Glocal- Sustainable Fashion

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April 2020

Scapes of Ahmedabad BV Doshi

Framed by

Jyoti Bhatt

FASHION Story of India

Sapna Patel

Asal Shripal

Soham Dave Button Masala Anuj Sharma

Bandhej Archana Shah

Moral ďŹ ber Slow Fashion Quality in lifestyle

Fashion Magazine Pure Essence Rs 150/-

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Editor

Nandita Shah

Magazine Compilation Kritika Sinha

Layout Research Kaivalya Joshi

Image Research Sakshi Chandrani Kritika Sinha

Text Research

Sakshi Chandrani Chandrama Mallick Athira Panamukkil Nabanita Das

Photo Retouching Kaivalya Joshi

Font Research Kaivalya Joshi

Advertising Brands Nicobar Raw Mango Cord Kala Cotton Shift Eka Runaway Bicycle Bodice Shorshe Love Birds Itr Maiwa Khadiwala Designer The Plavate The Summer House

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“Avest’n” is made as part of our academic criterion to make a magazine based on sustainable fashion in our locality (Ahmedabad). Due to the pandemic condition around the world, we had to bring forth the magazine with the secondary research information and content with no intentions of plagiarism, blasphemy or sedition.

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Editor’s note “Buy less, choose well and do it yourself!” ― Vivienne Westwood.

Well what you literally interpret from this is exactly where we decided to bring up from our baby steps. We are the aspirants of Master in Fashion Styling and Communication from the Unitedworld Institute of Design, Karnavati University, Gandhinagar and “AVEST’N” is our contribution to the world of fashion that chases their way into sustainability to bring the better in and for them. Ethics + Aesthetics = Sustainable Fashion.

“Clothes could have more meaning and longevity if we think less about owning the latest or cheapest thing and develop more of a relationship with the things we wear” -Elizabeth L. Cline. Fashion sustainability is the idea to save the world from fast fashion that takes a toll on various products and lives. “Fast fashion is not free. Someone somewhere is paying” -Lucy Siegle.

Sustainable fashion is partly about producing clothes, shoes and accessories in environmentally and socio-economically sustainable manners, but also about more sustainable patterns of consumption and use, which necessitate shifts in individual attitudes and behaviour.

“What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.- Jane Goodall.

Avest’n brings forth our issue on sustainability and has tried our best in bringing the hard working hands behind the sustainable stores in our locality (Ahmedabad) to the spotlight. Any step taken towards the betterment of the world is never gone wasted and is always appreciated for the best in it. And through our very first magazine we would like to appreciate all the sustainable fashion developers around us making the world a better place.

“Demand quality not just in the products you buy, but in the life of the person who made it.” —Orsola de Castro, designer and cofounder of Fashion Revolution

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C O NT E NTS

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Fashion Story of India Asal Soham Dave Button Masala Bandhej Moral fiber Slow Fashion, quality in lifestyle

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Framed Jyoti Bhatt

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Music and Style Taal- a beat of emotions

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Arts Ghunghroo- mode of communication

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Around the city Indigo Pramila Choudhary- An Artist

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Scapes BV Doshi Urban scape Flipstone Cafe

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Fashion Casuals to ethnic wears and wedding looks name it and Ahmedabad is the spot for your dream looks. But that’s just not it! Just as Ahmedabad is known for its heritage and crafts, it is also working on the fashion industry with a little more contribution to the Story of India Sapna Patel world and its people. Passionate pioneers have made their mark through the sustainable ideas that they can offer to the industry in their own way.

Taking a step closer to the better world, we stand in their perspective for the view with sustainability in fashion.

Button Masala Anuj Sharma

ASAL

Soham Dave

Bandhej

Moral fiber

Shripal Shah

Archana Shah

Framed Jyoti Bhatt

We all wanted to save our dearest memories and cameras, phones and photography has always helped us in it. Just a click!

And it is saved forever in a memory. Well what is it that we would want to save but not for ourselves, but everyone, like a piece of knowledge about a tribe that you never knew existed.

Music & style A city so immensely rich in culture and heritage also known for its musical knowledge reserves the responsibility to preserve it. Through festivals, Ahmedabad shows its diverse and rich classical music still stands tall.

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Taal- a beat of emotions

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Art When dreams of a better tomorrow are what your eyes can see, nothing can stop you from creating it. Along with ideas to serve for the better, the purpose is served only when the community as a whole comes together for the execution of these ideas and awareness is the step that lacks from the portions for obtaining it. Art serves its purpose of leading to the future, through spreading the awareness in the form of visual grace.

Ghunghroo- mode of communication

Around the city Heritage and crafts, just like anywhere else, Ahmedabad also tries and keeps them preserved. Museums, exhibitions that give us awareness and also ideas, knowledge and exposure. Opening a portal to the world that we might have thought very primitive, the exposure clearly shows how wide and in depth can some go with topics.

Indigo

Pramila Choudhary - An Artist

Scapes Heritage is well preserved in Ahmedabad and paves way to the modern upcoming architectures inspiring indian architects to bring up the glory of these ancient Indian architectures once again. But that’s just not it! Minimalists have also glorified the landscapes in Ahmedabad and are surprisingly embodied by the quality of the physical factors of the environment.

BV Doshi

Urban Scapes

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NICOBAR Nicobar are a set of islands in the Indian Ocean known for natural beauty and relaxation.

The Nicobar brand was inspired by the Indian Ocean, the Spice Route, and a relaxed island aesthetic. This relaxed island inspiration is at the centre of the Nicobar brand. The story begins at Good Earth, and at the crossroads of craft and community. Two separate entities, each with its own voice, Good Earth and Nicobar share fundamental values, and both stem from a desire to shape culture in an original and inspiring way.

“At Nicobar we’re creating a modern Indian way of living, dressing, and looking at the world.

This is at the heart of everything we do.”

Nicobar is a state of mind: spontaneous, bright and enviably chic. Inspired by the tropical paradise of the same name, the brand aims to carve itself a unique aesthetic voice. It’s boundless spirit for adventure and discovery has translated into a lifestyle, tailor-made for the contemporary Indian. The brand highlights a modern India that embraces its rich traditions.

The set of minimalist iconography is a means to provide flexibility in various design forms and patterns that can be creatively used limitlessly.

Nicobar blends old world craft with contemporary style by utilizing these old-world processes that have been around for centuries such as weaving handloom fabrics and creating fabrics printed with natural dyes. Also noteworthy is that all of Nicobar’s fabrics are natural if not handloom woven, which is actually totally on trend! For the contemporary twist, Nicobar’s home decor and fashion collections utilize cotton, linen, and silk in Western silhouettes while maintaining an Indian identity.

“Ultimately Nicobar is a vehicle to communicate a philosophy of living. We felt the fast fashion pendulum was swinging too far and yearned for products that are designed to last, not trenddriven, and inspired by natural design and materials. We wanted to design the products we’d use ourselves but just could not find here in India, ones that reflected our history and yet were global in their appeal.” Says Raul Rai, co-founder at Nicobar.

“Inspired by journeys across the Indian Ocean, our philosophy is simple: we make products that are designed to last, not trend-driven, inspired by natural design and materials, and influenced by the culture we grew up in. Fabrics matter, as do fit and form. Whether in clothing or homeware, these things matter: simplicity, versatility, the ability to layer and to build.”

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STORY OF INDIA Sapna Patel

Story of India is a multi-designer concept store where they promote organic and artistic designs. The store is housing exclusive women’s prêt, resort and couture lines along with Jewellery, bags, shoes and other accessories. The Multi-designer concept store with a unique preview of ethnic Summer Fashion from the best of fashion artists! Why hop from one shop to another, when you can grab the latest fashion from the best fashion artists in ethnic fashion space all under one roof.

Founder and fashion enthusiast, Sapna Patel belongs to a reputed business family of Ahmedabad. Her love for fashion and luxury gave birth to the Story of India. She has dedicated and outsourced herself to provide a platform for curators from all over India and understands the individuality of every designer. She aims to deliver a luxurious fashion experience with a wide choice of labels and designers from all across the country and has developed ‘Story of India’ as the city’s most fashionable address for individuals who are keen to wear designer clothes.

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The artisan and handicrafts support network Story of India put on Weave In, a curated selection of sustainable handloom fashion labels, at Prahladnagar Garden in Ahmedabad. Weave In was a fashion exhibition and shopping event that presented six up-and-coming sustainable fashion labels: Galang Gabaan, Little Khadi, Advaita, Cross A Line, Priti Prashant, and Sagaa by Vanita. The event welcomed shoppers on March 12 to browse the labels and learn about their stories as well as about Indian handicrafts as a whole.

One of the brands featured, Galang Gabaan, showcased its clothing made from Odisha weaves. The brand, which means “with love” in the regional language of Santhali, brought along a selection of linen sarees, loose dresses, and casual separates featuring whimsical details like cut-out flowers.

Little Khadi traveled over from New Delhi for the exhibition and presented its selection of Khadi children’s wear. The brand’s clothing takes its cues from traditional wear shapes but keeps them simple and fuss-free for children.

NIFT graduate Priti Prashant presented a collection of brightly coloured sarees and dresses and the other brands showed a similar selection of handcrafted clothing. The event saw Ahmedabad celebrate handcrafted fashion as well as this crop of fresh labels.

‘Story of India’ curated the finest in Indian fashion and represents the pinnacle of modern luxury and service. Founded by Sapna Patel, ‘Story of India’ has become a leading fashion destination in Ahmedabad. We envision bringing Indian craftsmanship to the forefront of global retail, and are committed to delivering an extraordinary fashion experience. Our boutiques carry the latest creations by India’s most prominent and acclaimed brands including – Pero, Eka, Tokree, Shorsee, Lajjoo C, Kaveri, Urvashi Kaur, Ulupi, Love Birds, Cord, Plavate, etc. As a pioneer in the fashion industry, our philosophy is the culmination of good aesthetics, eclectic styling, great client servicing and hosting “occasion wear” — a must in a country that is always celebrating!

Sustainable fashion is today a highly debated and increasingly covered topic in media and at seminars worldwide. More and more clothing companies are transforming their business models and improving their supply chains to reduce overall environmental impacts, improve social conditions in factories, etc. We also see a growing awareness among consumers, especially younger generations. (It may be added that some individuals rightly question whether the word “sustainable” should in fact be used in relation to the fashion industry, which by definition relies on fast consumption. A better term may thus be more sustainable fashion.

When we learn about “sustainable fashion”, we soon realize that there are many forms of (more) sustainable fashion. Some actors and individuals emphasize the importance of making clothes in a more environmentally friendly manner, while others advocate second hand/ vintage or underline the benefits of swapping, renting or borrowing clothes as opposed to purchasing newly produced clothes.

All strategies promoting more environmentally, socially and ethically conscious production and consumption are important steps towards a more sustainable industry. Ideally, all aspects of the figure above should be combined for every new garment produced. Hence each

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garment should first be manufactured on demand or custom-made, in high quality and timeless design, in an environmentally friendly manner and with consideration to various ethical aspects. Thereafter, it should be used long and well through good care, repair and perhaps redesign. When the product is no longer desired, it should be handed in to a second hand shop, donated to charity or handed over to friends, relatives or perhaps a swap-shop, to prolong its active life. When the garment is completely worn out, it should be returned to a collection point for recycling of the textile material, which can hence be reused in the manufacturing of new clothes or other textile products. Ideally, instead of buying newly produced clothes, one should consider renting, borrowing or swapping clothes, or to buy second hand or vintage.

The seven forms of sustainable fashion from a consumer and producer perspective. Although ideally, clothes and other fashion products should be

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produced and consumed in the manner described above, in reality this is not the case yet. What we rather should seek, is that every individual tries to find his or her form(s) of more sustainable fashion. All forms do not necessarily suit all people equally well because we all have different needs and preferences. Some individuals – usually younger – prefer to experiment with and renew their wardrobes often; using “Second hand & Vintage”, “Repair, Redesign & Upcycle” and “Rent, Loan & Swap” would possibly be of most interest.

For people who prefer newly manufactured clothes without history and who have a consistent style, “On demand” and “High quality & Timeless design” are likely to be most attractive. Whether one prefers to renew the wardrobe often or more sporadically, “Green & Clean” and “Fair & Ethical” are important choices when purchasing new clothing. we all should aspire as much as possible, although it may entail a somewhat higher price tag.

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“I love staying in Ahmedabad! I am here, doing what I love something I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing in Mumbai.”

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Runaway Bicycle

A State Of Perpetual Sincerity ALICE

Runaway Bicycle X 37, M.R. Society, Off Relief RoadOpp Raheja Art College, Santacruz West, Mumbai. 400054

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ASAL Shripal Shah

We wanted to see and experience the brand from its core idea and know how the brand maintains being sustainable.

To begin with, natural dyes are not available in Ahmedabad. And yes, for that they prepare the dyes themselves. But that shouldn’t be a compromise in colour variants, thus, with a lot of effort various techniques of mixing are done to these naturally obtained dyes to get the desired colour. For the weaving process, a hand meter is used to reduce the amount of extra work which also as a bonus eases the load. they provided us with immense knowledge on everything they probably could show us or share with us. They also gave us tips and tricks on how the designs are made with adjustments made in the arrangement of warp and weft should be so as to complete.

Asal is also known for their ideology of sustainability applied to food. Every wing of the store has been completely managed. But the plus point is that not only the products are organic but it also does not charge more for their labour work or the extra effort they put in.

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It is the spread of awareness to the people that has to be done for the products which are of high quality and also cost effective. The percentage of known people is very little in comparison.

A brand that has been on its stand for 20 years. When it was started people were least aware of the motive and its qualities. But now things have taken a turn where people are aware of the natural and chemical influence, making them prone to sustainability which is growing in the statistics now. The labourers are trained to work following the ethics of the brand solely bringing up sustainability.

ASAL ensures that the wholesomeness of its food products is retained through natural food production and hand processing techniques. Crops are grown organically without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilizers. ASAL products do not use seeds that are hybrid or genetically modified. The products are hand processed using traditional time-tested methods and do not require cold storage nor contain any synthetic preservatives.

ASAL products include a wide array of preparations prescribed by Ayurvedic physicians called Vedrajs (literally meaning king of Vedas) that are made with the Ayurvedic understanding of Kapha, Pitta and Vayu – the three Doshas or body elements that are balanced in order to maintain physical and thus spiritual wellbeing.

ASAL’s organic food recipes are guided by Vedraj Bhaskar Bhai Hardikar, Pranav Bhai Dave and Suhas Bhai Devaskar. All ASAL products are hand processed following traditional methods thereby promoting culture and craft, providing employment opportunities and adopting sustainable practices.

20 years back people weren’t too much aware of the fact ‘sustainable’. But now there is a new trend of sustainability among people. But continuation of the business and its promotion is not the sole aim of the brand. The aim is to spread the concept among common people. Though the fact is that because of this awareness there is upscale in sale, but that does not mean even if the product doesn’t suit the customer the brand takes no responsibility. The responsibility is the owner’s even if it is sold out. Because he said “I am here and will be here”. So, the customers with any queries can connect to the owner himself there to consent the customers to solve their problems. It is not his business but his kind.

The new method of weaving in which there used to be a weaver expert, is now his initiative, though he needed 8 years to develop that skill. He observed that since childhood. And took time to develop, because a sari weaver needs about 3 months to complete the weaving procedure, and that includes the labour charges. Inclusion of more strings can lessen the time taken for the whole procedure with more inputs, though the idea is limited to particular designs.

But he is happy to at least make that happen. This is the manufacturing and production part.

ASAL’s nonviolent Silk does away with brutal practices in the production of silk without compromising on the quality of output – which actually improves because of fibre purity.

Unlike the conventional method where pupae are killed before reeling yarn from the cocoons, in the production of nonviolent silk the adult moths are allowed to emerge alive from the cocoons and then the silk yarn is spun from the open-ended (eri) cocoons and from pierced tussar and muga cocoons that have been used in breeding cycles or those found in jungles.

It is essentially non-mulberry silk – from inherently non-reel able eri silk cocoons and non-

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violently processed tussar and muga cocoons. Eri fabric keeps the body cool in summer and warm in winter and is available in a range of colours.

Indian hand spun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha.

Khadi is a versatile fabric, cool in summers and warm in winters. Being a natural form of material, it crumples much faster than other preparations of cotton. In order to improve the look, khadi is often starched to have a stiffer shape. It is widely accepted in fashion circles these days. Mahatma Gandhi began promoting the spinning of khadi for rural selfemployment in 1920s India.

Khadi at ASAL is available as natural dyed and undyed yardage.

It is very pitiful of our country to not give this art its value. Everything is not about money. Some have quality which cannot be priced. The weavers working there, also have their farming as another part. They

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are dependent on one job for living. And it also takes time to convince and encourage people to get engaged and involved in such activities. As sari takes around 3 months to be hand woven, in a century of machines dependent on energy, there is no other option than taking extreme labour charge, afterall labourers are to be considered. Pushing forth the fact that the sole motive of the brand is nothing but to save the art and craft of our country, weaving.

The brand is recognised for their deeds and the effort they put in. The income does provide enough to stabilise the brand and the labourers as well.

Absolutely sufficient for living and to carry on the unit.

No other alternative incomes are owned by the unit making it their way to support life. As there are many retailers taking interest in organic products, and the number grows gradually, the business is balanced.

The investments also go well. The brand believes their products are very rare.

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“Asal means ‘original’ my guru was the inspiration for me to come up with this name.”

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With Love, From the Land India is the land of cultures and heritage. It is the place where things are made with utmost care and love. Indian art and craft include spinning weaving. It started with the Swadeshi movement for boycotting the English goods. Being started by Mahatma Gandhi with the basic machine ‘chakra’. The freedom struggle started with the use of khadi clothes and dumping foreign goods.

In 2017, a total of 4 lakh khadi weavers were employed in the industry of khadi products. Popular products are dhoti and kurta, handloom saree such as Puttapaka Saree, Kotpad Handloom fabrics, Chamba Rumal, Tussar silk, etc. The craft of khadi should not be demolished from the Indian culture whereas various activities currently were made to restore that “The vision of future fashion is based around slow pace, craft, quality, reputational capital, knowledge and longevity. Significantly in terms of geographical debate, the arguments forwarded here work with a very different set of specialities and temporalities to these characterising the fast fashion production model. In the fashion model proposed, production systems are locally embedded rather than globally footloose and mobile; they are slow rather than fast, materials that are traditionally crafted and garments have intentionally long consumption lifelines rather than being disposable quick fashion. The proposed ‘slow luxury’ model argues that modes of production can act as levers of imagination” written by Louise Crewe in his article Tailoring and Tweed.

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‘khadi’, It is not only a

fabric, but an emotion.

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After the evolution of khadi previously because of need, now it is basically a luxury medium for the slow fashion and sustainable fashion industries of our country India. Inspired by the research text from Louise Crewe from the UK, I would like to draw attention to the handmade tailoring and self-made products from our land as its origin, Khadi. After the rise of sustainability concept in India the slow fashion concept arises as well over here as a luxury. Slow fashion luxury is not only a term but also a huge fashion revolution to save our culture one of which is khadi or ‘khaddar’ in the local languages. After rise in fast fashion industries randomly the downfall in the art and craft of hand weaving for the production of khadi and thus the craftsmanship has reduced to a drastic level.

To save the old rich craftsmanship of our country’s heritage, the revolution in fashion made it again possible through ‘sustainability’.

It can also be mentioned as ‘Slow Fashion’. The reserve of this art and craft with almost rare craftsmen thus making it a luxury to afford in the current scenario of our country. Thus, khadi is no more a simple garment as it was but a form of ‘Slow Luxury Fashion’ as well.

“Handmade hand touched” A product has the less soul, the more people participate in its manufacture - Simmel 1957 Slow luxury fashion reveals a very different way of understanding the customer and managing a business based on decreasing the physical and social distance between fashion producers and consumers. It enables a greater awareness of the real cost and value of clothes.

In our India, khadi is not only a practise reserved, but also a story attached to the history of the country. It is the work of those who fought for the country and still now. There are emotions hidden under that love and care. This cannot be valued with neither the price nor the tags. It is a movement started nowadays for the consciousness that is ‘#whomademyclothes’. The consumers should be conscious who made their clothes, the stories behind and be involved in that activity indirectly by this simple step. This is how the fashion revolution currently inhabited in our India as well.

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SOHAM DAVE The brand that offers a contemporary range of lifestyle products for the conscious urban consumer with emphasis on biodegradable fabrics, and hand-crafted items for the eco-conscious consumer.

In the fast-paced, cutthroat and dare we say it, materialistic global fashion industry, designer Soham Dave is spearheading something of a quiet revolution.

Drawing on the best of age-old traditional methods from his native India combined with a cutting-edge urban style for which New York is renowned, While aesthetics are obviously fundamental, at the heart of Soham Dave’s brand is also an earnest social and environmental philosophy which drives his company’s products and practices. , Soham Dave aims to create clothes with a conscience.

For initially having studied electrical engineering in a way of following the path his family lined up, Soham Dave took some time to explore his true calling in design. After pursuing a year-long course at NIFT Gandhinagar in garment production technology and

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working at SEVA, the NGO, for two years, he finally realised what he was meant to do and enrolled at New York’s Fashion Institute Technology to study fashion management.

Seeking inspiration from the rural roots of India, Soham launched his eponymous label ‘Soham Dave’ in New York, immediately after he graduated from FIT in 2011. What followed was a twoyear long cycle of understanding the business, coupled with a series of successes, failures, and self-realisation. He came back to India and finally started his production from Ahmedabad.

And since then, Soham, without engaging much in the rhetoric of ‘sustainability’ has been giving it a new dimension. He has schemed out his brand’s vision truly on the phenomenon of ‘Made in India’. From using natural ingredients to dye and cleanse his fabrics to washing and drying them naturally, under the sun, he ensures minimum wastage of resources. Most of the fabric he uses in production is hand made.

One of the major motivations behind launching the label immediately was that Soham wanted to work on his concepts rather than to be a part of a big western label. Understanding the market, production, traveling all over the US and figuring out the business on the whole. Now everything is done in house, apart from the textile part, which happens in different corners of India.

“For me, it’s more about the textures and the textiles. We don’t follow trends to create designs which are comfortable. In my collections, I celebrate the exquisite Indian rooted textiles in a modern way. My process starts with my decision to work with a particular textile and then the entire story is woven along. Silhouettes come at the end of the story but are equally important.

When I create something, the core of each and every detail is ease. My aim is a table and easy to wear.”

“I hail from a small town where my grandfather owned farms. Though my parents and grandparents were all educated, they inherited the farmlands and we still have them. I used to visit them very often and observe how the villagers were in sync with nature. Things were recycled and upcycled and that fascinated me. All this roused my imagination since I was a kid and it remained at the back of my mind.”

The brand makes sure that they work with fabrics which are woven on hand looms, most of which is hand made without using electricity. When coloured or dyed with natural ingredients.

The entire process is focused on producing something by wasting minimal resources, that fits in the definition of sustainability. Other than that, bags and shoes are created by using the leftovers of the collections, so up cycling is also a part of their creative vocabulary.

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Indeed Soham Dave’s efforts in social responsibility and providing fair incomes for their skilled artisan workers have not gone unnoticed. This year Soham Dave was awarded the prestigious Innovation USA by the Ethical Fashion Forum, an influential industry body set-up to promote sustainable fashion.

Nevertheless, Dave’s focus is not limited solely to the social sphere.

The fact that Soham Dave’s clothing is environmentally responsible as well as socially responsible is perhaps unsurprising given that these two goals seem to go hand-in-hand.

“Now it’s returning in a different way and I’m trying to incorporate it in my professional life. As I travel and meet artisans, I reconnect with that ideology. I feel comfortable around them and they feel the same around me. More than working for me, they feel they work with me, and that’s the environment I try to

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create, outside and inside the brand. We always work together with intensity.”

“Then is the decision about the count of yarn or quality of fabric to work with. Mostly it is handwoven, but I weave it in different areas according to the thickness of the fabric I want.”

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“I hail from a small town where my grandfather owned farms. Things were recycled and upcycled and that fascinated me”.

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A-104, second floor, sector-83, Noida (U.P), PIN: 201305 Ph: 8800377205

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Minimal | Handcrafted | Essentials

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BUTTON MASALA Anuj Sharma

Sustainability has always been part of his major concerns which helped him to come up with his idea button masala. But it’s hard to come up with an idea of sustainability with the use of plastic buttons and rubber bands which are sustainable products Well we all know that sustainability cannot be balanced.

When we try to save one side the other side tends to lose its balance. And it doesn’t need to be rubber bands or plastic all the time, but After all It is the plastic bottles or items which are being used indirectly as well so why not. It’s not about the plastic, or rubber bands, or polyester or the material, sustainability not depending on that rather how and for what purpose it is being used. The medicines are also in plastics, it’s not like that people stop having that because of that.

The theme sustainability is not always based on the material but the way of usage. It is the concept that if a lot of polyester fabric garments are made but it is to be thought for what and how much will it be used and its durability as well.

There is an impression that sustainability involves large investments and therefore is the purview of the rich.

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It is about the lifestyle. People themselves are randomly buying polyester rich materials whether in their garments or else, it is pointless to expect sustainability from others. It is the concept that if less garments are produced, even if the production scale is less, that does not throw any major effect later on because better to produce as much needed rather than abundant luxury.

Were just buttons rubber bands the part of his sustainability, it’s not about the newer ideas to bring more sustainable fashion, but to buy less. He is not making any new garments but working with whatever resources he had. Buy a half kilo button and rubber bands, even don’t want to go into his studios for buying more extra fabrics, whatever fabric is already there can be recycled and reused by changing the positions of buttons and rubber bands. Even though he believes by his online classes also he can teach now many which earlier may not have been so much impactful because people least cared until corona.

In his recent igtv video, he shared methods of making masks with buttons and rubber bands, and then after some days, policemen & guards were wearing that mask in Jodhpur. His idea of sustainability is helping & motivating people to be patient and create their own even in critical situations, it wasn’t the idea of button masala to make the masks. It is rather a simple idea.

Anybody can make their own masks. It is not like the policemen who wore them in jodhpur or else made with his technique. It is a completely individualistic choice of making something new sitting in home.

Mask can be the new style statement to be followed after the pandemic, previously not all likely preferred to wear a mask, if worn but by fewer sections, now it is a necessity in this time people aren’t bothered about the glamourous mask because in this crisis it’s a need. The best way is to keep it as a simple accessory and more regular than a fashion accessory. Yes, designers may do something and experiment with this but not for a long time. Mask is not going to be a big fashion accessory. A mask can just hide face that’s it and nothing will be left other than this to experiment but carrying things can be used in other ways too. Now people focus on pockets and forget the art of tying and carrying stuff. ‘Potli’ concept has vanished totally, so there is a possibility to bring back the concept.

The technique works even for tailored or structured well stitched garments, the garments can be fitted close to the body by using buttons. You have to use the fabric accordingly to make it tailor fit by giving newer patterns. Even suits are possible. It makes the garments fit better.

Whereas in case of stitching once the garment is stitched it is not very easy to open it to make it fit to the body again. So, it is completely durable in terms of buttons and rubber bands used.

But it depends on the fabric quality as well.

He didn’t want to work at all in menswear. It’s not difficult but not his current interests. Women’s wear which is easier to do as well. has a great demand. It’s better if people try themselves. He also shared the fact that he himself made trousers or pants with buttons and rubber bands.

He uses that technique somewhere but himself hasn’t worn a whole button masala garment as menswear. He will start as he himself will be wearing them more though there isn’t any. He might be starting soon. Our Indian audiences are so much into embroidered garments that it is hard to convince them to develop interest into sustainable apparels. Even the younger generation is into tightly fitted clothes. He teaches the youth so that when this younger group

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will grow up then they don’t need to buy it from him instead they can make it. Older generation still prefers that. So, it’s really tough to make people realise that he continues what he loves to do, the important thing is that “keep on doing the shit you love to do and keep doing it even for 10 years” It’s important to love what you’re doing. Even he got quite famous for his button masala, but in 7 to 8 years nobody bothered as he was not much into fashion shoots, then the theme sustainability appeared again.

He started this brand in 2017, his life was sustainable, his style of living was also sustainable, its first importance to life before producing. It’s important to understand the minimalistic approach towards the things before getting sustainable.

According to him learning is something which one can manage to create with what he/she has and not through research but through liberty. It’s like whatever you have with you, create something good out of those things and is what he thinks is the best

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thing of living. This thinking one should always keep in mind that whatever one easily gathered is what he/she should work with other than trying to get something which won’t be easily available because every material around us has some kind of strength in it.

The biggest learning is to manage with what we have and design is an ability to make things happen within what we have. ‘I don’t advertise, others should do.’ He also said that it’s about the people who will like his work and will advertise it. For so many years people are not even talking about his work but suddenly before a year or two people started to talk about his work. This is because now they came to know the real meaning of sustainability and as he is going sustainable to some extent, so now people are advertising his work. This is the problem in India, people don’t go for good work but they go for popularity.

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“Sustainability is a joke, because if we really want to make fashion sustainabe, we should stop garment prodution for 10-15 years�.

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LOVEBIRDS

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Run independently and collaboratively by Gursi Singh and Amrita Khanna from New Delhi, ‘Lovebirds’ makes clothes for women that focuses on ethos rather than trends and makes quiet, mature acts of norm-breaking, one dress at a time. Transparent and accountable in its process and playfulness, the clothes are made with clean lines and elegant forms focusing on relaxed tailoring and fabrics with minimal embellishments and print. Inspired by the timeless qualities of vintage fashion and the deep cultural needs of order, clarity, silence and subtlety over superficial wants, Lovebirds aims to reinterpret classic silhouettes for the contemporary woman focusing on subtle details and utility over latest runway trends.

4A, 287-288, Dhan Mill Compound, SSN Marg Chattarpur, New Delhi - 110074 Monday Saturday: 10am- 6pm IST info@lovebirds.net.in

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Archana Shah Bandhej is also another name for Badhani. It is the traditional tie and dye textile method. The most bandhani making centres are situated in states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sindh, Punjab region and Tamil Nadu.

At bandhej what is celebrated with Indian sensibility with inputs in traditional and contemporary clothing styles. It is known for its rich cultural innovations, craft techniques, which are all the unique identity of the brand. Today bandhej has its stores in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Pune and Cochin.

In 1981, the brand was started by designer Archana Shah an alumni of NID. in 1985 she started the first store in Ahmedabad. It is the one of those brands which focuses on the men and women clothings, indian heritage culture, multicultural women’s fashion, and more concentrating on a unique sense of style and taste. It finds a new direction to fashion by more crafts culture inclusion. It collaborates and coordinates with more craftsmanship of the country.

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It has been innovating the working relationships with craft communities for more than about twenty years. Bandhej have been working with the handlooms or hand crafted (hand woven, block printed, tie & dye), eco friendly natural textiles and fibres. The sourcing has been from well known craftsmen all over the country including states like Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kutch, Benaras, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The production and design of the garments done in the workshop of bandhej at ahmedabad only.

The embellishments works, embroidery, applique etc are all done at around by skilled craftsmanship of ahmedabad only. The commitments of more than hundred craftsmen all around the country forms the base of the creation of the brand. It encourages the younger generations to pursue further careers in the related crafts field for sustainable production.

About the designer In 1980 after graduating from NID she went to remote corners of the country to study and understand different types of weaving, tying, dyeing, embroidery, ornamentation methods practised all over by different communities. This journey is very fruitful as the rich designs, unique skills, embroideries all became the future of the brand. It is specially created with keeping in mind for indian women. Today it became one of the popular all around india.

Apart from this the designer Archana Shah has also worked with designing different costumes for films festivals, worked with various countries for various textile and architectural installations.

Most recently her book published : SHIFTING SANDS, Kutch: A Land in Transition, in which her discovery about the land, its crafts and people over 30 years have been recognised.

In Delhi, on September 9, for the launch of a bandhej concept store in Khan market,Shah welcomed the guest with a lovely red silk sari with a knitted blouse and an extraordinary neckpiece. The best aspect is the variety of textiles and textures. It consists of both for men and women. It is delight to browse from a vast tactile of field ranging from silk and cotton bandhanis, Saurashtra patola sarees, crepe and silk banarasi, chanderis,some with metallic silver khadi printing, pure linens in white and natural colour including jackets and shirts with silver thread, kala cotton separates (old world organic cotton grown in Gujarat), rustic khadi, hand embroidered white chikankari on beige dupattas, pure cottons with or without tie and dye, knits and hosiery fabrics. Bandhej’s linen garments are generally made for contemporary dressing which is suitable for fusing out various styles from one look even. If they fit the customers then it is absolutely the rarest styles to be included in the wardrobes, best for ready to wear looks, they are worth buying as stylish pieces. As for example the Saurashtra patola sari. Fabindia’s investment for Bandhej will be one of the best collaborations ever, they will not bring in forth collaborations anymore.

This is the biggest retail opportunity for the marketing supply chain for both the brands. Shah expects to open more than 24 to 30 centres across the country within the next three years.

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She thinks it is the best time to reflect the concept store idea state wise. It is not too late to understand the brands’ aesthetics and ideas though it is the right direction to take forward, as the customers take time to understand the creator’s creative minds.

As the way it is originally in Ahmedabad the same aesthetics and quality to be maintained but in a different perspective.

Recently bandhej collaborated with kala cotton and khamir which is famous for its rich production in vagad cotton in the most sustainable way.

It is produced in remote areas of kutch. It is the source of producing most sustainable products (clothings and garments). They are responsible for making organic products 100 percent natural. And they are also responsible for weaving and spinning techniques perfections.

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This initiative has been started with Khamir. And sustainable cotton is being produced at scale. It brings in forecast the lightening of the hidden part of the kutch yet to be unexplored. Meanwhile bandhej has been taking the initiative as well to be a part of the beautiful journey of collaboration of sustainable production at a more huge scale at a wider level. We are therefore eager for more to come.

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“At Bandhej, craft is not treated like fashion novelty to be forgotten when not in vogue”.

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A brand of contemporary INDIAN handwoven textiles crafted using traditional techniques.

Available in Ahmedabad Elan, Hill Plaza, Opp Sears Towers, Gulbai Tekra, Ahmedabad, Gujarat - 380015 Ph: 079 2656 9699

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MORAL FIBER Moral fibre is something which is made out of natural stuff. It’s also to make fashion everlasting. Clothing made with moral fibre can be infinitely recycled. There are so many natural resources that can be turned into sustainable textiles, like bananas, coffee, pineapple, lotus, stinging nettles and hemp. Moral Fibre aims to develop environmentally friendly fabrics and clothing based on hand-spun, hand-woven techniques of fabric making and to make the process of fabric making socio-economically sustainable. It has to keep in mind while garment production that all processes, products and by-products at every stage of fabric production must nourish and enhance the environment instead of damaging it.

Khadi, which once had a glorious past, now has a very few takers and buyers. So, many designers noticed this and have come up with the idea of how to make it more fashionable. This fabric is very eco-friendly, sustainable as well as very comfortable to wear. So it will be of great help if it could be changed to be more fashionable.

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Today, the fashion industry is in a phase of rapid evolution, with young designers distancing themselves from unsustainable practices and reaching for new fabrication methods and fibers, some of which don’t even exist yet. Due to fast fashion, the fashion industry has become one of the most polluted industries of the world. Every year a huge amount of garments have been manufactured and which ultimately creates a lot of pollution and wastage. So now many designers have come up with the idea of sustainability which really helps to tackle this problem.

Various kinds of techniques have been used to make it more natural and less harmful for nature and people. The other way to make fashion revolutionized is to recycle polyester and to create a sustainable fibre which can be used eternally.

Many designers used many techniques as to how to extract polyester from mixed fibres. One of the techniques is a three-step chemical process that can extract polyester from mixed blend materials to create a new yarn, billed as the world’s first textile product made entirely from old clothing. The equipment needed for this transformation can be fit in any small shipping container and also making it easy to deploy. This equipment will work like, it will extract polyester at the molecular level to produce a new yarn. It also works as a weapon in the battle against marine plastic pollution which will help to keep polyester out of the sea and also helps to tackle the problem of microfibres leaking in our rivers and oceans when we textiles shed. This equipment is ideate by the Co-founder of moral fibres, Akshay Sethi.

It is also mentioned that the technology can extract polyester from any blend material and will be suitable for recycling other plastics. This technique will be a great help for the fashion industry to be less polluted. The demand for clothing is increasing day by day but if clothes are made of moral fibre then it will be completely sustainable and will be nature friendly as well as it will create less pollution, and also be comfortable to wear. And most importantly, all clothing made of moral fibres can be infinitely recycled. This also helps the present generation to use resources without compromising the future generations. So in order to make the fashion industry pollution free various moral fibres and sustainable techniques are used. Now, with the use of many natural fibres, natural dyes are also used in plenty.

Various colourful flowers, vegetables, fruits are used for dyeing. These colours are natural as well as harmless, organic and less polluted. These bright colours create beautiful patterns also in tie and dye method. Recently, many upcoming designers are working on this concept of natural dye and its various uses. Slow fashion is a sustainable fashion. It is an evolved fashion.

Fashion that passes through many hands, be it, the artisans or craftsmen and finally reaches the audience. It is about responsible fashion where the processes of making a garment or a series of garments is by sustainable and ethical processes and means.

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It is about understanding that you need simple and classic items of clothing rather than hoarding or shopping by the cart loads. As much as it is about the designer / vendor making clothes and fashioning out garments by ethical and responsible means like fair trade and fair practices ; as a consumer also, it means buying responsibly round the year.

If 1 item of clothing in a similar style or pattern works for you, you will try and not buy another similar time if you can make do with the one you have. Now, there are a lot of ways that work as a moral fibre and one of its kind is dyeing. Natural dyes work best on Natural fibres such as wool, Silk- also known as Protein based fibres, cotton, linen, jute, ramie, sisal or the cellulosic fibres Colour has helped make humans life more aesthetic and appealing. Colour has been linked to seasons, festivals, emotions, status,cultural backgrounds since time in memorial. In India the philosophy of colour is so deeply entrenched that

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every form of expression be it music, painting, or religion is given shape through colours. The art of fabric dyeing is as old as civilisation, archaeological findings dating back 5000 years have unearthed evidence of fabrics that have been coloured. Today most of the colour we see on our fabrics or other materials are produced from synthetic chemical agents, but until 1856 all colour was from natural sources.The Atharvaveda is said to have a description on natural dyes and their processes.

The use of natural dyeing is evident with the wall paintings of Ajanta, Ellora and Sithannvasal. These murals indicate that the craftsmanship was of very high quality. Although numerous other countries had their own herbs and minerals from which they extracted colour, none had mastered the art of fixing these colours to fabrics like the artisans of the Indian subcontinent. Lastly, it can be said that colourful natural dye has been in use since history and it’s still continuing today.

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“I believe that where there is pure and active love for the poor there is God also. I see God in every thread that I draw on the spinning wheel”.

- Gandhi ji

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Let it be worn out of wear, let it be familiar, let it be a sight of comfort, let it be everyday ORDINARY.

Plot Number 100,Sector - 37,Pace City 1,Gurgaon - 122001 Haryana.

Phone - +91.124.426.6843 | +91.9810316058 Email - info@eka.co

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SLOW FASHION, QUALITY IN LIFESTYLE Slow fashion is an awareness and approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing, particularly focusing on sustainability.

It involves buying better-quality garments that will last for longer and values fair treatment of people, animals and the planet. It’s also about returning to a personal relationship with fashion. One where trends and seasons don’t matter, but where your ethics and aesthetics seamlessly unite, and you can escape the stress of constant consumption, focusing on the style that truly appeals to you.

Slow fashion is something which is not time-based but quality-based. It’s about designing, producing, consuming and living better and also a different approach in which designers, buyers, retailers and consumers are more aware of the impacts of products on workers, communities and ecosystems.Slow fashion is about choice, information, cultural diversity and identity and also something which has a balance between nature and human life. And, now, ‘Ethical fashion’ is often concerned with human and animal rights.

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As it relates to humans, ethical fashion applies to working conditions, fair wages and treatment, and no child labor. And, the other one is ‘Sustainable fashion’ which is often concerned with the environmental impact. Opting for fibers and materials that are organic, recycled, or repurposed, limiting harmful chemicals/dyes, reducing energy/water usage and waste, and overall choosing low-impact options wherever possible. Now as a human, as a consumer, it is our responsibility and awareness of what we consume and how much we consume of it. There are ways by which it could be possible, like if we shop less and buy less, be very conscious shopping and buying. By knowing about slow fashion, ethical fashion and sustainable fashion, we can say that khadi is something which is local, natural and very historic.

Khadi means handspun and handwoven cloth. In 1918 Mahatma Gandhi started his movement for Khadi as a relief programme for the poor masses living in India’s villages. Spinning and weaving was elevated to an ideology for self-reliance and self government. In the first half of this century, and in many parts even now, farmers have not enough work to earn their living throughout the year. About four months they may be idle due to the rainless dry season.

Spinning would thereby supply the readist occupation; it can easily be learnt. It requires practically no outlay or capital, even an improved spinning wheel can be easily and cheaply made. Gandhi saw it as the end of dependency on foreign materials (symbolizing foreign rule) and thus giving a first lesson or real independence.

Raw materials at that time were entirely exported to England and then re-imported as costly finished cloth, depriving the local population of work and profits on it. Gandhi also felt that in a county where manual labor was looked down upon, it was an occupation to bring high and low, rich and poor together, to show them the dignity of hand-labor.

He asked not only those in need, but of every person to do spinning at least about one hour per day as sacrifice to his county, as duty towards the poor. He hoped for a certain bond of unity between the classes and masses by bridging the gap with a common occupation, and he saw great social value in hand-spinning. It was for economic, cultural and social reasons and not merely political that Gandhi established the Khadi Movement. Thus Khadi is not merely a piece of cloth but a way of life. One of the greatest qualities of Khadi that made it so popular was its existence as a social equalizer. Though it was meant for the masses and could be worn by the poor, it also caught the eye of the sophisticated, thus bringing all under one canopy. Khadi has come a long way, so it has a long history and its importance. It has become an inseparable part of india. Khadi, fabric from the Swadeshi movement has always been thought of as the white, spotless fabric; but it has so much more to its existence.

Khadi is a hand woven natural fibre cloth that is mainly made out of cotton fabric and may also include silk or wool. During independence, Khadi fabric became a symbol of self reliance for Indian pride.

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Khadi brought about an idea that the cotton we grew can be spun and woven to form garments and money should not be wasted on buying exuberantly costly clothes. Khadi has shifted to the back shelves of many fashion emporiums, and the front seat was taken by various blend fabrics. Khadi is a very versatile fabric; it has a very unique property of being warm in winters and cool in summers. During the spinning of Khadi, threads are generally interwoven in such a manner that it provides passage of air circulation in the fabric.

Khadi is presently known for its beautiful colors and comfort. It is a timeless piece of the fashion industry. Khadi’s appeal in the fashion industry has become two-fold. On one hand, brands like Fab India are promoting it among foreigners and on the other, several Indian designers are creating an entire wedding trousseau with embroidered Khadi lehengas. Mainstream fashion industry has accepted Khadi, making it a new fashion trend. Khadi fabric is

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a comfortable, eco-friendly, elegant, versatile and easily adaptable among the fashion designers.

Khadi fabric, over the decades has evolved to be a fashion garment. While Khadi cloth is a symbol of freedom, it currently represents evolving India, that endures India’s ancient weaves, yet embraces contemporary India to find its relevance. Khadi cloth is stylish, crisp and can be used in any form. Each time Khadi fabric appears, it steals the limelight with its simple look, versatility and freshness.

The vibrant color palette it offers makes it the favorite fabric of the recent generation. Khadi fabric has a lot of character and it is an inseparable part of the Indian culture. It as a fabric is a balance of tradition and modernity. Now, Khadi is just not a coarse cloth in dull shades but has become a timeless beauty.

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“Do spin and spin after due deliberation. Let those who spin wear khaddar and let no one who wears (khadi) fail to spin”.

- Gandhi ji

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Dust is the New Gold “Neutral is an easy and fail-safe option. It’s always classic and you can purchase timeless pieces that will weather many seasons – especially in a time of uncertainty,” Dennett says. “I always strive to look effortless, which is at the core of neutral dressing.” Cozy teddy bear coats, cuddly fisherman’s knits, and even tonal pieces in silk or cotton can be combined to pull off the look .

The key to wearing neutral head-to-toe is layering textures and tones, Dennett adds. Since combining multiple luxe nude pieces can skew bland, adding different variations of neutral tones can add volume and sophistication to the look. Our perception of different colours is determined by customs, cultural traditions, and, in many ways, by nature itself. For instance, the colour red is known to increase our pulse rate. Hence, selecting the right colours can improve your mood.

Setting aside all the talk on good looks and appearances, neutral colour also signifies mother nature. When once colour was fabricated more to show the richness, today humans hit a reverse in terms of colour to express.

Minimalistic approaches have made things seem much more elegant, classy and spatial enough to bring out a richness in them.

The richness in soil is related to the rich life. Human life is believed to take up life from the soil in the way they were created by the supreme power. And the life between from soil and back to soil, we added colours the brighter, more variant, and the pure hue adds richness to life.

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But now the setbacks have brought light into our lives. No more bright colours show off grandness. But more minimalistic elegance shouts out the class and also speaks itself for the humbleness portrayed.

“Less is more” term means simplicity is better than elaborate embellishment. In fashion this term has a special place. It stands for Minimalist fashion style in which a person owns limited clothing, footwear and accessories, he/she mix and match those few items and get good use out of them. It is a lifestyle choice where someone chooses to clutter less life. But it is indeed the basis of a good appearance.

Once soil was a significance of the peasants and the poor with neutral colours which were then called lifeless. But now humans have realised the nature of the human brain that gets tired when they see the same colour for a while but neutral colours make a different statement in this context. Even when buildings are given the contemporary style, the random neutral colours are not only to signify the architecture but also to bring the raw and new nature within them.

The raw formative idea has now been the biblical verse around the world. The raw nature and life have cultivated their importance.

And so, we have grown closer to the earth. With the acceptance of mother nature in its raw form. No line drawn between the rich or the poor, everyone stands the same with their uniformity in nature.

Humans are back to nature, to their mother. With all the nature love and making up life for sustainability, we find comfort and sincere peace of mind when we dissolve within nature being a part of and embracing it like a better and newborn life.

From Dior’s New Look to Hussein Chalayan’s technological minimalism, looks that worship the ‘less is more’ phrase is always there in the history of fashion. For us, it was probably Coco Chanel and her ‘Little Black Dress’ that established a new era in fashion, when Gabrielle decided to strip away any unnecessary garments from the evening dress. These high fashion brands too signify the way our lives change, despite of the bank balance or the luxury we have in our life, we always tend to turn back to what actually is truly ours and what we can take up as ours without all the harms that we could probably cause to the nature and the mankind. And every since then this turn to the love of nature for the betterment of the human race continued throughout. And after 2010, however, fashion is turning back to minimalism, with young designers ready to rediscover the beauty of less, such as Alexander Wang, Raf Simons, Jil Sander, Phoebe Philo and many others among them.

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“Less is more� term means simplicity is better than elaborate embellishment.

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JYOTI BHATT Jyotindra Manshankar Bhatt, known as Jyoti Bhatt, is an Indian Artist famous for his modernist work in painting, printmaking and photography. He studied painting under the famous painter N. S. Bendre and K. G. Subramanyan. They then were the faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda.

From early childhood, Jyoti Bhatt was fascinated with birds, which became the subject of his early experiments in drawing and sketching. During adolescence, he developed a habit of reading the Kumar monthly, published by Kalaguru Ravishankar Raval, which also drew him closer to his calling as an artist In 1950 he was among the first batch of students to study under the great artist-teachers such as N.S. Bendre, Shankho Chaudhuri and K.G. Subramanyan at the M.S. University’s Fine Arts Faculty. During his study at the M.S. Bhatt moved from a cubist influence in his early work to a lighthearted and colorful Pop art that often drew its imagery from traditional Indian folk designs.

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Though Bhatt worked in a variety of mediums, including watercolors and oils, it is his printmaking that ultimately garnered him the most attention.It is Jyoti Bhatt’s prints, however, that are most associated with the artist. His etchings, intaglios, and screen prints have explored and re-explored a personal language of symbols that stem from Indian culture: the peacock, the parrot, the lotus, stylized Indian gods and goddesses, and unending variations on tribal and village designs.

One way of his working is, he maintained a notebook and a diary, the second are actually resources for him. He notes down each and every observation and draws basic sketches as they come to his mind. In a way, it helps him not to forget instant ideas and thoughts that he absorbs and later in his studio he experiments, analyses, extends and explores with new forms of art. In 68 years of practice, Jyoti Bhatt has created a magical confluence of painting, printmaking and photography with profound creations that are powered by his insight into India’s vivacious traditions. His prints symbolises a combination of classical and contemporary style, and also created an archive of India’s living walls and rural rhythms. Bhatt has been actively engaged with photography since the mid 1960s and his photography demonstrates great artistic sensibility, creativity and a deep understanding of ancient rituals and cultures. Bhatt also began documenting folk and tribal culture of rural India, he has travelled a lot and visited a number of villages and tribal regions and captured folk art and craft traditions in their original environment where people were involved doing these creative work.

He took pictures of people unconsciously with static backgrounds which shows different styles of beautiful paintings, art, and crafts. He has love and deep appreciation for folk culture as his work speaks. He covered a lot of folk life and vanishing crafts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and many more. He also received Padma Shri in 2019 for his contribution to art. His prestigious collection of work could be found across the world, including the Tate Modern, London and Museum of Modern Art, New York City.

His works always depict rural life and could be seen in his photography which includes village ponds, a woman painting the exterior walls of a mud house, a painted cow against a hand painted backdrop, preparations for a village fair, women selling vegetables, different kinds of patterns drawn on walls and floors. His works are so popular that they have been exhibited in many places and recently his works were exhibited in Amdavad ni Gufa, Ahmedabad which was taking place from 3rd to 8th March, 2020. This exhibition features Jyoti Bhatt’s photography, captures his life and his contemporaries through portraits. The exhibition contains portrait photographs from the year 1945 to 2010.

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Designer- Ashish Satyavrat Sahu

Sarovar Nagar, Panchsheel Colony, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834001 088251 96672

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TAAL- A BEAT OF EMOTIONS Indian classical music is a heritage that has evolved through the centuries. It is a blend of ritualistic, folk and cultural expression of the sub-continent and represents music of different genres. At one extreme, it is classical music whilst at the other extreme; it is a mixture of musical genres of different regions that reflect the diversity of India.The origins of Hindustani classical music can be found in the Samaveda (wherein Sāman means “melody” and Veda means “knowledge”). The Samaveda comes second in the usual order of the four Vedas. Samaveda consists of a collection (Samhita) of hymns and verses or specifically indicated melodies called Samagana that were sung by the priests while offering libations to various deities.Hindustani classical music has its origin as a form of meditation and is based upon ragas and taals each designed to affect different “chakras’’ (energy centers, or “moods’’) in the path of the “Kundalini” of the human system.

Vedic practice traces specific physical, mental, biological and spiritual results associated with activation of these centres to generate the very sound of “OM”.

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‘OM’ is believed to be the beginning of all creation in which are rooted the seeds of sound and music. Indian classical music is monophonic in nature and built around a single melody line, which is played over a fixed drone. The performance is based melodically on particular ragas and rhythmically on talas. The tabla plays a very important role in maintaining the rhythm during a Hindustani concert. There are a number of Tals (beat patterns) like Ek-Tal, Jhap-Tal, Dadra, Teen-Tal and so on. Each Tal has its own characteristics. The wide range and complex content of Indian music was not restricted merely to India. It was also influenced by countries like Persia and Afghanistan.

The ‘Sufi’ influence in Hindustani music during the medieval period was fused with ideas from Persian music, particularly through the influence of Sufi composers like Amir Khusru and Tansen. However, Amir Khusru is erroneously referred to as the inventor of the sitar and tabla and numerous musical forms such as khayal and tarana. The Hindustani music that developed during the time of the Mughal period is based on the rich Indian tradition and its interaction with Mughal influences. Music can be a social activity, but it can also be a very spiritual experience.

During the rule of Mughal emperor Akbar, Hindustani music reached its zenith, mainly due to Mian Tansen (He was born Tanna Mishra or Ramtanu to Makarand Pande. The name of his Guru was Swami Haridas), who was one of the nine jewels in Akbar’s court. It was during this era that Hindustani music, like an ever flowing river, absorbed many streams of varied musical genres such as Dhrupad, Dhamar and Khayal. Ancient Indians were deeply impressed by the spiritual power of music, and it is out of this that Indian classical music was born. So, for those who take it seriously, classical music involves single-minded devotion and lifelong commitment. But the thing about music is that you can take it as seriously or as casually as you like.

Most music has at least three main elements - melody, rhythm and harmony. Because of its contemplative, spiritual nature, Indian classical music is a solitary pursuit that focuses mainly on melodic development. In performance, rhythm also plays an important role, giving texture, sensuality, and a sense of purpose to melody. Music is said to be the best way to express emotions. It has the power to stimulate strong emotions within us, to the extent that it is probably rare not to be somehow emotionally affected by music. We all know what emotions are and experience them daily. Most of us also listen to music in order to experience emotions.

Music is a language that crosses boundaries and one that people of all ages and backgrounds can share. Whether it’s high emotions and drama or serene peace and calm, these moods can be conveyed without the need for words through the beauty and the depth of music. One of the greatest abilities one can have as a musical artist is to be able to take any idea or emotion and accurately convey it in music. On top of that, great musical creativity means one can make one’s listeners feel the exact musical emotions one intended them to feel with one’s music.

In one sense, the term “emotional expression” is slightly misleading: it is only sometimes that musicians are truly expressing their own emotions in a composition or performance. What is usually meant by the term emotional expression is that listeners perceive emotional meaning in music. Yet the term “emotional expression” is widely established and will thus be retained in the present essay. The fact that people like to use the term “expression” suggests that music somehow reminds them of the ways humans express their states of mind in real life.

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GHUNGHROO- MODE OF COMMUNICATION “Dance as the narration of a magical story; that recites on lips, illuminates imaginations and embraces the most sacred depths of souls.” ― Shah Asad Rizvi.

The base of the indian classical dance is rasa that is emotions. Dance without rasa is incomplete and that is why the love is created around the sphere of emotions. The main eight categories of dance form in indian classical dance forms are Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Bharatnayam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Bihu and Mohiniyattam. The pivotal functions of all these dance forms are to express the rasa among the audience by the use of bhava that is facial expressions, mudra or gesture.

Natyashashtra the book (granth) of dance (nritya kala) was written around 200 BC TO 300 AD, which gave the in depth dive into the learning of acting through the basic nine emotions i.e navarasas. These nine emotions every dancer has to incorporate to give completeness to the dance. This also a new value to the indian aesthetics.

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The navarasas or the nine emotions include: Shringara (Love), Hasya (Happiness), Roudra/ Krodha (Exasperation), Bheebhatsa (Abhorrence), Bhayanaka (Trepidation), Shanta (Tranquility), Veera (Valour), Karuna (Pity), Shoka/Karuna (Dejection) and Adbhuta (Awe). The eight forms of indian classical dance are also encompassed round the nine emotions. Research says that the emotions of humans are also encompassed around the colour vibes that are like the seven colors of the rainbow: Rage (Red), Avarice (Orange), Trepidation (Yellow), Love (Violet), Desire (Blue), Determination (Green) and Empathy (Indigo). Though it is missing the two essences like which embodies the absence of colours is death i.e black and convalescence of all colours is life i.e white. Every indian classical dancer should have tremendous exposure to these navarasas so as to observe the change in emotions of the human thus changing the behaviour of the character. Even the simple folk lore story of radha krishna can also be expressed through the navarasas. The key to utmost happiness is dance and this can be achieved by abhinaya or expression. The main process is achieved through the mukhya abhinaya or facial expression to connect with the audience with her/his thoughts and feelings.

The movements through the dance forms are through the hands and foot movements. The movements express the identity and close relation to emotional experience.

Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body. Dance is the move rhythmically to the music typically moving with steps. For some people it is worship, for someone it is art, for someone it is an expression of emotions, for someone it is happiness, for someone it is entertainment, for someone it is life. Indian classical dance is as diverse as indian classical heritage. The classical dancer has a complex repository of stylish poses. For each part of the body, the eyes and hands are the most essential for the traditional poses determined. Various movements of the feet, such as flaunting, fluttering, sidle, rhythm carefully used during a classical dance performance. One hand can have 24 postures (untamed hand) and 13 postures of both hands (combined hands), one hand stance can have exactly 30 different meanings from each other. Acting in a solo dance, drama, a man or a woman can perform actions of two or three significant characters respectively, changing the mood and mood of the face. The aesthetic joy of Hindu dance and theatre depends on how successful an artist is in expressing a particular expression and raising the Ras. For different, the positions of hands and action will be different.

There are different gestures and mudras in dance forms. These gestures are constituting movements and artforms. These movements are also a form of art and culture. This is how our heritage is being constituted. Our indian heritage and culture is thus strong. The heritage includes the vidya or education of nritya kala (dancing) as an inherent property of learning as kala (quality). It is the way the emotion is being expressed in the artform. The form is there in the classical dance form movements. The style is expressed in terms of the body movements.

There forms also a close relation to fashion and style. This is because the movements are of a particular fashion or type. The movements create a style and interests of the public.

The indian classical dance forms devotes to the culture of the society inherited long back. The kala is not only an art but our honour!

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Airy, breathable, handspun cotton from Bengal

Ph. 9375556068 shoresheclothing@gmail.com Aasmani s/s 2020 .April, 2020

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passion for conservation and use of craft blending with current times and FASHIONABILITY.

Carousel Design Pvt Ltd Bhanji Udyog Nagar Penkar Pada Glocal.

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INDIGO Indigo is among the oldest dyes to be used for textile dyeing and printing. The oldest known fabric dyed indigo dating to 6,000 years ago was discovered in 2009 at Huaca Prieta, Peru] Many Asian countries, such as India, Japan, and Southeast Asian nations have used indigo as a dye (particularly silk dye) for centuries.

The word Indigo derives from the Greek indikon, Latinized Indicum - originally meaning a substance from India- referring to the import of Indigo pigment by the Graceo-Roman world. The original Sanskrit word nila, meaning dark blue, spread elsewhere from India.

The Arabs christened it an-nil, in the course of their conquests. The Spanish and Portuguese transmitted the word an-nil to central and South America. Around the 16th century, a British act of parliament referred to indigo as nele, alias ‘blew inde’. Eventually, in the 17th century, indigo became the common name of use.

Of blues, there is only one real dye, Indigo -William Morris

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Produces from plants via a process akin to alchemy. Indigo has a unique chemistry that renders it compatible with every type of natural fibre. In the past, it was combined with other natural dyes to create a range of colours that are impossible to reproduce without synthetic substitutes. There are many thousands of species of Indigo-bearing plants from a variety of botanical genera and families. Over 700 species of the Indigofera alone have been described.

Every continent except Antarctica has indigenous plants capable of yielding indigo pigment.

Each species has its own distinctive characteristics and yields to different production methods.

The dye was also known to ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Britain, Mesoamerica, Peru, Iran, and Africa. Indigo was also cultivated in India, which was also the earliest major centre for its production and processing.

Indigo plantations were established by the British in India and South Carolina, the French in Louisiana and the West Indies, the Spanish in Guatemala, and the Dutch in the East Indies.

Basically, wherever indigo was traditionally used, the colonising power would look to profit from the booming demand in indigo. In West Africa, indigo textiles were considered so valuable that they were exchanged as currency. In fact, traditional Asian indigo textiles were shipped to West Africa by the European powers and used to exchange for slaves, who were then shipped on to work on indigo plantations. This plantation dye from the colonies would then be shipped to Europe. The global history of this dyed was thus tied up in the processes of slavery, exploitation, and colonisation. What once was a revered material became a source of misery for countless plantation workers and slaves. One commentator in 1848, E. De-Latour remarked: “Not a chest of Indigo reached England without being stained with human blood.�

Indigo is a challenging dye to use because it is not soluble in water; to be dissolved, it must undergo a chemical change. When a submerged fabric is removed from the dyebath, the indigo quickly combines with oxygen in the air and reverts to its insoluble form. When it first became widely available in Europe in the sixteenth century, European dyers and printers struggled with indigo because of this distinctive property.

It was also a toxic substance that, by requiring many chemical processes, had many opportunities to injure many workers. A pre-industrial process for dyeing with indigo, used in Europe, was to dissolve the indigo in stale urine. Urine reduces the water-insoluble indigo to a soluble substance known as indigo white, which produces a yellow-green solution. Fabric dyed in the solution turns blue after the indigo white oxidizes and returns to indigo. Synthetic urea to replace urine became available in the 1800s. Two different methods for the direct application of indigo were developed in England in the eighteenth century and remained in use well into the nineteenth century. The first method, known as pencil blue because it was most often applied by pencil or brush, could be used to achieve dark hues. Arsenic trisulfide and a thickener were added to the indigo vat. The arsenic compound delayed the oxidation of the indigo long enough to paint the dye onto fabrics. The second method was known as china blue due to its resemblance to Chinese blue-and-white porcelain. Instead of using an indigo solution directly, the process involved printing the insoluble form of indigo onto the fabric.

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PRAMILA CHOUDHARY - AN ARTIST Experienced Creative Director with a demonstrated history of working in the textile industry. She has skilled in retail, digital, printing, textiles, creative concept design, and team building. Strong entrepreneurship professional with a Master’s Degree focused in Textile Design from National Institute of Design.

Pramilach who is involved in textile design has come up with sustainable ideas and one of them has presented in the recent art exhibition named ‘Abhivyakti’ which takes place in Ahmedabad. Abhivyakti is an arts initiative for the masses of Ahmedabad. A platform for young and emerging talent from across town, Abhivyakti is bringing together a variety of performing and visual arts to create a unique experience for the citizens.

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Abhivyakti City Arts Project is an initiative to encourage original thinking and experimentation in the field of arts, across the four segments of Visual Arts, Music, Dance and Theatre.

Abhivyakti invites proposals from artists across the country to participate in this annual project.

The curatorial philosophy is oriented to honour conceptual thinking, artistic knowledge and execution ability.

The stage of Abhivyakti is committed to be a catalyst to encourage and develop regional talent in the field of arts. Abhivyakti endeavours to contribute in making art a meaningful part of public life and give audiences new ways of seeing the world. It strives to inspire art, ideas and conversations that are meaningful to artists and audiences alike. A series of deeply engaging installations were displayed and the evenings were very exciting as the visitors enjoyed the performing art events. The Abhivyakti Visual Arts segment was seen to be having its fair share of keen visitors and interested onlookers as the Fest entered its second day at the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat campus. By going through the place, you would come up with four more installations - The Fleeting Winds by Al-Qawi Tazal Nanavati and Pramila Choudhary, The Untitled by Dipal Sisodia and Adhmaniyon na Meghadhanush by Labdhi Shah and Lovers and letters by Avni Sethi, all of which also formed the photo-shops for the indulging kind.

Pramila is the artist who returns a second time in succession after the Second edition of the Fest in 2019, but this time with her compatriot Al-Qawi from Mumbai and showcases a work created out of textile scrap again. The difference is that the scrap was cut out of old apparels collected by the duo from a wide circle of friends and acquaintances from their respective two cities. It’s this that called for a great deal of effort in collection, transportation to Ahmedabad and then processing all of it at Pramila’s home-turned-studio over weeks of toiling creativity. A giant of fifty feet plus, this cluster of interlaced ropes works its way up diagonally to the second floor from its base laid near a tree cladding in the campus.

Colourful in its overall appeal, the Fleeting Wings at the apparent level is about elusive victories and short-lived successes that we all encounter as we grow in life. At the deeper level, the Fleeting Wings is about tributes and memories of loved ones who leave us as both parties grow in life. More often it is the parents who leave us one by one but on occasions and by some ill luck others also depart creating a wide void in the lives of the loved ones who the departed are survived by. Interestingly, the donors in some cases donated the apparels of their parents and others who passed away and thereby shared the deeper meaning of the installation wherein they kind of change form and live on.

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STORE TIMINGS MON - SAT | 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM (IST) Commerce House, 21, Saibaba Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai.

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B.V DOSHI Ancient Indian architecture has been so glorified in past and recognized all over the world for design principles of temple architecture water conservation in the form of stepwell called baoli in the region of Rajasthan and Ahembadad, principles of Vastu, Purpush and Mandala for building design, various principles of design for vernacular architecture in various parts of India. This glory of India has been finished after India has lost its political freedom in the hand of Muslim and British rulers.

Muslim rulers were very conservative toward their own religion and demolished so many temples and were more interested in Islamic architecture while Britishers were promoting their own colonial architecture.

These rules hardly bothered about the local Indian people and their main objective was to rule India and exploit natural resources of India. The local traditional principles of architecture have been lost because the people involved in these professions were either forced or adopted the principles of design of these rulers.

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Many of these skilled workers of Indian architecture have migrated to other professions or adopted the new method of construction technologies brought by these rulers. This could be termed as Dark Age for Indian Architecture. After Independence of India in 1947, many architects have continued the principles of design based on colonial architecture or modern movement of western architecture but few young Indian architects have started looking back on the glory of ancient Indian architecture and these architects were B.V.Doshi, Charles Correa, Raj Rewal etc.

Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi also called B.V. Doshi is a famous Indian architect from Gujarat and the first from the country to be awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2008. In a career spanning about seven decades, Doshi completed more than 100 projects, many of which were public institutions based in India: schools, libraries, art centres, and low-cost housing.

His understated buildings adapted the principles he learned from working with Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn to the needs of his homeland. In considering India’s traditions, lifestyles, and environment, Doshi designed structures that offered refuge from the weather and provided spaces in which to gather.

Doshi’s grandfather owned a furniture workshop, and Doshi initially believed he would take up that profession as well. He became interested in architecture, however, and in 1947 he entered the Sir J.J. School of Architecture in Bombay (Mumbai). In 1950 he travelled to London, where he met Le Corbusier, and, for the next four years, Doshi worked in the famed architect’s studio in Paris. He returned to India to oversee the construction of some of Le Corbusier’s projects, including the Mill Owners’ Association Building (1954) and the Villa Sarabhai in Ahmedabad (1955). He eventually settled in that city, where he designed his own residence (1963), named Kamala House after his wife; his studio, Sangath (1980); and some of his most important projects.

In 1956 Doshi founded his own practice, Vastushilpa, which he later renamed Vastushilpa Consultants. The firm worked on more than 100 projects throughout India, including a collaboration with Louis Kahn on the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (1962).

Doshi’s early works show the influence of his mentors’ projects in India. The School of Architecture in Ahmedabad, which Doshi founded and designed in 1966, recalls the grid facade of the Mill Owners’ Association Building, while the use of brick and concrete evokes the Villa Sarabhai. Appreciative of Le Corbusier’s ability “to create a soft light that makes people’s faces glow,” Doshi included slanted skylights and sliding doors to manipulate light and to regulate temperature. Ever mindful of India’s heat, he included recessed plazas shaded by leafy trees throughout the campus to offer spaces where students could meet in comfort. The school continued to grow in the following decades, expanding to include, among others, the School of Planning in 1970, the Visual Arts Centre in 1978, and the School of Interior Design in 1982. It was renamed the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT University) in 2002. Students assisted in designing each new addition, using similar forms and materials so that the entire campus felt cohesive. Doshi quickly became known for his commitment to providing affordable housing throughout India, where a shortage of homes had plagued cities for decades.

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Not just a label (NJAL) is the world’s leading designer platform for showcasing and nurturing today’s pioneers in contemporary fashion.

Founded by Stefan Siegel in 2008 with a powerful vision to infuse new life into the fashion system, NJAL has served as a critical platform for over 35,000 designers to date, working to empower emerging voices and facilitate industry exposure at no cost while simultaneously providing an indispensable tool for the industry.

NOT JUST A LABEL

20 Green Avenue Road, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi info@bodice.co.in +91-9650071122

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URBAN SCAPES The urban landscape is a concrete and objective phenomenon embodied by the quality of the physical factors of the environment. It is a system formed by the relation between the man and the urban environment. The topic of the landscape of cities is getting increasingly important due to the new emerging attitudes, particularly the interactional approaches and paying attention to the mutual effects of the environment on humans and humans on the environment.

Accordingly, it is important to realize and identify the effective factors on the formation of urban landscapes.

As budding photographers, when we hear the word landscape our mind conjures up images of lush valleys, looming mountains, rainy noons and majestic, sweeping vistas. With good reason, as the natural world can be a place of picturesque beauty. But done well, a different type of landscape photography, the urban landscape, can produce shots that are equally as compelling as anything Mother Nature can throw your way.

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Ahmedabad is the largest city in the State of Gujarat and the Seventh- largest urban agglomeration in India, with a population of almost 74 lakhs (7.4 Million). The city is located on the banks of the River Sabarmati. The city was at the forefront of the Indian independence movement in the first half of the 20th century. It was the epicentre of many campaigns of civil disobedience to promote workers’ rights, civil rights and political independence. Mahatma Gandhi also established Gandhi Ashram on the bank of river Sabarmati and selected Ahmedabad as his “Karmabhumi”. Ahmedabad remained the most important city in the Gujarat region. The City established itself as the home of a booming textile industry, which earned the nickname “The Manchester of India.” With the creation of the state of Gujarat in 1960, The hustle and bustle of Ahmedabad lend images and vitality that can’t be found anywhere else. There’s so much movement and life in the environment, and the best fashion photoshoots can capture that buzzing vibrancy. Planning a photo shoot in Ahmedabad also has plenty of practical advantages too. The daily city life offers a very interesting play of light and shadows, and that is one thing such cities usually never run out of. You can schedule a glamour shoot in the artificial glow of the nicely decorated cafes and buildings or also plan a candid and ethnic photoshoot in its poles for a brand that offers traditional attire.

Coupled with the fact that, for the most part, Ahmedabad is a lot more accessible for the majority of us, and shooting urban landscapes is the ideal activity for photographers during the lazy Indian summers. As with any fashion photoshoot, dragging yourself out of bed before the sun puts in an appearance can reward you with the kind of light show that almost makes up for all that missed sleep. You can drive to the outskirts of Thol lake or the Adalaj Vav where sunshine slowly climbs down the stairs and quenches its thirst.

What adds to the diversity of its backgrounds is that there are a lot of colours everywhere! You can do a monochrome photo story in the concrete laden landscapes or find vibrant pops of colour that blends well with your collection. Fondly revered as B.V Doshi’s very own city it has walls that were brought to life with M.F Hussain’s artworks and a city life that offers skyscrapers as well as dainty vintage terraces of Havelis in the polls.

It did face a lot of massacres and riots and had days laden in blood and tears. However, everything eventually ended on a more peaceful note. The vibrant diversity of this story speaks for itself and if you are shooting a collection with delicate Lucknowi embroidery or a line of Jhumkhas, you have Jama Masjid with Urdu scriptures painted in the backdrop. If you have a range of more contemporary fast fashion photoshoot to conduct, Amdawad ni Gufa offers contemporary interiors with interesting pops of colour.

Create the perfect traditional themes in the old-world charm of it’s Pols and Havelis or bring together a line of trendy and comfortable outfits with the city’s yellow street light ambers in the backdrop. The choice is yours to make!

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FLIPSTONES CAFE

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Flipstones café is a brand under the Greenstraw umbrella which only serves food while Greenstraw is involved with a lot of other activities.

The three friends envisaged it to be the perfect example of anything and everything sustainable.

This included the building. They chose a house which was 50 years ago which could be uplifted to suit the café’s needs. The building was renovated using local materials. The café furniture is made from upcycled Alang boats. The menu is printed over the recycled paper and you are given a paper and pen to write your order.

THE GREENSTRAW 32, Usmanpura Village, River Front Approach, Near Natarani Amphi Theatre, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad

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With a hope to have given the best of what we can include in this issue of “Avest’n,” we believe that our effort to bring out the sustainable life around us to a much wider audience has found its path and purpose. Our intentions do not have a motive to defame, trespass, plagiarise or to copyright infringement. The magazine was not created for commercial purposes.

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