the end consumer should be able to understand and trace back to the people who made the products for them[2]. Slow fashion is a combination of the terms éco’, éthical’ and green fashion. It targets reducing both environmental and social impacts of fashion on the earth by collectively realizing that our choices and activities can affect both the ecosystem and the people extensively.
“CALL IT ECO FASHION IF YOU LIKE, BUT I THINK ITS JUST COMMON SENSE” – Livia firth
The Hierarchy of Sustainable Clothing
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“buy less, choose well make it last” - vivienne westwood
Clothing keeping in mind Planet, people and profit. Think with your Heart and Brain
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Today’s fashion industry is constantly contributing to depletion of fossil fuels, fresh water reservoirs which is extensively used for cotton crop irrigation and also manmade synthetic fibers which are harmful to the environment. Fast fashion is disconnected from reality and works with little recognition, poor wages, forced overtime and climate changes. Slow fashion is about choices, information, cultural diversity and identity. This helps in reducing environmental and social impacts of fashion on earth by collectively realizing that our choices and activities can affect the ecosystems as well as the people[3]. Slow design enables a richer interaction between the designer and maker, maker and garment, garment and user. The user becomes aware of the whole process, from designing through production, the potential use and reuse. It addresses the whole cycle. It is about reconnecting with clothes we wear, rather than viewing them as quick trends or throwaway things. Ethical fashion moves from quantity to quality. Less is more. For a higher quality, the cost would be more. But this would produce fewer products with higher value and the workers would be able to give their maximum skill and time on a single garment. This would help the companies to plan their production, better quality products and build mutually beneficial relationships.
Slow Fashion encourages a system thinking approach, which believes that collective choices can bring an impact to the society and environment. Slowing down the consumption- choose careful buying, the clothes that we really need. Treating shopping as a need, rather than a want. This would help in decreasing unwanted consumption. Know the history of the product and acknowledge the human effort. A conscious consumer should look into the raw materials and processes that have gone into the making of the product. This would keep away from contributing to the unfair cycle. Also co-creating with the consumers, would also help them in having a better understanding. Buy less but long lasting products. Take care of the clothes- learn to repair not replace. Repairing, reusing and repurposing the clothes on its wear and tear can increase its life and save money as well as resources which would be used up in replacing it[4]. See the big picture, what slow fashion is also about. Collaborations and co- creations ensures trust and lasting relationships with consumers, artisans, vendors and the environment. Slow fashion brands focuses on using local materials and resources, and supports the development of local business and skills. Encouraging classical design over passing trends can increase the longevity of the garments, creating timeless pieces[5].
Clothing By Kharakapas
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A lot of new age brands like Pero, Nicobar, Doodlage, Eleven. Eleven, Eka, No Nasties, Kharakapas, P.E.L.L.A, to name a few, are brands which promote eco or slow fashion. International brands like Patagonia, has been working towards this for a long time. For Nicobar, they believe in creating products with a cultural and emotional connection. Symbiosis is at the core of the brand’s philosophy. An awareness that what’s good for you is good for the planet, is good for you[6]. The Ethical fashion tries to creates consciousness at both the ends. The major challenge for these brands is that a normal customer will not buy something just because it is ecofriendly or made ethically. It has to be fashionable and affordable. Public awareness campaigns like ‘Detox’ by Greenpeace for toxic free fashion and ‘Who made my clothes’by Fashion Revolution for greater transparency in fashion supply chain has helped in bringing in the attention of fashion retailer to these critical issues. Along with these , International events such as the ‘Green Carpet Challenge’ at Oscars which was started by Livia Firth( creative Director of Eco Age) to promote Ethically made outfits by fashion designers has been a subject of talk[7].
Brands which promote Sustainable clothing
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To start something which gives creative satisfaction, to create something which celebrates Indian heritage and culture and her love towards cotton, encouraged Mrs. Shilpi Yadav, the creative head of Kharakapas to start the brand. Shilpi earned her bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Delhi University and then went on to study Apparel Design from the National Institute of Design. She topped off her education studying Merchandise Marketing in the world’s startup capital, San Francisco. After returning to India she began her career working at local design studios and climbed up from there. For her, cotton is comfort and it is the fabric she knows from her childhood days. It is pure, simple and is relevant for its practicality; it suits the Indian climate the best. For Shilpi, fashion is the right combination of creativity, personal style and comfort. Having travelled across India while growing up, Shilpi was exposed to different cultures and crafts, all of which have found a place in her creations.One of the biggest risk was she wanted to work only with cotton and there are not a lot of people who only wants to wear cotton. Another challenge has been to build a level of trust and transparency with the artisans and vendors. Kharakapas promotes fair trade, a mutual respect and trust. For her, Kharakapas is not a money making machine, it is something that is close to her heart and what she believes in. Becoming an Entrepreneur did not come easy to her. Shilpi says “The journey ahead is a long one but I am determined to enjoy it. The best part of becoming an entrepreneur is that you have a constant surge of energy. Every moment and every achievement big or small, drives you forward for the next one.”
“TODAY THERE IS NO FEAR OF FAILURE AND EVERY NEW MISTAKE IS A LEARNING AND REASON TO ADAPT” -shilpi yadav
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THE START Kharakapas is a self funded company, which has grown in small watchful steps. The brand started off with two second hand machines in a room at Mrs.Shilpi’s home, the creative head of the company. The Initial idea was to sell internationally as the designs were very western, even though prints were ethnic and worked with local craftsmen. When the first collection was made, Shilpi clicked pictures of the garments and started posting it on Facebook and Etsy, the online marketplace for global market. For actually getting the response from the Indian crowd, when the brand was launched, a pop up store was put up in one of the local exhibitions in Gurgaon with the first 50 designs made. Mrs.Shilpi invited people to the exhibition through messages, face book invites, friends, friends of friends and family. The feedbacks and response that Kharakapas got was phenomenal. People started calling and visited the studio to see the designs.
“KHARAKAPAS IS FUNDED WITH BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS”
The studio was a small space with a rack of garments. Clients started coming in and orders were made. Initially without a website, orders were made through e mails. This took place in February 2015, by March 2015, an online website was launched. The privilege of speaking to the customers on one to one basis at the beginning has helped in building the trust with the customers who came back to the brand for more. The brand always promised the quality and uniqueness in the products which were made.
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The mulmul fabric was appreciated by the customers , which made it the major fabric to be used in this clothing line. The feedbacks from the customer helped in working on the fall and fit of the garments and it was also important to see how it looks on the customer. The interaction with the customers was important to know about what they actually think about the fabric, what they think about the quality, what they think about the pricing. This helped in eventually shaping the brand. Hence the brand Kharakapas came into being.
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PEOPLE BEHIND THE BRAND The hardworking Kharakapas team consists of 34 members, in which 15 are skilled tailors. The designer cum Creative head Mrs. Shilpi would design the garments. When an order is placed, it takes 10 to 14 days for making and then dispatch. The patterns are made by the Pattern Master who helps the tailors with stitching as well. The patterns when ready are moved on to the cutting table. There are two cutting masters as well. Unlike an export house where a tailor stitches a single element and is passed on to the other tailor, here one tailor stitches one garments completely- the pants, embellishments on the garment and dupattas if any. This would help in improving the quality of stitches in the garments. After stitching, the garment is ironed and hung on a rack from where it goes for buttons, running stitches, pom poms, and tassels which would be stitched on to the garment with hand. These are carried out by 4 women artisans who are trained in hand embroidery and tie dyeing. Kharakapas does a sustainable packaging in which the waste grey fabric is converted to carry bags.
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Work Process in the inhouse stitching unit
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Work Flow in Kharakapas
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For garments like Jhabla which should be dip dyed, the garment is stitched first and then goes for dyeing. After the dyeing or hand works, the garment goes to the rack where the garments are quality checked. Initially when the fabric lots are brought from different weaving centers, the fabric inspection is carried out. And finally when the garment is made ,it goes for a final quality check. The measurements, stitches, stains, color fades, print defects, position of buttons and size labels are checked and confirmed. The Quality checking department takes care of all these. Once this is done, the garments are packed for dispatch. The Human resource team consisting of two members takes care of dispatch, accounts and management related issues. Cash on Delivery and Pre- paid orders are dispatched through the courier partners – DTDC and Blue Dart. Client relations, promotional activities and overall management is carried out by an Assistant Manager as well as Shilpi. The Studio consist of a showcasing unit were customers could walk in and try out the garments and order for the pieces. Studio also consists of a space for creative thinking and client meetings. The stitching, cutting and pattern making takes place in the same area while quality checking, packing and dispatch takes place in another area. The studio also has a dyeing unit with 2 dyers. The stitching unit consists of 15 sewing machines, 2 over locking machines and 6 ironing tables.
The Showcasing Unit in the Studio
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Hierarchy of Work Division
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DYEING UNIT Kharakapas has an in house dyeing unit with a dyer and a helper. The dyer, Pattern master and the cutting master sit together and decide on the quantity of fabrics to be dyed and in which color it should be dyed according to the orders received each day. Some silhouettes like the Jhablas are dyed after stitching while some like the shibori dresses, duppattas, stoles and other dresses are stitched after dyeing. Approximately 100m of fabric undergoes different process of dyeing on a daily basis. The brand uses direct dyes for the clothing line. The lots of fabrics undergo inspection first. Then all the fabrics get washed as this can affect the fit and quality of the garment. The fabric is pre shrunk initially. The following steps are followed while dyeing a fabric or garment. • The grey fabric lots are pre soaked completely in water for 4-8hrs before scouring, and then the fabric is soaked in warm water for scouring. This process helps in removing oil and other dirt from the fabric, increasing its absorbency. Then after drying, then some amount of fabric goes for stitching and the rest for dyeing. So piece dyeing and fabric dyeing takes place here. • After scouring, the fabric is divided into lots according to the colors to be dyed. For products like Stoles, dupattas ,tie dyed and other shibori dresses, the amount of fabric taken for dyeing is same as which is required for stitching.
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Direct Dyes are used for dyeing. The dye bath is set at room temperature and is brought to boil. When the dye bath reaches a temperature of 40degree Celsius, the dye solution is added to it. The dye powder is pasted first and water is added. This dye solution is added to the dye bath along with soap solution. The bath is boiled for 10-15 mins and then the fabric is dipped into this. The dye bath is run for another 30 mins at 90-95degree Celsius. Salt is added and continues to boil with a person stirring the bath. After some 10-15 mins, the temperature is cooled down and the fabric is taken out and washed in cold water. After drying the fabric goes for after treatment where the fabric is dipped in a fixer solution and boiled for 10-15 mins to get the dye fixed and avoid bleeding. This is done for solid colors. For dresses like Jhabla, it is stitched and dip dyed. The part to be dyed is left open while other parts are sealed and wrapped with plastic sheets, so that dye does into seep into unwanted areas. Rest of the process is same as solid colors. For clamp dyeing, the fabric is folded and clamped with metal clamps and then dipped into the dye solution. For linen fabrics which is used for sarees and also some cotton fabrics requires softening. For this, a softener solution and silicon is taken in equal amounts ( 15-20 g each for 1m fabric) and mixed with cold water and fabric is dipped in this solution. Keep on stirring the solution and for 3060mins and washed with cold water.
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For creating the crinkle effect, the fabric is wetted and tied tightly and kept aside for 2-4 days. Then the tie is removed leaving the crinkles behind.
All the dyeing process are carried out manually and have a hydro extractor for drying the fabric. The dyer keeps a shade card with fabric samples which has got the colors that is used in different collections. Once the fabric is dyed, the color is matched then and there to get the exact shade. Each dyeing process is carried out with extreme care and skillfulness.
30Inhouse Dyeing Unit
From left to right - The dyed swatches used for reference and shade matching while dyeing; The different qualities of fabrics used for dyeing; The dye powders which is used to create different colors on the fabric
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Left to Right - Dyeing of a jhabla Tieing , clamping and dip dyeing ; Colormixing; Dipping the garment in the bath; After washing and Color matching.
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COTTON Kharakapas is an upcoming clothing brand nestled in the old lanes of Gurgaon Kharakapas as the name suggest, works with pure cotton. The fabrics include Mulmul, Khadi and Cotton. They firmly believe in the versatility of cotton variants and Indian handloom and promote this through their clothing. The world has used cotton since 4500 BC and it is the only natural fiber that has been commonly used in the industry to make clothing and other necessity products such as papers and tissues. Cotton clothes are known to provide comfort during the hottest days as it absorbs moisture and is very light to touch. Ideal for the Indian Climate, cotton was the country’s favorite fabric from ancient times. Later with the popularity of western fashion trends and synthetic fabrics, cotton lost its popularity among people. Today, as more and more people are moving towards homegrown and sustainable textiles, cotton and mulmul fabrics are being seen in a new light. This has become a global consciousness. Cotton is not something new or short lived but an established part of clothing from the beginning. Using the adaptive properties of cotton, Kharakapas is set to create more than the ordinary sari and kurtas.
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Kharakapas works closely with the local artisans and weavers. They source fabrics from across India which includes Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal. Each cotton fabric, from different regions of India has varying characteristics according to the climate and geographical conditions. Two variations of cotton fabric, with different counts are used in Kharakapas. Voile with 80s Ne count of cotton yarn in warp (98 gsm) and weft and grey fabric with 2/60s Ne count of cotton yarn in warp and 60s single count in weft (68.5gsm) direction. Kharakapas also works with dyed, striped and checkered woven fabrics with 2/60s cotton yarn in warp and 60s cotton yarn is used in the weft. The width of the fabric varies from 42 inches to 45 inches. The Ends per Inch X Picks per Inch value for each fabric is 92 X 80 and 72 X 80 respectively.
5000meters to 10,000 meters of grey cotton fabric is sourced at a time, which is used for making ninety percent of the garments. The other woven cotton fabrics comes in lots of 100 meters to 200meters, according to the requirement. Each garment is made to order which means an Inventory is not maintained. A garment, for example, one of the USPs of Kharakapas, the Jhabla, requires at least 4-5meters of fabric. Thus fabrics are sourced according to the requirement and demand of the clients.
The two types of cotton fabric used here have different physical properties as these have different weights. So the fabric is used carefully according to the silhouette and design of the garment. The drape of the garment, the purpose of the garment and the layers of fabric that should be used in the garment depend on the look, texture, feel and drape of the cotton fabric. So Kharakapas uses its fabrics consciously and thoughtfully. Khadi as well as Linen is also used at times, depending on the designs as well as the seasons that come up. For Linen, they use a count 2/60 Lea, with Ends per Inch X Pick per Inch value to be 36X36. The fabric has a more open weave, which is loosely woven with a good drape.
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Product Range and Prices
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PRODUCT RANGE AND TECHNIQUES USED Kharakapas is a women’s wear clothing brand. It is a premium brand which caters to a niche market who would like to use cotton handcrafted clothes and to the women interested in eco fashion. Even though the brand aimed at an age group of 30years and above, now the clientele is huge, with no age limits. The minimalistic design attracts women of all age groups in different parts of the world. Austrailia, United States, U.A.E., northern India and domestically southern India have big supporters of Kharakapas. Kharakapas makes made to order clothing. One of the interesting part is that, women from different place style the same garment differently. A garment would have different looks according to the jewellery worn, the occasions, hair styles and the body structure of each woman. Through these products, cotton is used not only as a casual wear, but as festive-wedding wears as well. The opportunity of usage of cotton as a fabric is for clothing has been explored well by Kharakapas through their collections. The brand launches a new collection in every 60 days.
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News Article from Pool Magazine, Edition 66
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From Left to Right - Tied fabrics ready for dyeing; Tools used for patternmaking and Shade card; Pattern master working on the patterns
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Block Printed fabrics are sourced from Jaipur, Faridabad and Delhi and Embellishments like pom poms, wooden buttons, lace, gota patti, beads, piping yarns etc are sourced locally from Delhi and Gurgaon. The weight of the cotton fabric changes according to the garment made. Lighter cottons are used for stoles, dupattas, layered garments which show volume and slightly heavier cotton fabrics (54X54) are used for dresses. The usage of fabric also depends on the season for which the collection is to be made. Kharakapas produces Anti-fit, loose fitting, fuss free garments that would suite any type of body line. The clothing line includes gowns, dresses (short dresses, long dresses), separates, uppers (tops, tunics) and lowers (skirts, pants). The initial collection of ensembles and dresses were mostly in solid colors. Then came the Shibori patterns, which were tie dyed in the studio itself. The shibori patterns were bold and large, mostly in indigo. Now the brand has clamp dyeing and dip dyeing as well. Dyeing has been a unique technique used in the garments. They develop their own prints and weaves. Mostly, after launching a collection in the online store, the response is studied and popular silhouettes and styles are adapted in the next collection. The price range varies from 5000Rs to 23,000Rs.
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Different Trims and Techniques used in the clothing
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The images shows the garments fromdifferent collections which includes ethnic wear and dresses in pure cotton and mulmul.
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COLOR PALATTES AND INSPIRATIONS
Kharakapas takes its inspiration from nature, traditions and culture of India, the earthy prints and the daily life experiences in you. Each season is represented through relaxed silhouettes, layered clothing and styles that suit the season. The brand captures the visual tones, textures and the essence from these stories. The brand also takes inspiring thoughts from the festivals of India, different states in India, the landscapes, vintage looks and creates pure cotton and mul mul products. Colors used are mostly light, soothing pastel shades. The color ranges from greys, whites, yellows, greens, blues with little of reds and other brighter shades. Accents of bold and bright colors and key colors of ivory, whites, browns and greys make the color palatte of the brand.
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HOW DO THEY REACH THE MASSES (MARKET) When an order is placed on the online website, the product is dispatched within 10-14 days. A garment is made to order, the brand does not keep an inventory. Each garment is made from scratch. An order can be Cash on Delivery (COD) or a online paid order. The website is powered by Shopify. While ordering a product, the customer has the freedom to choose a fabric if needed and also customize according to her size measurements. The brand sells through another online marketing platform called Etsy internationally. Brand Awareness has been a big challenge for the brand. Kharakapas, as it has an online presence, they collaborate with other online stores like Ogaan, which has a bigger market base and clientele. This will help in increasing the brand visibility and spread the word to a larger mass. Kharakapas showcases its collection in physical stores, in which many designers showcase their works. The design ethics of these stores match with that of Kharakapas. These spaces include the Amethyst( Chennai), Anantam(Gurgaon), Neemrana(Khan Market, Delhi), Bunti(goa),Hind of Kuwait( Dubai) and also some stores in United states as well.
Screenshot of the website,online store.
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Kharakapas promotes its brand through social media, facebook, instagram, pinterest and twitter. They post pictures of the garments, the activities going on in the studio, happy customers, the colors, techniques used, artisans, the mood in the studio and what the brand stands for. So people gets a chance to see the garments, the process and hard work which goes into its making and this would encourage other people to have a kharakapas in their wardrobe. When an order is placed and delivered, the Kharakapas team writes to the customers personally and request them to share what they wear with Kharakapas. People across the country, across the world would style the garments differently. So while sharing their feedbacks and photographs, they get to see the same garment styled in a certain way by a customer in Delhi, another customer in United States would style it differently. People would share photographs on Instagram, facebook and tag the Kharakapas team in that. This transparency in its making and feedbacks by customers had helped the brand grow and also attract and encourage other people to buy from here.
Screen shots from the Instagram Page
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Kharakapas takes part in exhibitions all across India. Being an online platform, the pop up stores in exhibitions gives the opportunity for Kharakapas to meet its customers, get their feedbacks, can see the look of people while wearing the clothes, what would sell better and see the reactions of people. For the customers, this is the time when they could thank Kharakapas for the wonderful clothing they make, feel the fabrics, texture, and color and also understand the design ethics what the brand stands for. The garments are also worn by celebrities and actresses for commercial photo shoots. This helps in reaching a broader spectrum of people. The brand is also promoted through fashion magazines like Grazia in their photo shoots and also through travel bloggers. Also Kharakapas has been covered by leading newspapers of the country and fashion bloggers has been writing about Shilpi and her brand.
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CLIENT’S BRIEF
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RESTATEMENT THE BRIEF
OF
To design and develop a collection of printed fabrics and saris.
To Develop a Collection of Saris and fabrics for ‘Spring Summer 18’. Also to introduce new methods of Dyeing to the dyers to improve the fastness of the fabrics.
SCOPE OF THE BRIEF
DESIGN PROCESS
The clothing line consists of dresses, bottom wear, tops and ethnic wear which was introduced during the last festive season.Till the last season, the collections mostly comprised of solid colored, dyed and woven fabrics. 2-3 saris were introduced in the previous collections, which got a good response from the people, which made them more interested to work with saris. Being an online brand, the chances of plagiarism of designs and silhouettes is high. As creating print and woven design in the company studio, can produce unique designs, reduces the chances of getting copied. Some of the areas that needed inputs were - New Designs in Prints and woven fabric - Improving the dyeing process as it would directly effect the quality of the product made. - Recycling or reusing the waste, cut fabrics
Design Process involves various steps- Research and Market Study-Analysis - Brainstorming - Developing Stories for the collection - Developing Color Stories - Initial Concepts – Sketches, Illustrations and Layouts ( Woven Saris) - Initial Concepts for the prints - Print Explorations with Placements and Motifs - Final Concepts for Woven Saris with Specifications - Sampling for Woven , Print Explorations - Feedbacks and Rectifications - Final Sampling of Products
PROBLEMS IN DYEING Dyeing is the process of adding color to the fabric. This improves the aesthetic appeal of the fabric, making it interesting. There are different types or classes of dye that could be used on fabrics which includes Natural dyes, Basic Dyes, acidic Dyes, Reactive Dyes, Vat dyes, Naphthol Dyes and Direct Dyes. Now, in a society which promotes environment friendly products, it is important that what we wear is ecofriendly, moreover skin friendly. So the brands like Kharakapas which promotes eco fashion uses azo free colors. Kharakapas uses techniques like Dip dyeing and tie dyes and the dyeing is carried out in the in house dyeing unit. The dyes used for dyeing are ecofriendly direct dyes. Direct Dyes are a class of substantive dye which gets absorbed by the fabric directly and the application is easy and economical. Direct Dyes are dyes that are directly applied to the fabrics in a neutral or alkaline medium. Since the brand has a clothing line, in which fabrics are always exposed to light and laundry, the dye applied plays an important role.
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Dyed Swatches
The following observations were made in the dyeing process and clothing • Shade consistency, reproducibility of the same shade. There is always a variation in color when moving from one lot of fabrics to others. • Color bleeding with mostly dip dyed or dyed garments. The colors tend to bleed while washing resulting in mixing of two colors. • The fading is not an issue with light colors, but it is noticed in dark colors, the dyed fabric fades. • Sometimes the dye is not fixed properly, due to the lack of time management and process followed is not proper. • While dyeing,maintaining the material liqour ratio and temperature is important for dyes to get absorbed by the fabric. This is not checked and maintained. • Lack of a proper shade card for the colors that company uses,with percentage shades specified or measurements specified. Important dye bath variables that influence the dyeing of direct dyes include temperature, time of dyeing, liquor ratio, dye solubility, and presence of electrolyte and other auxiliaries. Direct dyes have poor light and washing fastness. Fastness determines the color fixing ability of the dye. When a fixer is used on the fabric for fixing the dye, there are chances of reduction in light fastness.
Shade 52 card for Reactive Dyes
As a brand which promotes eco fashion, Kharakapas uses ecofriendly dyes. As direct dyes have the problems mentioned above, the idea was to move on to something which is eco friendly as well as does not affect the quality of the garment. Quality means the customer need is to be satisfied. So good quality products has prime importance in eco fashion to increase the value of the brand as well as for establishing it. A study on eco friendly dyes were carried out. Eco friendly dyes are of three types – Conventional Dyes- Synthetic chemical based dyes that are used in most conventional clothing, Low Impact Dyes – Synthetic chemical based dyes, to give same color palette as conventional dyes without the use of certain chemicals and metal compounds and Natural Dyes-– dyes made from herbs, fruits, teas, clays or other natural materials. These have limited color options. Azo free dyes are used in sustainable fashion industry. Azo Substances can be heavy metals like cadmium, lead, mercury, azo dyes, chlorinated solvents etc. These can cause allergies and can even be carcinogenic. Also there are Azo free standards like GOT, Oeko Tex and Eco label. So most of the organic clothing manufacturers use low impact dyes which are considered to be azo free or fiber reactive dyes. These have higher absorption rates in clothing, uses less energy and water. Low-impact dyes do not contain heavy metals (like chrome, copper and zinc), nor do they require toxic chemical mordants to fix them to the fibre.
AZO DYE STUFFS • •
Approximately 70percent of all dyes are azo dyes Azodyes are characterised by the element of a N=N group which represents the coloring element of the substance. • Azo dyes are brilliant and not expensive • Only a certain part of the azo dyes are carcinogenic, allergenic or poisonous • Azo dyes are used for the dyeing of natural and synthetic fibres, leather, plastic, oils , fats, waxes, straw, timber, paper and food items. They are a lot of dyestuffs which cannot be used in the domestic as well as International market.This includes Acid dyes, basic dyes, Direct dyes and Disperse dyes. Follwoing Direct dyes are prohobited from usage1. Direct Yellow(1,24,48) 2. Direct Orange(1,6,7,8,10,108) 3. Direct Green(1,6,8,8.1,8.5) 4. Direct Brown 5. Direct Blue(1,2,3,6,8,10,14,15,22,25,35,222,295) 6. Direct Black(29,38,91,154) 7. Direct Red(1,2,7,10,13,21,22,24,26,28,44,46,62, 67,72) 8. Direct Violet(1,12,21,22)
Constraints that have to be dealt with are – 1. the production cannot be slowed down, as it is made to order system, each day the number of order increases. 2. The dyeing unit consists of only two workers, which makes it hard to get time for experimentations. 3. Also the direct dyes produces a certain range of colors, the new methods of dyeing that would be introduced should be able to produce such colors. 4. Direct dyes are economical, if the dye has to be changed, then it would affect the price range. T 5. he workers are not so educated that they understand calculations and study the new processes quickly, so this would also take time.Keeping these constraints in mind the following solutions were brainstormed.
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BRAINSTORMING • • • • • • • • • •
•
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Direct dyes could be replaced by other classes of dyes like reactive dyes or vat dyes Standardizing the dyeing process- the time, temperature and chemicals added Moving on to Natural dyes, that are completely eco friendly Improving the color matching system, so that shade variation can be controlled Light colors could be used for dip dyeing, so that bleeding can be controlled Different dye classes could be used for light and dark colors A dyeing machine can be installed, which could produce an even shade with solid colors The darker colors could be dyed and fixed properly first, and it could be patched with the required garment Reduce the use of bright colors, use more of pastel and light colors There are chances that the dyer forgets to apply the fixer after dyeing- a marking technique or system can be developed , a visual identification , so that whoever from the studio looks in to that could understand whether the fabric or garment is fixed or not. The color fastness properties of the dye color could be checked initially, and the dyes with better fastness could be used
•
Sometimes there are issues of adding more dye powder as they measure the quantity with a metal tea spoon. The measuring container or device should be standardized. The dyer does not measure the quantities using an electronic balance nor in grams. They do it with using the spoon, visually measuring with it. A spoon has an uncertainty of a little less or more amounts would be measured. So a measuring system using a physical or electronic balance should be installed toweigh precisely. • The dyes which could be used – Reactive and Vat dyes The solutions are analyzed on the basis of the constraints that we have. The other class of dyes that could be used, as mentioned earlier are Vat dyes that work with the principle of Oxidation while Reactive Dyes become a part of the fiber and is much less likely to be removed by washing. These are two dyes which are used in textiles. The other dyes get absorbed only on the surface. Vat Dyes – Have Excellent Fastness properties at a higher price and the dyeing process requires some precise calculations and discipline.Reactive dyes have a simple, reproducible dyeing process. Standardizing the process is a necessity, as dyeing is a major process that decides the quality of the fabrics. Even though Natural dyes is the best solution that could make the brand completely eco friendly, the processing of natural dyes would take time, which slows down the process of production. Bringing in the fastness test and the machines would take time, as the brand is a self funded company and it would be ideal for the brand to take small steps while
establishing it. Also educating them about fastness, other classes of dyes and the tests that can help them in understanding the process better would take some time for implementation. The suggested solutions that can be implemented shortly – 1. Standardizing the dyeing process -The shades which have washing and light fastness properties above 4 can be used for dyeing in Direct Dyes. By following the proper dyeing method, after treatments, direct dye can be used. Fabric inspection before dyeing helps in assuring the fabric quality and the pre treatments like scouring that is carried out. 2. Low Impact dyes can be used. They should not include azo dyes which contain toxic compounds which can be carcinogenic. As it would be difficult to achieve the same color shade of direct dyes with other dyes, few Colors could be replaced by other classes of dyes- Vat or Reactive. As the lighter colors are mostly affected by color bleeding or fading, it should be replaced with fast dyes than the darker shades could be replaced with the other dyes, for improving the fastness properties in a later stage. 3. If you look at the economical part in these dye classes, direct dye is low cost; reactive would be a medium range while vat dyes are costly. Another advantage with reactive dye is that, it has 2 types of dyes which are cold brand reactive dyes and hot brand reactive dyes. Cold brand works in room temperature. So with proper care and dyeing methods this could be used. They have higher absorption rates into the clothing (greater than 70%),
which means less chemical and dye liquor solution runoff into the environment. The following process is used for reactive dyes – The dye powder is pasted with cold water, and then the dye bath is heated at 80 degree Celsius. The dye solution is added to this. The fabric is dipped in this solution and kept for 30 mins. Then salt is added, kept for 20 mins and then the temperature is raised to90 degree Celsius. After sometime, soda ash is added and heated the solution for 40-50 mins. The fabric is taken out and washed with cold water and then boil it with the soap solution for 10-20 mins. Rinse thoroughly. The process followed here is much similar to that of direct dyes, which would help the dyer to understand easily. The dyes that are used could vary with the price ranges of the product as well. A highly priced product could use a much costly dye or time consuming process, so the result would be a good quality product with respect to money invested on the garment by the consumers. The Jhablas and other garments which uses dip dyeing could be carried out with reactive dyes, as the problem of fading and color bleeding can happen mostly in these garments.
The suggested solutions that can be implemented on a long run 1. Shade variations can be rectified with standardizing it. A shade card could be developed with percentage shades, the quantity to be added while dyeing should be mentioned for each color i.e maintaining a shade card for the company. The new colors could be added on to this. Each color should be documented in terms of temperature, dye quantity, water to be added and a fabric swatch of the color. 2. Making the dyers (workers) aware of the various classes of dyes, the importance of accuracy in the dyeing process. Simple fastness tests can be carried out in the studio itself. The washing and light fastness can be tested manually and visually. A simple rubbing fastness test can be carried out by rubbing the dyed fabric against a white cloth. If the color bleeds, the white fabric would have the color transferred on that surface as well. 3. Using Natural dyes in the future – Natural dyeing is time consuming and costly compared to other dyeing processes. It includes a lot of pre treatments and mordanting. It would take time to completely move on to natural dyes, so this could be introduced through new exclusive collections and slowly take over the other dyes. 4. The beauty of Dip dyeing and tie dye lies in the imperfections it has, as they are dyed manually. Kharakapas takes small steps towards its future. The changes in dyeing process could certainly help them in improving the quality of the products.
Shade card for reactive dyes with shade percentage
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Priest King
SARI-INITIAL RESEARCH The initial research was conducted on Sari, its history and the evolution of sari as a classical wear. A sari is an unstitched piece of garment draped around the body of a woman, which is 6 yards long and is worn with a blouse on the upper body and petticoat on the lower body that keeps the tucked pleats in place. The sari accentuates the curves of a woman and the mid riff is exposed while wearing a sari. The early statues of goddesses shows that sari was draped in a sensual manner, which was tied up at the waist, covers the legs and came to the front of the legs like decorative drape. The approximate size of a sari is 47 inches by 216 inches. The sari has got 3 parts – the body, Pallu and borders. The border runs length wise on both sides of a sari and a border is also present at the end of the sari width wise. Pallu or pallav is the end portion of the sari. For the past 6 centuries, India has undergone a lot of changes. Different civilizations taking place, colonilisation, invasions, changing of rulers, cultures, freedom movements, emergence of a new India and so on. The clothing and fashion has been greatly influenced by the dynasties that ruled India, the Britishers, the swadeshi movement and the design influences that came from the west. Even after such an eventful past, sari remains a strong primary piece of clothing in the modern wardrobes, with slight changes with time.
A painting showing Lord Krishna,Yasodha and other women in draped clothing
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Draping of unstitched piece of fabric around the body of men and women dates back to centuries ago, there are proofs for example, the priest king statue from the Indus valley civilization showing a shawl been wrapped around the body of the priest. This has been a tradition ever since. Later on, this piece of cloth evolved in a much longer fabric around 4 to 9 yards in length, which was used to cover the upper as well as the lower body, the sari. Some costume historians believe that the men’s dhoti, which is the oldest Indian draped garment, is the forerunner of the sari. Until the fourteenth century, the dhoti was worn by both men and women. It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments, shawls, and veils have been worn by Indian women for a long time. The unstitched single piece of cloth came from the Hindu belief that that stitching the cloth made it impure. The sari is considered to be evolved from the three piece attire consisting of unstitched cloth draped around the lower torso, a piece used as a chest band and an unstitched piece is worn over the shoulder or head. When we look at the history of clothing, uttariya and antariya, the 2 pieces of fabric that is draped around the upper and lower body like pleated skirts, dhoti style drapes with a blouse wrapped around the bust. In different parts of the Indian sub continent, interestingly this unstitched fabric is draped very differently, the styles which could be adapted by men and women equally for different occasions and festivities. The unstitched cloth is used as sari by women, dhoti or veshti by men and also this piece of cloth is wrapped around the head as a pagdi or shawl which is draped around the upper body by men and women[8].
58 Idols of Godesses wearing draped and pleated dress
The saris in India are region specific with each sari having uniqueness when someone wears it. Each sari is different from one another according to the climate, the raw materials used, the loom on which it has been woven, the design and also the person wearing it. The kasavu sari from kerala, Bomkai from Odisha, kanchipuram from Tamilnadu, Paithini from Maharashtra, bandhini from Gujarat, The Benarasi Sari, Muga from Assam, Pochampally saris from Telengana, Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh are a few of the saris woven in India traditionally. There are more than 100 ways of draping a sari. Every region in India drapes this unstitched cloth in a different manner. The drape changes with utility, climate and culture. It also depends on the occasion of use. The sari draping also varies with religion and caste. The same sari worn by a dancer, a tribal woman, a Brahmin lady or a fisherwoman would be draped entirely different according to the work they do
Sari as Utility garment
For koli drape which is a sari drape found only in the coastal regions of Goa, this style is worn by fisherwomen. It is a 9 yard sari and the drape allows greater lower limb mobility. This drape covers the lower torso, can be doubled as petticoat and an under wear. The upper torso is covered separately. Similarly other drapes like the Gobbe Seere which has its origin in South and Central Karnataka, the particular drape is worn by Gowda landowners during the time of farming, agricultural works or at home, sometimes at formal occasions as well. The sari is draped in the form of a waistband which keeps the lower position in place and the knot at the upper right shoulder keeps the pallu intact while working [9].
Koli Drape Gobbe Seere drape
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The Nivi drape is the most common drape used nowadays. Even though it is the most common drape, it is versatile in its own way, depending on the length of the pallu, how short or long the pallu should be, how much do you pleat the sari, the size of each pleat and also the sari adapts to the bodyline of the wearer. Nivi drape has become more flexible and comfortable, which makes it popular among the people. The sari has been a classic wear, ever since the civilizations started or much before that. When a woman wears a sari, it becomes the part of the woman’s bodyline, it becomes an identity and it becomes you. This unique piece of cloth can be worn by both men and women. In modern India, still millions of women were saris daily, it has become a part of them. But in most of the places in India, sari is now considered as an occasion wear. It has become cumbersome to wear a sari for most of the women. In such a scenario, there are people who stand for a cause.
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Himanshu Verma, an art curator has been wearing sari since 2006, when he started curating the saris. He is popularly known as the ‘Sari Man’ and is a stead fast supporter of sari. Sari is a generic term, which is worn by men and women in 2-3 pieces of fabric. Himanshu is re appropriating the sari as a male garment, reclaiming its gender fluidity, it is the fluidity of the drape that matters not the gender or the person wearing it. He believes sari needs to be celebrated. He organizes the ‘sari Festival’, a series of pop up stores around the country to share these thoughts, vision and the love for the saris. He considers sari as an art form and started wearing it as a part of a project, to redefining the perceptions of masculinity. He first wore his mother’s sari. He believes Indians have a deep relationship with the sari. Sari is something which can be draped in several ways; the drape can be interpreted differently for either gender. The Buddhist monks wear unstitched pieces of cloth draped around their body, the common element is the drape. Himanshu experiments with the sari, to explore the concepts like ‘sari is impractical ’and he wishes to bring back sari as an everyday wear , where sari has just become an occasional wear for the younger generations. He does a lot of freestyle drapes, looking beyond the regional identification. For Himanshu, when one wears a sari, he or she gets connected to immense traditions that we have and you get enriched by this. He spreads the message of ‘Jai Sari’[10].
61 Himanshu Verma, the Sari Man
Another phase of wearing a sari, the love towards sari can be experienced in the transgender community in India. For them, sari is the expression of their feminity, culture, tradition and the indianness. In a hijra community, wearing a sari is common; it is a sign of respect to the traditions, elders and their guru. It also signifies a position, when the girl reaches a certain age; she starts to wear a sari traditionally. Similarly in the hijra community, there is a guru who looks after and trains the disciples. Giving sari to a disciple is considered as a greatest honour for them. Sari is a garment, which are many things at once – modest and sexy, casual and formal and most importantly it is uniquely south asian and essentially feminine, which gives an identity[11]. Sari is a signifier of national identity. It is region specific; it gives a regional identity on a global platform.
Transgenders and the hijra community wearing sari
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The sari is also a very forgiving garment because depending on the personality of the wearer, a sari can adapt to anybody’s body size and shape. One of the India’s famous designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee created a project called ‘Save the Sari’ to educate the consumers about the sari and encouraging them to use this as an everyday wear. The wearing of a sari is not that difficult; the biggest challenge arises while convincing the consumers to adopt a sari as not just an occasional wear [12]. The sari has become an iconic wear through the Raja Ravi Varma paintings, Indira Gandhi’s Handloom saris etc. Even though the versatile unstitched fabric is only draped mostly in Nivi style, with the pleats in front and pallu on the left shoulder, the blouse has been undergoing changes and has turned to something which is more comfortable, wearable and representative of a newer generation. The sari wearers like college professors, the people who wear khadi saris to work, they experiment with blouses and with the silhouettes that is not typically Indian. The blouse that we see today became popular in the 1900s. In the Victorian times on could see highnecked, full-sleeved, loose-fitting blouses paired with chiffon floral saris, or a cowl-necked, 3/4 sleeve long line top worn during a tiger hunt. The fashion trends of the blouse also changed with time. In 1900s,the choli blouse became famous. If you look at this semiotically, depending on the socio- economic conditions, the hemlines become long with an economic woe and short when things are in surplus.
Saris and Blouses from Victorian Times
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The choli blouse is short with a 6 inch long sleeve, scoop neck in front and back with eye and hook closures in the front, which is a style that is widely seen today. The Indian designers like Sanjay Garg of the brand Raw Mango and Anavila Mishra who designs linen saris had led to the modest anti fit sari blouse movement. The traditional classic sari is worn with not so traditional style of blouses. It could be raglan sleeves, Peter Pan collar and with a zip. For Anavila, her personal experience of wearing a sari everyday with too tight blouses led her to move into much more loose silhouettes for blouses. Then the sari would become as comfortable as jeans and top. Now the sari is worn along with crop tops, t shirts, shirts and many other modern garments, which brings the past and present together. The ‘Sari Project’ was an initiative by Border and Fall, a digital publication and creative agency working at the intersection of fashion and craft, focused on India’s evolving design language. The sari has been a versatile garment and an incredible design contribution from India. This documents how to drape a sari in 84 different ways, the past, present and future of the sari. The aim of the project is to educate people about different drapes that are possible with the sari as people think that nivi drape is the only drape that is there and giving the people a platform to learn and experiment with drapes. There were drapes which even did not require a blouse or petticoat which existed 100 years ago.
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The sari is a living and breathing garment meant for adaptation. Being such a wonderful piece of fabric that adapts, the younger generation considers it as traditional and old fashioned, these perceptions puts the garment at risk. The Sari project which is present in the form of a series of short films showcases how the sari can adapt to the future generation clothing. A survey was conducted by Border and Fall to understand the social and cultural perceptions towards sari. 98% of the crowd knows less than 15 styles of draping a sari while there exists more than 100 styles.94% of the people wear saris occasionally for weddings, festivals and corporate events. Women altogether believes that sari can be worn by anyone and everyone[13]. The sari has supported and sustained the livelihoods of weavers and craftsmen. The sari shows connectivity from storytelling and identity, family and community to environment and work place. India has been a part of a continuous unbroken civilization. The culture and traditions of India are alive in its crafts, rituals, Vedas and puranas. Sometimes an evolution is observed for these traditions. As every Indian holds the culture of their nation to their heart, the clothing styles also stays the same with a contemporary influence.
Drapes from the Sari Project
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MARKET RESEARCH “SUSTAINABILITY IS ABOUT MUCH MORE THAN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENVIRONMENT; IT’S ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OURSELVES, OUR COMMUNITIES, AND OUR INSTITUTIONS.”
As Kharakapas is an online brand, an online research was conducted to study the competitors and the products.
COMPETITORS OF THE BRAND
Clothing from Bodice
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A company or a brand becomes the competitor for another on the basis of the design ethics, target audience, pricing of the products and product range to name a few. Kharakapas is a brand which promotes eco fashion. This concept of fashion has been in the lime light for some time now. Some of the brands like Nicobar, Pero, Anavila, Raw mango, Bodice, Anomaly etc also promote fair trade and the design sensibilities are same as Kharakapas with simple and minimalistic designs. Even though, Kharakapas works only with pure cotton and produces women’s clothing line, brands like Nicobar produces clothing, home and travel products. Brands like Doodlage which creates up cycled garments also work towards slow eco fashion. Nicobar, Pero, Bodice, Anomaly, Poochki etc has the same product line. The pricing of products in Kharakapas is comparable with that of Nicobar, Bodice, Anomaly and Poochki.
Poochki brings out a lot of traditionally printed garments, while Kharakapas, Nicobar and Anomaly works with minimum prints and a lot of solid colors. Kharakapas is pure cotton and mulmul clothing while other brands also use silk and linen fabrics along with cotton. Kharakapas stands out from these brands in its silhouettes and styles and the beautiful drape, texture, look and feel the cotton fabric gives to the wearer. For all these players, Modern India is the playground and the aim is to give the rich Indian traditions a global appeal. The following brands work with the same design sensibility, target customers and product range-Anavila, Raw Mango, Nicobar, Olio and Online stores like Ogaan, Jaypore, Craftsvilla and other stores. All these brands work with minimalism, anti fit, flowing clothes with an eye for sustainable fashion. Also they have saris in their clothing line while web stores like Jaypore and Craftsvilla sells handmade hand crafted products. Kharakapas being a brand with hand crafted products has been able to stand out from these brands. Kharakapas works with a lot of solid colors dip dyed and tie dyed fabrics. The wovens mostly include stripes and self designs. As the brand plans to move to more prints, the minimalistic prints are also studied. The previous two collections (Tumeric Trails and Coonoor ) the brand has launched two- three saris. The response has been overwhelming for the saris. The exhibitions help in understanding what the customers want and the feedbacks we get from them. People preferred to have solid colors and soft pastel shades, with less weaves or prints.
FABRICS AND TECHNIQUES Cotton, silk and Linen are the major fabrics that are used for clothing by these brands. Silk would be blended with cotton and also chanderi silk is mostly used. Other synthetic fabrics like georgette can also be seen in the market. The earlier notion of a particular fabric for an occasion has changed. The value of cotton, the drape, the texture has made them not only as an everydaywear but also as an occasion wear. The sarees are mostly wovens,with solid color and very minimal weaves on it. Contrast color combinations has created an interest in people.The prints are mostly seen on the body of the sari, as overall print and also only on the pallu as well. Two categories of clothing can be observed in the market.Mostly all the brands promotes Indian textiles and crafts.This concept is brought into the market in different ways. The major two perspectives are - Incorporating the craft into the clothing,on a large scale were the whole garment would be made of that particular craft. The technique is seen very clearly. The other perspective is supporting the traditional crafts, but the usage would be minimal. Here more emphasis is given to the fabric, the feel of it, with minimal designs. Then there are brands which take it one step forward, were they upcycle the fabrics and add value to it, without wastage of fabrics.
Nicobar
Pero
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The brands like Pero, Nicobar, Raw Mango has the same product range as Kharakapas and is mostly webstore competitors. These brands work with silk and cotton. Rawmango works with Chanderi silk, varanasi silk and Pero works with upcycling. The exhibitions also forms a platform for studying the market. Brands like Shivangi Sahini, Raiman,Kinche by Payal Jegi, Buna and many other upcoming designers were also studied. Raiman produces clothing line which works with a lot of embroideries like kantha, applique and patchwork. While Buna works with Khadi, jamdani keeping the main focus on Khadi in simple silhouettes. The designer brand Sreya Samantha creates textile stories and works with the crafts in Bengal(Kantha,Applique, Weaving). Kinche works with organic linen, kalacotton and traditional embroideries.Also work with screen printing.These were some brands which were visited through exhibitions and products were studied. The Customer interactions helped in understanding the unique colors, the techniques like dip dyeing, saris, silhouttes and prints they like.
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Dresses by Nicobar, Pero and Raw Mango
Dresses by Competitor brands
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Saris by Raw Mango, Anavila , Klinche and Masaba Gupta
Brands ike Anavila creates saris in Linen fabric, which is loosely woven and handloom. Masaba gupta saris are made of georgette while brands like Kinche works on Linen and Silk. For Anavila, the fabric itself gives a uniqueness to the wearer.Raw Mango uses different types of Silk and some varities of hand woven cotton.
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PRINTS Over all prints and butas are seen in the fabrics as prints. Block prints and screen prints are available, mostly with natural colors. Printed stripes,florals, traditional indian motifs are found on the prints. The trends globally was also looked up on as Kharakapas is an online brand with customers all over the world. The following were the influential trends for Spring summer’18Psychotropical - This trend is an evolution of the experience economy, focused on how nature will branch out to include virtual reality wonderlands. Expect to see a significant increase in brand activations and collaborations around this idea. Also, as digital increasingly incorporates the physical, expect ‘phygital’ design: making design more life like and emotionally compelling. Youth Tonic - Defined by a strong sense of individuality and creativity, youth culture is influencing every area of the market. Youth itself will become a state of mind; while the growth of virtual reality and data will allow for new means of creative expression and self-identity. Kinship - The evolutions of connectivity, both real and virtual, are driving the Kinship trend – which focuses on a growing sense of community, cultural sharing and breaking boundaries. Slow Futures - This is about the stripping away of excess, where new is not necessarily better. Design and technology will merge more seamlessly together, creating a rustic minimalism that will combat overconsumption.
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ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH The following trends were taken forward from the research - The sari remains to be the classic wear. As there is an emerging trend of bringing sari to the lime light as sari is now changing into just an occassional wear. People have moved on to other garments like salwarsuits, jeans and top. Sari needs a glorification. - The fabrics that are used are mostly natural which includes cotton, linen and silk. - Slow fashion has been an influencing trend, which works with minimalism and sustainability. - People are moving towards more comfortable clothing, with loose fits and flowing silhouettes. The customers like experimenting with clothing like layering the garments and also understanding the feel of the cloth. - Kharakapas,being an online store, has a lot of competitors and chances of designs getting plagiarized. - People like to experience the clothes or garments. They like to feel it and wear it and see how it looks on them. This becomes a disadvantage as the brand is a web store.
BRAIN STORMING Brain storming was carried out for developing stories,techniques and color palatte. Techniques that could be used - Weaving - Tie dye - Dip dyeing - Recycling fabrics - Block printing - Screen printing - simple embroidery While observing the collections the brand has, one could feel a continuity while moving from one collection to another. This coud be in the form of fabrics, silhouettes, colors, prints and weaves. After studying the collections and the themes that the brand creates, ideas were noted down for new inspirations.
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‘IF WINTER COMES, CAN SPRING BE FAR BEHIND’ – P B SHELLY
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After the research and brainstorming, the following stories were made, which were further taken forward for conceptualization. No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn. Winter is loneliness, the snow covered trees, the dead feeling, waiting for a whole new story, coming its way. Spring is when the hibernating seeds open its eyes, feel the little sunshine on its face. The time when the buds pre bloom, as nature finds new roots through the old ones, all beings hoping for the summer sun to touch them, to feel the joyful breeze of the earth. The seasons show the movement in time, the happiness that has touched you, the hardships faced on the way, experiencing the different phases of life, of nature. Spring is all about optimism, the hope for good. The story narrates the transition, the changes that happen while moving from one season to another. The changes could be hidden sometimes, could be gradual, irregular and sometimes unnoticed. It’s about the growth in nature, in time, in everyone which is necessary.
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‘I MISS THE OLD DAYS’
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The past gives us a lot of memories, which evolve into stories that add pages to our life. The childhood, playfulness, the people we met, the things that influenced us, that made us what we are! The memories give you the identity, the reflection of yourself. The star gazing, hide and seek, polka dotted dresses, the stories that we used to hear, everything in the past, present and future is what you are. Bringing back the classics to the present. Introspection helps in understanding your true self. When the vintage is back, the past becomes the part of your present.
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On discussion with the client, the second story ‘I Miss the Old Days’ was converted as a sub story for the first story (theme). The vintage florals and playfulness of the summer flowers were taken forward with the story. The Final Story included Checks and Stripes, Solid Colors and Florals. The keywords derived from both the stories TRANSITION GROWTH HIDDEN TIME OPTIMISM PLAYFUL CLASSIC MEMORIES IDENTITY Few key words were selectedTRANSITION GROWTH CLASSIC PLAYFUL IDENTITY Transition brought in the flowiness, the irregularities and the change. Sari being a classic wear and the playful prints would create an identity to the wearer. A new mood board wasdeveloped. The next step was to develop the Color Story.
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Final Mood Board
A new mood board was created with both the stories together. Different stripes were also looked upon- thick and thinlines, uniform stripes, water colored stripes as prints, Multi colored stripes and also stripes with other weaves like twills.
83 Styles and Looks
THE COLOR STORY Initially the color palattes of the brand was studied, the most unique selling colors and the colors which would be used according to the story. Different color combinations were tried out to finally arrive on a color story. The story includes the warmness of summer, the paleness of winter, the hope that spring brings in.The palatte has Key colors which would be used in more prominent as well as accents which would give it the summer look. The colors were also refined on the basis of the dye colors which would work best with cotton and mulmul fabrics. The color story has Ivory and whites also being used as key colors as it provides a sense of purity and innocence. It shows the starting of a peaceful summer with the pastel pinks showing a sign of health and soft touch. The yellows shows heat and vitality, the warmth and joyfulness. The neutral colors of ivory, light browns is about the earthiness. The green connects to the nature. On thw whole, it is about taking a deep breath, oxygenating and rising your spirit.
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COLOR EXPLORATION
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CONCEPTUALISATION The keywords were further brainstormed to develop concepts - Lines -Gradations -Tints and Shades -Monochromes -Illusionistic -Thick and Thin lines -Light to dark
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Initial conceptsin Monochromes and Black and whites which shows thick and thin stripes.
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A sari would consists of 2 borders on either sides with a body and a pallu as an end piece. The length of the sari is approximately 216 inchesand width is 45-48 inches.
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CONCEPTS
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DEVELOPED USING COLOR PALATTE
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THE
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Further Iterations were made on the colors and layouts astheInitial ones were considered to be busy and too much happening with the stripes. The concepts were developed for yarn dyed weaving. Number of colors were reduced and the stripes were concentrated on certain areas of the sari.
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Some of the concepts were worked upon many time to get the color combination better. Concentrated more on the pin stripes with color blocks. The border width varies from 0.5�-1.5�
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Different colors are tried out for the pallu with the same body design and broader stripes. Thin border is also given on one side with a contrast color.
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Some of the concept were applied to the actual measurements of the sari, and the the look of the whole sari was studied. All the stripes are uniformly arranged and mostly with a broader border. Same pattern is tired out with different tints and shades and a contrasting thin border.
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From top- 52,53,54 108
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From top - 55,56,57 110
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From Top - 58,59, 60 112
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From top - 61, 62,63 114
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From Top- 64,65,66 116
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COLOR EXPLORATIONS Eight concepts were selected initially,print outs were taken and colors were matched with the shade card. Fabrics were dyed according to the design and color palatte and matched to see the visual appeal. The colors were dyed manually in the inhouse dyeing unit, and were kept as samples. This helped in understanding how to match or yield the exact colors as we wish. This included a lot of experimentation with the dye powder, some times the shade was darker, sometimes lighter.The fabric swatches were put along with the sari designs to get a better understanding of the look and colors. The selected designs were applied with the actual sari measurements, the number of stripes and the width of each stripe and boder width were decided. Manually drawn measurements were converted to proper specification sheet with the colors. Pantone numbers are not followed here, instead thread color is matched from a shade card and given to the weaver along with colored fabric swatches. Later on two more designs were selected from the concepts 58 and 66 with changing the border color into red shades.
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Swatches Developed
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FINAL CONCEPT 1
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FINAL CONCEPT 2
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FINAL CONCEPT 3
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FINAL CONCEPT 4
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FINAL CONCEPT 5
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FINAL CONCEPT 6
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FINAL CONCEPT 7
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FINAL CONCEPT 8
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FINAL CONCEPT 9
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The sample developed along with the design whuch was given for weaving. The width of the stripe was 0.5� each with1�border in contrast tothe body and pallu of the sari.
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Illustrations showing the sari designs draped on women. The emphasis is given to the pallu in a few saris while in some the whole body is woven with stripes.
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Mood Board
FLORAL PRINTS Floral Prints form an essential part of Spring Summer. Different prints were looked up on, which formed small bouquet of flowers. Being a contemporary brand, indian buta motifs also forms a part of this.The small flowers add color to the raising energetic summer. Indian flowers as well as english prints were taken as inspiration. Elements were taken out from the moodboard and initial concepts for the print were made.
145 Inspirational Images
INITIAL CONCEPTS
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Fromthe initial concepts, some motifs were selected and digitalised to see the colors. Different colors were tried out and forms were refined. This was followed by setting the motifs in different repeats, motif sizes and distances.
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The motifs in different color combinations and styles, a few were selected fromthese and explored further. The motif was doubled, sizes were varied and combined to create other motifs as well.
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The initial Print madewas a closely repeated,tossed pattern.Corrections were made to this Spaced prints Smaller motifs Tossed or Non Directional Repeat Straight Repeat, if works better Print outs on paper were taken to understand the size and how would it look when printed.
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PRINT EXPLORATIONS
CONCEPT 1
Size of the Motif - 1”X1” Distance between each motif - 5” 158
Size of the Motif - 0.5”X0.5” Distance between each motif - 2.5”
Size of the Motif - 0.5”X0.5” Distance between each motif - 3” 159
Size of the Motif - 1”X1” Distance between each motif - 6” 160
Size of the Motif - 0.5”X0.5” Distance between each motif - 7”
Size of the Motif - 1”X1” Distance between each motif - 6” 161
CONCEPT 2
Size of the Motif - 2”X2” Distance between each motif - 6” 162
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1” Distance between each motif - 1.5”
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 1.5” 163
Size of the Motif - 2”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 6” 164
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 3”
Size of the Motif - 1”X1” Distance between each motif - 5” 165
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CONCEPT 3
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1” Distance between each motif - 4.5” 167
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1” Distance between each motif - 1”X0.75” 168
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 1”
Size of the Motif - 1.25”X1.25” Distance between each motif - 7.5” 169
Size of the Motif - 2”X2” Distance between each motif - 12” 170
Size of the Motif - 2.5”X2.5” Distance between each motif - 3”
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 4.5”
Size of the Motif - 1”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 8” 171
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1” Distance between each motif - 4.5” 172
Size of the Motif - 1.25”X1” Distance between each motif - 1.5”
CONCEPT 4
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X2.5” Distance between each motif - 9” 173
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Size of the Motif - 1”X2” Distance between each motif - 6”
Size of the Motif - 0.75”X1.75” Distance between each motif - 14”
Size of the Motif - 1”X2” Distance between each motif - 5” 175
PRINT RECTIFICATIONS AND COLOR EXPLORATIONS Concept 1,2,3 were taken forward for further iterations and motif sizes were decided. Different colorways were also created.
Size of the Motif- 1”X1” Distance Between the Motifs - 6” Half Drop Repeat(Non Directional) 176
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Size of the Motif- 2”X1.75” Distance Between the Motifs - 8” Half Drop Repeat
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Size of the Motif - 1.25”X1.25” Distance between each motif - 7.5”
Size of the Motif - 2”X2” Distance between each motif - 12” 184
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1” Distance between each motif - 4.5”
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A few more concepts were worked on along with other floral prints. Three motifs from the roses were selected for developing different repeats.
CONCEPT 5
Size of the Motif - 0.5”X0.75” Distance between each motif - 1.5” 188
Size of the Motif - 0.5”X0.75” Distance between each motif - 2.5”
Size of the Motif - 0.5”X0.75” Distance between each motif - 4” 189
Size of the Motif - 0.75”X1” Distance between each motif - 6.5” 190
Size of the Motif - 1”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 3”
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CONCEPT 6
Size of the Motif - 1”X1” Distance between each motif - 2.5” 192
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Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 5” 194
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CONCEPT 7
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 5” 197
Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 7” 198
Color Exploration For the selected Rose motifs and in repeats
Size of the Motif - 1”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 3” 199
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Size of the Motif - 1.5”X1.5” Distance between each motif - 7”
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Concept 5 and 7 were selected and spec sheets were made with different contrasting border colors for BlockPrinting. While block printing, each block could be used as different designs. The outline block couldbe a design, the filling blockscould be a different design.
Blocks which could be used differently, for creating new designs
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Samples and fabrics used for printing
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PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT The selected print designs were created for sari prints as well as fabric yardages for garments. The prints were developed through Hand block Printing and Hand screen printing. Sampling was carried out with these techniques. As Kharakapas works with local artisans, the fabric samples weredeveloped in Jaipur and Faridabad. Blocks were developed using the designs. The design had 6 colors which was reduced to 4, for cost effectiveness and better productivity. The designs were drawn on tracing sheet in the required size and each block to be developed is marked with different colors as seen in the images. The colors were matched(Shade card and dyed fabric sample) and printed. Fabrics which were used for sampling - Voile(80X72),Voile(92X80), Organic cotton and Khadi Slub Cotton. Rose Concept 7 ( Refer the Image) - 4 wooden blocks which include rekh,gadd blocks for outline and filling. Rose Conecpt 5 (Refer the Image) - 2 Blocks for filling the colors,no outline.
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Defects and Rectifications Challenges were the color matching and the placement of blocks on top of each print.Initially the print was along witha solid color border,which would be also printed.The border placement and perfection was not good as expected, It showed color spreads and each block placed was seen distantly which was not aesthetically appealing. The border print was replaced with woven borders and another fabric strip was also sewn as border. The color matching was done with fabric swatches instead of shade card, which helped the printers in identifying the colors better. Screen printing was also tried out,which was less acceptable with not much quantity of fabrics.Hand screen printing worked better with large quantities of fabric, as each screen development cost around Rs.1000.
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COSTING AND FEEDBACKS The rates has been estimated , so it can vary according to the garment and profit calculated. For printed fabrics( block Printing)yardages EPI - 92 PPI-80 Yarncount - 80s Ne( warp and weft) Cost of the fabric/m - Rs. 120 Cost of Printing/m - Rs.75-80 ( colors, blocks made) Labour Cost+Finishing- Rs.20 Total Cost - Rs.220/m (approx.) This would be considered as the rate for yardages which wouldbe printed, later converted to garments. For a printed garment Cost of the fabric/m - Rs.220 Minimum of 3-4m required to make a garment- Rs.880 Cost of the lining fabric(3-4m)- Rs.400 Cost of Stitching - Rs.280 Cost of Trims - Rs.15-20 Labour Cost- 50 Checking,Ironing and Packing -Rs.20 Resources used -100 Total Cost - Rs.1,750( without calculating the profit)
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For a Saree EPI-80 PPI-74 Yarn Count - 80s Ne,Single Ply(Approx.) Weave used - Plain Raw material Cost - Rs.600 (Setting up of loom,dyeing the yarns,warping) Cost of Weaving - Rs.500 Other Expenses - Rs.50 Total Cost - Rs.1150 ( Without calculating the profit)
The main aim of the this project was to create authentic prints and weaves for the fabric. This has helped them to make more unique products than the other brands. Also the direct dyes are getting replaced by reactive dyes slowly, which had improved the quality of the garment made. The costing has not been effected much,that is carried out on the basis of the brand value as well. There is a chance that the cost can go high as the quality has gone further up in the scale. This has given the brand a confidence in creating more of their own prints and weaves along with the silohouttes.
CONCLUSION The Diploma project has a chance to experience and interact with the textile industry, the design industry. This has helped in understanding the customer needs,what they would like to have. Working with the Indian market has introduced me to new brands, people and different perspectives of looking at what design is. Design is not only consumer needs ,it is aboutpeople, profit,environment friendliness, the attitude of providing a helping hand to the fellow beings also forms an essential part of design. The project has helped in understanding the world better, a better me.
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REFERENCES
OTHER WEBSITES • •
WEBSITES
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1.
http://businessworld.in/article/Ethical-Slow-Fashion-AndWhat-People-Perceive-About-It-/23-09-2017-126421/ 2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/fashion/ style-guide/its-the-time-to-go-slow-with-fashion/articleshow/57356428.cms 3. http://www.upasana.in/2017/01/18/slow-and-steady-the-future-of-fashion/ 4. http://www.upasana.in/2017/01/18/slow-and-steady-the-future-of-fashion/ 5. https://www.notjustalabel.com/editorial/slow-fashion-movement 6. http://elle.in/fashion/nicobar-slow-fashion-india/ 7. http://businessworld.in/article/Ethical-Slow-Fashion-AndWhat-People-Perceive-About-It-/23-09-2017-126421/ 8. http://www.borderandfall.com/journal/the-saris-origins/ 9. http://www.borderandfall.com/journal/utilitarian-sari-drapes/ 10. http://www.borderandfall.com/journal/journalhimanshu-verma-hails-the-sari/ 11. http://www.borderandfall.com/journal/dress-identity/ 12. http://www.borderandfall.com/sabyasachi-mukherjee-sari 13. http://www.borderandfall.com/journal/sari-survey-2016/
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http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/dHLZm4kpTZdgsqk2I0wpoO/Style--The-sari-warriors.html http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/mad-about-mulmul/article3303695.ece http://www.truthaboutthreadcount.com/pure-linen.html http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/culture/sari-symbolism-indian-feminity/ https://medium.com/indian-ethnic-fashion/an-introductionto-the-saree-6775fd474318 http://www.dyescolours.com/reactive-dyes.html https://textilelearner.blogspot.in/2012/01/dyeing-of-cotton-fabric-with-reactive.html https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog/2015/mar/31/natural-dyes-v-syntheticwhich-is-more-sustainable http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/dyes http://sustainable-fashion.com/blog/dyeing-to-do-things-differently/ http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/6935/manufacturing-standards-for-sustainable-dyes http://www.indiantextilejournal.com/articles/FAdetails.asp?id=5518 http://source.ethicalfashionforum.com/article/10-toxic-chemicals-to-avoid-in-your-products https://www.wgsn.com/blogs/wgsn-presents-the-most-influential-trends-for-ss18/# http://www.academia.edu/30017893/Sustainable_Eco_Fashion_Kharakapas_-A_case_study http://source.ethicalfashionforum.com/article/fashions-carbon-footprint https://www.slideshare.net/nics0503/carbon-footprints-in-textile https://www.shopify.com/blog/khara-kapas-taking-risks
BOOKS • •
Indian Saris -Tradition-Perspective - Design by Vijay Singh Katiyar Pool Magazine,Edition 66