Portfolio By- Simran Thapar
2017-2018
“I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect, they are much more interesting.� -Marc Jacobs
PROJECTS 01 SUSTAINABLE FASHION
03 THE JACKET PROJECT
02 THE NEN PROJECT (NorthEast Network)
04 DISCOVERING DENIM
PROJECT- 1
Brand Name : Simran Thapar ‘Belive in doing mistakes”
Aim Is to create the design which is comfortable and longlasting. Our belief is that nothing should be waste each bit of fabric should be consumed in creating something new. Simran Thapar Owner
How it works? Sustainable Weave own fabrics inside the studio with natural yarns i.e cotton and silk. It’s a zero waste brand where the waste generated from the weaved fabric are used to create a new products.
MINIMAL WASTE
By understanding the minimal waste theory, different silhouette designs emerged from geometrical shapes. The gathered part of the fabric is used from the waste which was generated from the leftover pieces of the fabric.
Sleeve Opening
Sleeve Opening
Neck Opening
This is a minimal waste garment made out of a 44� width fabric and the length kept 3-4� inches below the hip level. After cutting the fabric some scraps are left which are used for finishing the hemline and neck and the excess of the fabric is left out.
ZERO WASTE
Zero waste garment, allows one to eliminate fabric wastage in design. Here the idea is to construct zero waste garment out of the fabric width. Patterns bring out interesting silhouettes once this technique is applied.
Neck Opening Sleeve Opening
Sleeve Opening
This is a zero waste garment made out of a 2 metre fabric and no fabric cutting was left out. This sillhoutes inspiration came from the geometric shapes.
UPCYCLE
Upcycling is the process to tranformation. Here 6metre fabric is sourced from the waste markets and upcycled to create a new garment using the technique subtraction.
BA CK
NT FRO
ON FOLD
RECYCLE
Recycle technique in this we have to pick unused garment from our wardrobe and deconstructed and reconstructed to give to give a new look in a way which allow you to wear it.
“What you do makes a diffrence and you have to decide what kind of diffrence you want to make�
Photography - Manuel Edwin NJ Models- Parul Gupta Bhumika Sharma Designed By- Simran Thapar
PROJECT- 2
The NEN Project
North East Network (NEN) is an oraganisation by Monisha Behal and Seno, working for social justice issues, community programes, food security,enviormental conversation health issues, women’s right and sustainability in crasts. The project introduced that sets the context to understand and appreciate the finer nuances of Chakesang tribe craft praactices seen in Chizami village, Phek district of Nagaland and to analyse the Indian/Eastren context of craft approch to clothing traditions, focusing on the textiles patterns, drapes, forms and deatils. Chakesang tribe in Chizami practice various crafts like bamboo basketry, dates leaves raincoats, agriculture farming back strap loom and also spinning their own years.
North East Network
NEN’s mission is to take forward women’s human rights through collective action by:
North East Network (NEN) is a women’s rights organisation linking with rural and urban women and organisations on development and related issues within North East India. NEN recognizes the potential and right of every individual and child, irrespective of their ethnic origins, different abilities,religious belief, sexual orientation, gender, age or social grouping. The NEN here is in the Chizami phek district of Nagaland, where the focus is on the handicrafted goods of Nagaland and backstrap loom weaving.
»» Creating a culture of peace, both inside and outside the homes, through women’s active and informed involvement »» Strengthening women’s collectives, collective action and their leadership »» Increasing women’s representation in political, public and community processes »» Addressing discrimination and violence against women in both public and domestic spheres, and ensuring safer spaces »» Protecting the environment and biodiversity through innovative initiatives, by engaging youth and women.
A G R I C U L T U R E Jhum cultivation (Shift Agriculture) and terrace farming are the main focus in the agricutural practice of Chakesang tribe. Jhum is slash-and-burn cultivation traditionally practised in the hilly terrains of north-east India. In the jhum system, an area is divided into plots and a particular plot is cultivated for a year or two Agricuture is practiced in groups of friends after which the farmer shifts to the next plot. The rotation cycle between plots and a diffrent group of married couples. vary between five to 10 years. The longer the duration, the better the crop yields They work together in the fields by singing as the soil gets more time to replenish with nutrients. traditional folk songs.
Agriculture and Storage
In Nagaland, the crop calendar begins in March, which is the sowing time; May and June are for harvesting vegetables such as melon, cucumbers, spinach leaf, mustard, onion, chillies, carrots, tomatoes, brinjal, etc; July is for harvesting millets and August for maize. August is also the month for sowing of rice beans, another soil nitrogen-fixing plant. The last to harvest are oil seeds such as sesame in October.
Millet is the only one that is edible even after 30 years of storage and can provide nutrition at the time of drought. In between the farmers crop plant other fruits and vegetavles so that they can not return home empty handed.
A R C H I T E C T U R E
Architecture which defines their living
Bamboo and wood are the primary materials that is used for constructing the houses. Noways they have started using cements to build their house. Chakhesang house has a carvings on the outside walls and the Kelicho(the hoens in the roof of the houses). They have to earn this by hunting a wild and dangerous animal like a mithun or a white boar. Carving of the horns means they have offered a feast of merit.
Basketry and Storage
B A S K E T R Y
Basket are designed for carrying heavier loads have extra bamboo slats tied onto the basket surface, or double weaves. Open and closed weaves and also diagonal and straight weaves bind warp and weft in various patterns depending on the use of the basket. The extra weave of a cane in the corners ensures that bamboo does not wear-off. Strips are added to the rim as binding elements for a clean and strong finish.
R A I N C O A T S
Raincoat Weaving
Raincoats are worn by farmers to protect themselves from the sun and rain while they work on the fields. Date palm leaves are woven to create the raincoat, Before weaving the leaves are soaked in a water to get moisture to weave. When the base is set using the thigh the rest of the dates plam leaves are woven into the layers.This is achieved through a tool called Enhichu. It is transferred to the tool only when it is ready from the tigh.
C O T T O N
Cotton is harvested by men in the fields from there the Naga women is invovled in making yarn out the fibre to making of fabric. Once the cotton is plucked from the fields by the men it is taken to the the common area, where the group of women who work in spinning. Than the cotton goes through various process like cleaning, ginning, spinning and hanks. The cotton yarns are made and then taken to the loom for producing the fabric.
Journey Of Cotton
S P I N N I N G
C H I Z A M I W E A V E S
Traditional weave on the loom
Weaving is done only by women in the predominantly Chakhesang community of Phek district. The men manufacture the loom which is specifically made out of wood and bamboo, grown locally in the community forests of the villages. Portable loom gets its name from the strap pulled around the weaver’s back that holds the whole structure with the required tension that in turn enables sturdy weave pattern. The nature of the loom, the width of a fabric is normally woven at one go and does not exceed more than 18-20 inches. Larger pieces of fabrics are created by stitching a number of strips together. Traditionally, women would weave for family and festival needs. The women at Chizami weave traditional motifs in local textiles and turn them into fashionable home decor items and dress materials, which fetch competitive market prices.
Traditions and beliefs associated with the weaving
I N S P I R A T I O N In Chizami, people used to store millets and other food by hanging items because the smoke of the chulhas protect it from the insects. There was a way they hang it and stored, by creating random order. Millets are the one of those which can last upto 30 years. Storage of millets
M O O D B O A R D
D E S I G N I T E R A T I O N S
The silhouettes are designed for A/W 2020. Design Development is made on the basis of zero waste or minimal waste theory and keeping the backstrap loom weaving in the mind.All the silhouettes are simple and according to their culture.
Keywords: Layering , Overlapping , Pleat , Joining , Drapping.
R A N G E
C A D I T E R A I T O N S
F I N A L D E S I G N The silhoutte is designed according to maximum length and width of the loom i.e 24*22 inch. This is a minimal Waste garment which is made in a four panel. In this motif placment is done according to the loom.
F A B R I C 24”
24”
O N
14”
L O O M 14”
11”
2 Panels
22”
The fabric on the loom is prototype with a consumption plan as how the garment will be weaved to achive the four panels in the garment.
Final Garment Prototype, Garment details
Photography - Simran Thapar Model- Harsimran Kaur Designed By- Simran Thapar
PROJECT- 3
PROJECT- 4
DISCOVERING DENIM
This project is endterm eight-week long project which was guided by Sahni Himanshu, creative dirrector of 11.11 and other industry experts. The projects aims to a journey of dazzling blue fabric through the world of indigo which in other term is called Denim. To understand denim in fabric to its very intial stage which is raw material of cotton,from history of cotton to stages of spinning, dyeing and weaving . From here all processes and history involved in making the fabric is studied.
Cotton hanks used to spin into yarn
The ‘takua’ and ‘takhli’ used in peti charkha
Cotton for ages has been the backbone of Indian economy and lifestyle, It is an important fiber and cash crop which plays a dominant role in the industrial and agricultural economy of India. Cotton cultivation is closely related to deep black soils (regur) of the Deccan and the Malwa Plateaus and those of Gujarat. It also grows well in alluvial soils of the Satluj-Ganga Plain and red and laterite soils of the peninsular regions. Cotton and cotton fabric is very important identity of Indian common man, not just because of its properties but also the sustainability factor (grow, spin, weave, dye, stitch and recycle) attached to it. It’s a believe that the journey of an Indian starts with a cotton fabric and also finishes with it.
Charkha, cotton hanks, takhli, takua and handwoven cotton yarns
Indigo Vat
Story Of Indigo Indigo is the oldest natural dye used in India since ancient time to produce blue colour on natural fibres. The natural indigo dye is extracted from the leaves of indigo plant. The species of the plant cultivated in India is known as Indigofera tinctoria. Indigo is insoluble in water and belongs to vat dye class. Before dyeing it must be converted into water soluble form by the process known as reduction in presence of alkali. The dyeing is carried out while indigo is water soluble reduced form. After dyeing the fabric is exposed to air during which the water soluble form of indigo gets converted into original water insoluble form producing blue color on the dyed fabric.
Indigo dyed cotton yarn
Arashi Dyeing
Arashi and Clamp Dyeing at Abduljabbar Khatri,Kucth
Arashi is the Japanese term for “storm.� It’s also known as the pole-wrapping technique because it involves wrapping fabric around a pole (or PVC pipe). The cloth is wrapped on a diagonal around a pole. Then the cloth is very tightly bound by wrapping thread up and down the pole. Next, the cloth is scrunched on the pole. The result is a pleated cloth with a design on a diagonal. The patterns are always on a diagonal in arashi shibori which suggest the driving rain of a heavy storm. Clamp Dyeing The fabric is folded into one particular patrren and then clamped and patterned with a particular wooden blocks before dyeing.That pattern is repeated all over the fabric when dyed and the rest of the fabric retains the color of the dye.
Bandhani at Abduljabbar Khatri and his brother Abdullah ,Kucth
Bhandhani The finest tie-dye is produced by the Khatri community in Kutch, Gujarat. The fabric to be dyed is tied very tightly at different points in knots and then dyed with extraordinary colors. When this tied cloth goes for dyeing, these threads or knots doesn’t let that part catch color & allows it to stay white or whatever color the cloth has. Once the cloth is dyed, it is left for drying in open air.
At Arvind Mill , Ahemdabad. The Denim Lab
Denim Wash At Arvind Mill, Ahemdabad Arvind mill ltd. started first denim plant in India. Since then arvind mill is the largest denim producer in the world where all the experiments anDenim washes was studied and understood here. Various machines and techniques are used to make a denim and the wash effects was also explored like stone wash, towel wash, ball wash, sand wash, acid wash and enzyme wash etc.
Stone Wash Machine
Neutraliser Machine: To neutralise bleach
Enzyme Wash Machine
THE
DENIM JEAN Denim is a type of cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. Warp threads of denim fabric are dyed in indigo while weft threads remain plain white. That is why denim is blue on the one side and white on the other. This was a raw denim in this jean I started putting duct tape on the denim to form tessellation and then I tried enzyme wash with bleach to give diffrent hues and then it was neutralised. The waist band, pockets and hemline are frayed in the final denim.
THE TRUCKER JACKET Introduced in the United States in the late 19th century, it has been a popular type of casual apparel with both men and women and has been described as an iconic element of American fashion. Elements of trucker jacket are: • Cropped cut that ends at the waist • Slim, tailored cut • Buttons at sleeve, pocket, and front • Chest pockets with pointed flaps • Generally, two slanted (or “V-shaped”) seams that run from chest pocket to waist • A point collar
BLUE FOSTER Group Project
Exploring the streets of colours, we came across the king of blues ‘Indigo’. To delve down into the blue gold we made an outing to Ahmedabad. Visiting places like Bhujodhi and Ajrakpur, we perceived how much it is important to them; each progress of dying is viewed as significant and taken consideration in a specific way.
INDIGO
Breathes Bleeds Fed
LIVING FORM
Look after GRREN LEAF TO BLUE FABRIC
Fades ORGANIC PHENOMENON
CYCLE CONTINUOUS MOTHER’S WOMB Plants
FrogÕ s cycle
LIFE CYCLE Needs to be fed
INDIGO VAT
NURTURE Dependent
Parenting
Cocoon
NURTURE
Bond Care Comfort Delicate
Bacteria
Development Protect
Indigo vat
Precioius Sensitive Warmth
IDENTITY
JADEN SMITH
Distinctive ppl diverse identities and in this manner , distinctive opinions , One individual we ran over is Jaden Smith, 20 years old versatile artist. He is a known adaptable individual ,explore different approach regarding his looks. He is a new and refreshing voice when it comes to the gender norms that surround the fashion world. He is living proof that this generation of teens is prepared to rise up and help this world heal our deeply rooted social and environmetal wounds once and for all.
SILHOUTTE INSPIRATION The inspiration of silhoutte came around layers and covers portraying comfort and security.
FINAL GARMENT
DENIM EXIBITION
Photography - Simran Thapar Manuel Edwin NJ Model- Simran Thapar Designed By- Simran Thapar